Trace Fowler and Nick Kirby will be LIVE at 9:00 PM on Sunday night! ---------------------------------- Check out our partners ⤵️ Get 20% off sitewide at Homage with promo code CHATTER at checkout: homage.com/CBOX The Anthony Muñoz 78 Cigar! Get your box today: https://www.anthonymunoz.com/anthony-... Apply today at Sharefax Credit Union: Sharefax.org or call 513-753-2440 Learn more about our friends at QC Kinetix! Call (513) 655-3356 or visit qckinetix.com It’s OK not to be OK! Need Help? Call or text 988 DAY OR NIGHT or visit mantherapy.org ----------------------------------- The Cincinnati Reds finally have some momentum again. After suffering through their longest losing streak since 2024, the Reds bounced back with a much-needed 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati snapped an eight-game skid and now has a chance to win the series on Sunday against one of the American League’s top teams. The losing streak had quickly changed the outlook of the Reds’ season. Just a couple of weeks ago, Cincinnati was near the top of the NL Central standings. But a brutal stretch of losses dropped the Reds down the standings as the offense struggled to produce consistently and the pitching staff couldn’t catch a break. Saturday felt different. Rookie pitcher Chase Burns delivered another strong performance and gave the Reds exactly what they needed. Burns allowed just one run over six innings while continuing to show why he has become one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball. The right-hander improved to 4-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.11. Houston took a brief 1-0 lead in the fifth inning on a solo home run, but the Reds answered immediately. Matt McLain came through with a two-run single to put Cincinnati ahead, and Elly De La Cruz added an RBI hit later in the inning to extend the lead to 3-1. The Reds bullpen handled the rest. Brock Burke, Graham Ashcraft and Pierce Johnson combined for three scoreless innings to close out the win. Johnson earned his first save of the season as Cincinnati celebrated its first victory in over a week. Now the Reds will try to build on that momentum in Sunday’s series finale. Left-hander Andrew Abbott is expected to start for Cincinnati. Abbott has had an up-and-down season so far, but he showed encouraging signs in his last outing against the Chicago Cubs. He carried a shutout into the sixth inning before leaving with a no-decision in a tough 3-2 loss. The Reds are hoping Abbott can continue trending in the right direction against a dangerous Astros lineup that still features several proven hitters. Houston remains one of the better offensive teams in baseball and can score quickly when its lineup gets rolling. The Astros are expected to start Kai-Wei Teng, who will be making just his second start of the season. Teng has mostly pitched out of the bullpen this year but has been effective in limited action. For Cincinnati, the offense will once again be a major storyline. The Reds have struggled offensively during the losing streak, but Saturday’s win featured more timely hitting and better at-bats throughout the lineup. McLain’s two-run single was one of the biggest hits the Reds have had in over a week, while De La Cruz continued to provide energy near the top of the order. Will Benson has also started swinging the bat better recently, and the Reds are hoping players like Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand can continue to heat up as well. Manager Terry Francona has continued to shuffle the lineup looking for consistency, especially during the team’s offensive struggles over the last several games. Even with the recent losing streak, the Reds are still very much in the mix in the NL Central race. A series win over Houston would not completely erase the frustration of the past week, but it would certainly help Cincinnati regain some confidence moving forward. More importantly, Saturday’s victory reminded everyone what this team looks like when the pitching, defense and timely hitting all come together. The Reds will now try to carry that momentum into Sunday and secure an important series victory before turning the page to the next part of their schedule.