INSTANT REACTION: Reds Jump on Cubs Early and Often in 6-2 Win

CINCINNATI — TJ Friedl led off the game with a home run Friday, one of three home runs for the Reds, as they beat the Cubs 6-2 on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Tyler Stephenson and Jake Fraley joined the home run party, with the six runs being more than enough with starter Andrew Abbott’s having stellar outing.

Most importantly, the Reds are back to .500 at 29-29 and can enter June with a winning record if they beat the Cubs on Saturday.

Here are our key takeaways from Friday’s 6-2 Reds win:

Andrew Abbott’s dominant start

As he has done for most of this month, Abbott delivered a stellar performance on the mound Friday afternoon. Abbott held the Cubs to just one hit over seven innings, striking out eight and walking just one batter. He threw 93 pitches and 61 were strikes.

Abbott finishes the month of May with a microscopic ERA of 0.70. In addition, the Reds left-hander won each of his last three starts with two of them coming against the Cubs. Pitching in his third season at the big league level, Abbott had eight strikeouts in two of his starts in May.

Overall this season, Abbott remains undefeated at 5-0 with a 1.51 ERA.

TJ Friedl sets the tone at the outset

On just the third pitch of the game, Friedl took advantage of a hanging curveball from Cubs left-handed starter Colin Rea and flew it out to right center field for a home run.

Friedl’s batting average is now over .300, and he’s been on a tear of late. In the moth of May, Friedl is now hitting .337 with four doubles, a triple, two home runs seven RBIs and 16 walks to only 19 strikeouts. The Reds center fielder also has an on-base percentage of .442.

On Friday afternoon, Friedl went 2-3 with a home run and two walks.

Friedl getting on base close to 50 percent of the time is crucial for this Reds team. When he’s on, he can definitely run. Plus, Friedl gives opportunities to Santiago Espinal and Elly De La Cruz to advance him and put, potentially, multiple runs on the board.

Welcome back Jake Fraley!

Playing in his first game since May 6th Friday, Fraley showed his power is why he is still a valuable member of this Reds ball club.

Fraley clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning to extend the Reds lead to 6-0. He finished the game going 1-3 with his home run and a walk.

Time will tell if Fraley is able to turn his performance Friday into a lengthy stretch. Nevertheless, it was great to see his power stroke on display Friday.

Notes and observations

The Reds had just five chances with runners in scoring position in Friday, converting one of them.
Tony Santillan struggled in his relief appearance Friday, allowing two earned runs on three hits in just a third of an inning.
Despite allowing six runs and 10 hits, the Cubs used just three pitchers on Friday.

On Deck

The series between the Reds and Cubs continues Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.39 ERA) will start for the Reds while the Cubs have not yet named a starter.

First pitch is at 2:20 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW.