Abbott pitches 7 crisp innings as the Reds hold off the Cubs for a 6-2 win

CHICAGO — Andrew Abbott pitched seven shutout innings in his third consecutive win, helping the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Friday.

TJ Friedl, Tyler Stephenson and Jake Fraley homered for Cincinnati, which improved to 3-1 on a six-game trip. Will Benson had two hits and scored twice.

The Reds played without outfielder Austin Hays, one of their best hitters. Hays was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left foot contusion.

Abbott (5-0) allowed one hit, struck out eight and walked one. The left-hander improved to 3-0 with a sparkling 0.55 ERA in six May starts.

Emilio Pagán got two outs for his 14th save, working out of a jam in the ninth.

Chicago had won four in a row and seven of eight overall. The NL Central leaders took two of three against the Reds in Cincinnati last weekend.

Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (3-2) was tagged for six runs and a season-high 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Friedl drove Rea's third pitch of the game deep to right-center for his fourth homer of the season. Friedl also singled in the third for his seventh consecutive game with multiple hits.

Stephenson connected for a two-run shot in the fourth, a 435-foot drive to center for his fourth homer. Fraley added another two-run shot in the sixth in his first game back after being sidelined by left calf tenderness.

Chicago scored its two runs in the eighth. Michael Busch hit an RBI triple and scored on Matt Shaw's single to right.

Key moment

The Cubs had runners on first and second when Graham Ashcraft replaced Tony Santillan on the mound in the eighth. Ashcraft got Kyle Tucker to bounce into a 3-6-1 double play, ending the inning.

Key stat

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out swinging in his first three at-bats before reaching on a bloop double in the ninth. He flung his bat off to the side in frustration after striking out for the final out in the fourth.

Up next

Left-hander Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.39 ERA) starts on Saturday for the Reds. Left-hander Drew Pomeranz (2-0, 0.00 ERA) opens for the Cubs, and right-hander Ben Brown (3-3, 6.39 ERA) also is expected to pitch.

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