Had the Atlanta Braves had some baserunners on when they hit their home runs against the Cincinnati Reds, the game might not have been as competitive.
As it was, the Braves still had enough solo home runs to out-score the Reds in a 5-2 win on Saturday, May 30 at Great American Ball Park.
The Braves victory featured four solo home runs, including two by Ronald Acuña Jr., with Jorge Mateo and Matt Olson also providing one. The win gave Atlanta the series win over Cincinnati, and the Braves will attempt to sweep the Reds on the final day of the month.
The Reds fell to 29-28 overall, and 9-17 in the month of May, which started with an eight-game losing streak against the Pirates (3), Cubs (4) and Astros (1).
Prior to first pitch, Cincinnati received more bad news on the injury front as relief pitch Pierce Johnson was placed on the 15-day injured list. That development followed Graham Ashcraft going on the 60-day IL one day earlier, and put even more onus on Reds starting pitcher workhorse Brady Singer to deliver.
Singer ended up providing five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks against two strikeouts before exiting with Cincinnati trailing, 3-2. JJ Bleday’s two-run home run in the second inning staked Singer to a 2-1 lead, but Acuña’s second solo home run in as many games tied the game at two in the third inning.
Mateo’s solo shot into the upper deck in left field in the fifth inning allowed Atlanta to pull in front at 3-2.
“Obviously, I don’t like the walks and obviously the homers but felt like my stuff was a little bit better,” Singer said.
Olson’s solo homer off reliever Brock Burke in the seventh inning doubled the Braves’ lead at 4-2.
Unlike in the series opener, Cincinnati’s bullpen prevented Atlanta from pulling away by a wide margin. In the sixth inning, reliever Tejay Antone allowed a walk and a hit but kept Atlanta off the scoreboard. Burke allowed the lone run in the seventh, followed by Tony Santillan’s scoreless eighth inning. Lyon Richardson and Sam Moll paired up to get through the ninth, with Richardson allowing Atlanta’s fifth run.
Richardson was called up from Triple-A Louisville in response to Johnson going on the IL, and he allowed Acuña’s second homer of the game.
The Reds’ bats managed five hits, including a one-out Elly De La Cruz triple in the third inning and a two-out Blake Dunn double in the fifth. De La Cruz and Dunn were both stranded.
Dane Myers, the scheduled leadoff hitter for the game, was scratched before first pitch due to illness. Francona later phrased Myers’ ailment as “intestinal turmoil,” and said Reds medical staffers suspected food poisoning. They eventually sent Myers home.
That meant Dunn moved up to hitting leadoff from the No. 7 spot, and T.J. Friedl was inserted into the game to hit ninth. Friedl went 0-for-3, dropping to 1-for-5 in the series with his lone hit being a bunt single in the series opener.
Friedl wasn’t the only Reds hitter rendered frustrated and hitless on the night, though. Braves starter Martín Pérez (3-3) was true to form as he allowed two runs on four hits over five innings. Atlanta’s bullpen then allowed just one hit and two walks over the last four innings.
“They were getting a lot of first-pitch outs against us,” Bleday said of the later innings. “We weren’t really getting deep into counts. They’ve got a good bullpen. You can’t always just ‘auto-take’ because they’re gonna get ahead 0-1, you know? So, it’s trying to play that fine line between not being too passive but still being somewhat aggressive.”
The Reds will attempt to avoid being swept at home Sunday, May 30. Nick Lodolo (1-1, 5.57 ERA) will be opposed by Spencer Strider (3-0, 3.46 ERA), a 20-game winner for Atlanta in 2023 who has made 30 combined starts and a 10-14 overall record since that season.
First pitch of the series finale at Great American Ball Park is schedule for 1:40 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Atlanta out-homers Reds, takes series in Cincinnati
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
