In the second inning, three Miami Marlins batters had swings that threatened to leave the yard against Cincinnati Reds starter Andrew Abbott. Great American Ball Park actually held the contact, but it felt like a warning shot from a Marlins team that put up double-digit runs one day earlier.

Abbott (7-1, 2.15 ERA) has pitched well enough in 15 starts to help put the Reds at the fringes of the wild-card playoff mix – and maybe well enough yet earn a first All-Star bid the way teammate Hunter Greene did a year ago.

Abbott said after his teammates congratulated him, he went into the clubhouse and texted his parents, who were in the stands, that he was headed to next week’s All-Star Game in Atlanta. He told them not to share the news until 8 p.m., when Major League Baseball was scheduled to announce the news, along with two more replacements.