Chase Burns delivered six strong innings, and the Cincinnati Reds capitalized on a crucial fifth-inning fielding error to defeat the visiting Houston Astros 3-1 on Saturday, ending their season-worst eight-game losing streak.
The victory set up a rubber match in the three-game interleague series on Sunday. The Reds broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (4-1), who suffered his first loss in five starts this season.
Arrighetti was perfect through two innings and navigated around a leadoff walk to Will Benson in the third, ending the frame by striking out TJ Friedl. After catcher Christian Vazquez caught Elly De La Cruz attempting to steal second, Arrighetti struck out Sal Stewart to close the fourth. De La Cruz then recorded the first hit off Arrighetti with a single up the middle.
Leading 1-0, Arrighetti fanned Nathaniel Lowe to open the fifth, but the Reds rallied. Spencer Steer singled, Benson walked for the second time, and right fielder Cam Smith dropped a fly ball off Jose Trevino’s bat, loading the bases. Matt McLain followed with a two-run single to left, scoring Steer and Benson to give Cincinnati a 2-1 lead. Three batters later, De La Cruz singled to left, plating Trevino. Zach Cole threw out McLain at the plate to end the inning, but the damage was done. Arrighetti recorded two outs in the sixth before being pulled, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Burns (4-1) retired the side in order only once, in the third inning, and matched his season low with two strikeouts. However, he induced a double-play grounder from Isaac Paredes in the first and stranded runners in the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, leaving Cole and Yordan Alvarez at second base in the second and sixth.
Branden Shewmake hit his third home run of the season with two outs in the fifth to break the scoreless tie, but Burns held firm. Brock Burke, Graham Ashcraft, and Pierce Johnson combined for three scoreless innings of relief for Cincinnati.
