Friedl drives in a pair and Reds rally for 3rd straight win

CINCINNATI (AP) — TJ Friedl hit a decisive two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning and the Cincinnati Reds rallied for their third straight win, 6-5 over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Cincinnati has won eight of its last 11 games to climb within two games of the third NL wild-card spot. Byron Buxton's solo homer off Andrew Abbott put the Twins ahead 1-0 in the third. David Festa held Cincinnati hitless until the fourth when Will Benson's two-run double put the Reds ahead 2-1. Festa left the game in the fourth with a right hand contusion after allowing four runs, two earned. Jake Fraley drove in two more runs with a single to make the score 4-1. A throwing error by Reds third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand opened the door for a Twins rally in the sixth. Harrison Bader's three-run homer caromed over the wall off Fraley's glove to put them ahead 5-4. Abbott allowed five runs, but only one earned, dropping his ERA to 1.84. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter. Friedl's double in the sixth off Brock Stewart (1-1) drove home the go-ahead runs. Emilio Pagán pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 17th save. Scott Barlow (2-0) earned the victory for Cincinnati with 1 1/3 innings, striking out two. Key moment Buxton reached over the center field wall to rob Benson of a solo home run to end the second then came to bat with one out in the third and hit a solo homer just over Friedl's glove in nearly the same spot. Key stat Abbott has allowed a run in the first inning just once in his past 24 starts. He allowed five runs in the first on Aug. 7, 2024 against the Marlins. Up next Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (4-5, 3.76 ERA) faces Twins RHP Bailey Ober (4-3, 4.40) on Wednesday. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB