Cincinnati Reds rally for 5-4 win over Minnesota Twins

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 18: Tony Santillan #64 (L) and Tyler Stephenson #37 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrate the win against the Minnesota Twins after the game at Target Field on April 18, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Reds defeated the Twins 5-4. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Cincinnati Reds entered play on Saturday with just 66 runs scored so far this season, the lowest such mark of any team in the game.

They also entered play with just 19 doubles (fewest), one triple (five teams have zero), and 86 singles (second fewest), an indicator that they haven’t just struggled to cross the plate, they’ve struggled to hit the ball in the field of play altogether. Despite their . 197 team average (last), they have socked 21 homers – tied for a respectable 12th so far this season.

In other words, they have been absolutely dependent upon hitting homers to score their runs in 2026, moreso than any other team out there. So, when they hit the road for Minneapolis this weekend and the temperatures and swirling winds suggested hitting anything over the wall would be near impossible, well, it was hard to muster much hope for this offense’s success given what we’ve seen so far. It was with that in mind that their rally past the Twins on Saturday looked that much more special.

They trailed 2-0 early as starter Andrew Abbott struggled again with his command, and trailed 4-2 entering the Top of the 7th as Minnesota went to their bullpen. And though they rallied back for the win (thanks to the elite work of Brock Burke, Kyle Nicolas, and Tony Santillan at the back end of the ‘pen when other big names weren’t available), they did not do so with one big 3-run swing. Instead, they got runners on, over, and in in each of the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, piecing together singles here, productive outs there, a key sac fly, and even a TJ Friedl sacrifice bunt to move the game’s winning run into scoring position.