MILWAUKEE -- Andrew Abbott has been in the big leagues less than two months, but with how he’s pitching, it may be easy to mistake him for a seasoned veteran.

At least, he had the look and confidence of one in a when he waved off manager David Bell from going to the bullpen in a crucial sixth-inning spot of Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Brewers at American Family Field. 

“I did do it,” Abbott said of the wave. “I don’t know if he saw it or not. I felt good. I saw Ian [Gibaut] warming up, and I knew that I had at least one more guy in me.”

The Reds led 2-0 in the sixth, and Abbott’s pitch count sat at 105 -- bordering his career high -- after he got Joey Wiemer to ground out for the second out of the inning. Willy Adames advanced to third base on the play, and Owen Miller was coming up to bat.

Bell had Gibaut warming up, and he moved off his perch at the top step of Cincinnati’s dugout after Wiemer’s at-bat. But this was Abbott’s moment.

“I had every intention of leaving him in,” Bell said. “Of course, it's always a consideration. We had somebody ready. These are good teams, good hitters he’s facing. He's not doing anything different. He can pitch.”

For what it’s worth, Bell didn’t see the wave.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of that,” he said when informed by a reporter. “I love that. I love it. It went as planned.”

Indeed. Miller hit a chopper back to Abbott at the mound for the final out of the frame. It put a bow on another impressive outing from the 24-year-old, who struck out nine in six scoreless innings, scattering seven hits (six singles and a double) and a walk. He threw 113 pitches, a new career high, and outdueled former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes.

“We went up against Corbin Burnes. We’ve seen him a lot, and he was as good tonight as any other night we’ve seen him,” said Bell of the Brewers ace, who allowed two runs on three hits and one walk in six innings. 

“Andrew was able to have some fun competing against him and definitely got us the win.”

“It always feels good when they trust you enough to continue to throw after you get to a certain number of pitches,” Abbott said. “I think it's just earned over time. It doesn't come real quick. It’s earned. 

“I think everyone's got it. I think everyone's a little bit different. But for the most part, he trusts all of the guys, and he knows that whoever it is out there, they're going to do the job for him.”

Especially Abbott, who has been a steady force for the Reds in 10 starts this season -- ever since his six-inning, one-hit, four-walk Major League debut on June 5 against the Brewers.

His ERA is down to 1.90 and his WHIP is 0.96 in 61 2/3 innings. He’s gone less than six innings in two outings this season; the Brewers tagged him for six runs on nine hits and one walk in 4 1/3 innings on July 7 and he had a scoreless 5 2/3-inning start on June 10 in St. Louis where he threw 105 pitches.

In two starts against Milwaukee since July 7, he’s allowed two runs on 10 hits and three walks in 12 innings. And for a Reds team that has several starting pitchers on the injured list, including Opening Day starter Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, Abbott’s emergence has been huge, especially of late. 

Entering Tuesday, a Reds rotation that struggled in the first half and was hit hard by injuries ranked third since the All-Star break with a 3.22 ERA. They’ve thrown seven quality starts since the All-Star break -- three by Abbott, including Tuesday.

Along with Abbott’s big night, Joey Votto snapped an 0-for-19 skid Tuesday with an RBI single in the fourth inning that gave the Reds a 2-0 lead. Will Benson’s two-run homer in the ninth added some insurance, before things got dicey when Christian Yelich hit a three-run homer off Daniel Duarte.

Milwaukee put the tying run on second and the winning run at first against closer Alexis Díaz, who escaped to secure the win.

This night, though, belonged to the rookie lefty who continues to shine.

"I was actually just telling some of the guys, some nights it’s easier to see him,” Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins said. “Tonight, for me, personally, was tough. I couldn't pick up a lot of his pitches. 

“I think he's going to have a good career. He's done really well so far, and it will be fun to keep competing against him because that's really all you want."