Thanks largely to an impressive performance from young starter Chase Burns, the host Cincinnati Reds snapped their longest losing streak since 2024 with a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday, setting the stage for a series-clinching victory in Sunday’s rubber match.
Left-hander Andrew Abbott (1-2, 5.13 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for Cincinnati on Sunday. In his last outing, Abbott carried a shutout into the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday but did not factor into the decision of a 3-2 loss. He allowed four hits, four walks, and struck out four over 5 2/3 innings.
Abbott has earned only one decision in his last four starts, posting a 1-0 record with a 4.43 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 20 1/3 innings. He has faced the Astros once before, tossing six scoreless innings in a 2-1 road win on June 16, 2023, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out two in his third career start.
In his 16th career start, Burns limited Houston to one run on four hits and three walks over six innings. The win came one day after the Astros cruised to a 10-0 victory in the series opener.
Beyond Burns’ strong outing, three Cincinnati relievers combined to retire the final nine batters without allowing a baserunner. Pierce Johnson earned his first save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
“Honestly, that was a big win for the team,” Johnson said. “We’ve been going through it on this last road trip. We needed one right there, so I’m glad I could come through and help us out a little bit.”
The Astros had been impressive offensively on the road, with four different players homering in Friday’s blowout, but they were stifled by Burns. Houston manager Joe Espada praised the young pitcher.
“He’s tough,” Espada said of Burns. “We didn’t do a very good job of not chasing that slider. He really kept us off balance and threw us off our plan. Credit to their pitching. They did a nice job. They quieted down one of the best offenses in the game.”
Houston wasted a solid start from right-hander Spencer Arrighetti and 2 1/3 perfect innings from relievers Enyel De Los Santos, Steven Okert, and Bryan Abreu. The Astros could not solve Burns’ mainly two-pitch mix of four-seam fastballs and sliders.
Kai-Wei Teng (1-1, 1.80) will make his 14th appearance and second start of the season for the Astros, with a bulk pitcher likely to follow. The right-hander started against the Baltimore Orioles on April 28, allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts over three innings. In his last outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, Teng tossed two scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and striking out two. Teng has made eight starts in 26 career appearances. This will be his first time facing the Reds.
