Reds P Andrew Abbott has tough act to follow vs. Padres

The Cincinnati Reds will look to follow up a dominating pitching performance with another one on Saturday when they send left-hander Andrew Abbott to the mound against the visiting San Diego Padres.

Nick Martinez retired 22 consecutive batters and carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before the Reds settled for an 8-1 victory over the Padres on Friday in the opener of the three-game series.

Martinez was aided by the power surge of Spencer Steer, who homered in each of his first three at-bats to propel Cincinnati to its fourth win in five outings. Steer belted a solo shot in the second inning, went deep to lead off the fourth and added a two-run blast in the fifth for the Reds' first three-homer game since Jesse Winker accomplished the feat on June 6, 2021.

Cincinnati also received a boost from Austin Hays, who had an RBI double and scored a run in the fifth inning in his return from the 10-day injured list due a left foot contusion.

"We checked all the boxes pretty quick," Hays said, per The (Cincinnati) Enquirer. "I feel good. Feel comfortable in my at-bats. I was on time for the fastball, hit a couple breaking balls good.

"I feel good about where I'm at."

The Reds on Saturday will hand the ball to Abbott (7-1, 1.79 ERA), who retired the last 18 batters he faced in a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. He allowed one run on four hits in seven innings, boosting his total to two earned runs in 21 2/3 frames over his last three starts.

"He can help us win," Martinez said of Abbott. "He's got that dog in him."

Abbott, 26, has shown that in a small sample size versus San Diego. He owns a 1-0 record with a 0.61 ERA while striking out 14 batters in two career outings (14 2/3 innings).

San Diego right-hander Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.60) will provide the opposition on Saturday.

Vasquez recorded his sixth straight no-decision on Sunday despite allowing two runs on five hits in a career-high seven innings against the Kansas City Royals in a 3-2 win. He has been rather generous with the long ball, however, permitting 11 homers over his past nine games.

Vasquez, 26, has yet to face the Reds in his career.

Xander Bogaerts returned to the lineup in the series opener following a one-game absence due to a left shoulder injury. He sustained the injury while sliding head-first into home plate during Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals, and it's to the same shoulder that required surgery last season.

"I think we've talked to him about it. He's aware of it," Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Bogaerts' decision to make a head-first slide. "He's a 12-year pro, so he knows what he's doing. It's an instinct for him to slide headfirst, (so) making an adjustment because of his shoulder is something that's on the table and I think he's aware of."

--Field Level Media