Just Win, Baby: Instant Takeaways From Reds Comeback Victory Over Twins

The Cincinnati Reds pulled out a gritty win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday by a final score of 5-4.

Reds starter Andrew Abbott was bounced after 4 2/3 innings, which caused the Reds to rely heavily on the bullpen. But the bullpen, paired with some clutch offense, pushed the Reds to another win over the Twins.

The Reds were down 2-0 after the first inning. They responded when Tyler Stephenson drove in Sal Stewart with a sacrifice fly in the second inning to make it 2-1. The Twins added a run in the third, but the Reds responded an inning later when Stephenson drove in Eugenio Suárez with an RBI single to make it 3-2. Again, the Twins responded in the next inning. But the Reds rallied again, scoring a run in each of the final three innings to win the game 5-4.

In the seventh inning, Elly De La Cruz singled to score Rece Hinds. In the eighth inning, Hinds drove in Suárez with a sacrifice fly. In the ninth, it was Dane Myers who was the hero, driving in Spencer Steer on a bloop single to take the lead. Tony Santillan locked down the ninth inning in dominant fashion to secure his 12th career save.

Here are our takeaways from the Reds' comeback victory over the Twins on Saturday:

Instant Takeaways

Apr 12, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott (41) walks to the dugout after being removed from the game against the Los Angeles Angels in the fourth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Andrew Abbott Struggled, But Gave the Reds a Chance

It wasn't the best day at the ballpark for Abbott. He surrendered six hits and four runs (three earned) over 4 2/3 innings while walking three hitters and striking three out. He threw 52 strikes of his 97 pitches, but his biggest issue was getting strike one. Abbott has posted a first-pitch strike rate of around 62 percent for his career. He's posting the same rate this year, but on Saturday, he was 9-for-24 on first pitch strikes. Falling behind was a major problem for the lefty.

But he left the game with the Reds trailing by a run. Sam Moll surrendered one of Abbott's runs in the fifth inning, but Abbott gave the team a chance to win. At the end of the day, the Reds can only ask Abbott to give them a chance. It wasn't a good outing, but he battled and kept the game close.

Reds Bullpen is Dominant

The Reds' bullpen has been the best unit in the league early this season, and Terry Francona leaned heavily on this unit against the Twins.

Sam Moll recorded an out to get the Reds out of the fifth inning. Pierce Johnson surrendered a hit in the sixth inning but struck out two batters on his way to a scoreless inning. Brock Burke labored in the seventh but posted a scoreless inning of his own. Kyle Nicolas was handed the ball in a high-leverage spot in the eighth inning. Nicolas proceeded to strike out the side.

Santillan put the Twins down in order with a pair of strikeouts to end the game. All in all, the Reds' bullpen combined for 4 1/3 innings, three hits allowed, two walks, and nine strikeouts.

Just Win, Baby!

Cincinnati Reds bench coach/field coordinator Freddie Benavides (45) and manager Terry Francona (77) look on from the dugout in the second inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It wasn't pretty. The Reds didn't lead until the ninth inning. But every win goes down in the books the same.

The Reds fought and fought across all nine innings. They put together a lot of quality at-bats. The bullpen was awesome. Abbott didn't have his best stuff, but he fought to keep the Reds in the game.

The Reds don't have the most runs scored or the best run differential this year. But they're finding ways to win. At the end of the day, that's the name of the game.

That moves the Reds to 10-0 in games decided by two runs or less.

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