Cincinnati's 20th Win Before May: The Best Start Since 2006 and It's Only Getting Started

The Cincinnati Reds are off to their best start in two decades, and they made it official Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati knocked off Colorado 6-4 to notch their ninth win in their last 12 games and, more importantly, reached 20 wins before May 1 hit the calendar for the first time in franchise history.

That's right. In all of Reds baseball, they had never gotten to 20 wins this fast. Their 20-11 record through 31 games matches the 2006 squad that opened 20-11, but nobody had done it before May rolled around until now.

Friedl's Go-Ahead Blast Puts It Away

TJ Friedl supplied the decisive blow with a go-ahead two-run homer that gave Cincinnati the lead for good. After Andrew Abbott escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth (forcing out a runner at the plate and striking out Hunter Goodman on a foul tip), the Reds answered right back in the bottom half. Spencer Steer walked to lead things off, and one batter later, Friedl connected into the right field seats.

Nathaniel Lowe added two hits of his own, homering and doubling while scoring twice. All five of Lowe's home runs this season came during Cincinnati's six-game homestand that just wrapped up Thursday. Steer went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to add punch to the lineup.

Abbott Pitches Through the Pressure

Andrew Abbott earned his first win of the season despite the Rockies' early pressure. The starter allowed just two runs on five hits across six innings, struck out five, and walked two. Colorado struck first when Brenton Doyle walked in the first inning and Tyler Freeman hammered an Abbott fastball into the first row of right field seats for his homer of the season.

But Abbott settled in and controlled the game from there, especially navigating that fifth-inning crisis with bases loaded and one out. Michael Lorenzen, the former Reds two-way player pitching for Colorado, took the loss after giving up four runs on four hits in 5-and-one-third innings with five strikeouts and three walks.

The Reds host their next matchup looking to keep this momentum rolling. Twenty wins before May 1. That's not just a good start. That's historic.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.