Ty France hit a home run in the seventh inning and went 9 for 11 in the series as the Cincinnati Reds won 1-0 against Houston on Thursday, extending their winning streak over the Astros to nine games.
Rhett Lowder, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits in his second major league start.
“We knew they were aggressive, so I had to use my best pitches and get them out quickly,” said Lowder, who has given up just one run in his first 10 1/3 innings. “I’m feeling good about my game right now.”
The 22-year-old right-hander, with shoulder-length hair, walked four batters and struck out three.
“There’s no doubt he’s showing he’s ready for this level and doing it in a way that shows he knows how to pitch,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He placed his pitches well, used a great mix of four different pitches, and doing that against their lineup is a great experience for him.
He will keep improving.” Tony Santillan (2-2) got an inning-ending double play in the seventh and pitched around a walk in a hitless eighth. Alexis Díaz finished the game with a perfect ninth inning for his 25th save in 29 chances, completing a four-hit shutout.
This shutout was Cincinnati’s fifth of the season, tying them with the Chicago White Sox for the second fewest in the majors, behind Colorado.
Houston’s lead in the AL Central was reduced to 4 1/2 games over Seattle. The Reds have now swept the Astros in three-game series in 2019, 2023, and this one.
After Hunter Brown allowed four hits in six innings, Bryan Abreu (2-3) gave up France’s 12th home run of the season.
“I had a good series in Kansas City, but I can’t recall a series like this off the top of my head,” said France, who often played against the Astros when he was with Seattle.
