Spencer Steer Extends 10-Game Run Before Astros Vs Reds
Spencer Steer carried a 10-game hitting streak into astros vs reds on Friday night at Great American Ball Park, with the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros both trying to steady seasons that had slipped below.500 territory. The Reds entered at 20-18 and fifth in the NL Central; the Astros came in at 15-23 and fifth in the AL West.
Steer at Great American Ball Park
Steer’s streak was the cleanest form of offense in the game’s setup. Cincinnati needed that kind of run from a regular because the roster around him had been thinned by injuries, and the club had to keep pressing even while carrying a slim lead over.500.
Nick Lodolo started for the Reds, while Mike Burrows took the ball for Houston. That pairing set the tone for a game that opened with both teams trying to avoid adding another loss to records that already reflected uneven starts.
Reds, Astros Injury Lists
Cincinnati’s injury list included Eugenio Suárez, who was on the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury, along with Caleb Ferguson on the 15-day injured list with an oblique injury and Emilio Pagan on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring injury. The Reds also had Hunter Greene on the 60-day injured list with an elbow injury, Brandon Williamson on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder injury, and Rhett Lowder day-to-day with a shoulder injury.
Houston entered with a longer list. Carlos Correa was on the 10-day injured list with an ankle injury, and the Astros also had Joey Loperfido, Jake Meyers, Taylor Trammell, Jeremy Pena and Yainer Diaz on the 10-day injured list. Hunter Brown and Nate Pearson were on the 15-day injured list, while Tatsuya Imai, Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco, Brandon Walter, Cristian Javier and Josh Hader were on the 60-day injured list.
Reds Chase a Better Position
The stakes were straightforward: Cincinnati was trying to hold its place in the division while Houston was trying to climb out of last place in the AL West. A streak like Steer’s gives the Reds one stable bat in a lineup that had to work around multiple absences, and Lodolo’s start offered the best path to turning that into a cleaner night at home.
If Steer kept putting the ball in play, the Reds had a chance to turn a thin margin into something more useful in the standings. If not, both clubs were left with the same problem that brought them into May 8: records that still needed real repair.
