'We Were on the Same Page' - Reds Starter Andrew Abbott Impresses in First Start of Season

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott was fantastic in his first start of the season on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits. He walked two and added five strikeouts in the Reds' 5-2 win over the Pirates.

"I think I executed overall pretty well today," Abbott said after the victory. "Obviously, I hate walking people. I got myself in good counts and was able to get some early contact. I was able to locate basically all of my pitches the whole night."

Cincinnati's pitching staff has been so excellent this season, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think Abbott would feel added pressure to perform in his first start back in the rotation.

"You always have to have that confidence in yourself that you belong or that you deserve the spot," Abbott added. "Anyone that they throw out there, we are all confident in giving 5, 6, 7, 8 innings. That puts us in a really good spot that we still have that internal competition trying to outdo one another."

When asked how it was to work with Reds catcher Jose Trevino for the first time, Abbott had nothing but praise for him.

"Simple and easy. No shaking involved. We were on the same page all night," Abbott said. "The guy does his research. He's back there for you. He is going to block. He is a platinum-glover for a reason. It was really exciting."

Abbott has 3.78 ERA over 46 starts in his young career. If he can continue to pitch like he has in the past, the Reds may just have one of the best fifth starters in baseball.

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