CINCINNATI -- Reds right fielder Will Benson pointed to the team’s dugout, shouted and flipped his bat. If actions speak louder than words, then Benson’s reaction to his home run in the fourth inning on Sunday showed the confidence that he’s feeling.
And he wasn’t even done for the day. Benson tacked on another homer in the sixth and had the first multihomer performance of his career. He led the Reds to a 3-1 win over the Guardians as Cincinnati wrapped up the series sweep at Great American Ball Park, for its first three-game sweep of Cleveland since June 12-14, 2012.
“I’m definitely getting results at the moment, which I’m grateful for,” Benson said. “My focus is really on showing up and being consistent with what I’m trying to do.
Ten days ago, Benson was still with Triple-A Louisville. He had a poor 2024 season (.650 OPS in 128 games), and the team chose other outfielders as it shuffled through options on the back of the roster for the first quarter of this season. Benson eventually got his opportunity, and he has been hitting ever since.
Benson has now homered in four consecutive games, becoming the first Reds player to do so since center fielder TJ Friedl from Sept. 22-26, 2023.
“[Benson] has worked really hard,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “It seems like if he misses a pitch earlier in the count and they come back with it, he hasn’t missed it the second time. He sure is confident. He should be.”
Benson was statistically a top-20 hitter in MLB from June 1, 2023, to the end of the ’23 season (.922 OPS in 94 games). He struggled mightily in 2024, but Benson has shown what he’s capable of when he’s in a rhythm. Benson is currently on the best week-long tear of his big league career.
“I’m committing to my process and my routine,” Benson said. “And I’m executing my plan.”
Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott threw five scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.80. He loaded the bases in the first inning with a hit by pitch and two walks, but Abbott escaped that jam unscathed and rolled through the rest of his start.
Abbott struck out five batters, and he credited the defense behind him for playing a big role in his outing.
“It was helpful defense and making pitches when I had to,” Abbott said. “I’d love not to be in that [first-inning] situation, but the defense is helping me out. Putting guys in the right spots and then just making pitches.”
With the win, the Reds (24-24) climbed back to .500 thanks to their best all-around series of the season to this point.
Entering this weekend, the Reds had just dropped a series to the White Sox, after which multiple players expressed some frustration. A team meeting on Thursday helped get a slumping Reds lineup back on track, and the team put together a complete performance against a Cleveland team that entered the weekend sporting a 25-18 record.
“Any time you can play ball like that, that’s really cool to watch and definitely cool to be a part of,” Benson said. “I’m very happy with how consistent our approach was today.”