Power swings shaped a back-and-forth night at Truist Park, where the Cincinnati Reds held off the Atlanta Braves. Héctor Rodríguez’s homer in the sixth gave Cincinnati the lead it kept through the finish.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| ATL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Rodríguez delivered the final answer after Atlanta had repeatedly responded to Cincinnati’s offense. Elly De La Cruz also homered, while Austin Riley supplied Atlanta with a homer and a sacrifice fly.
Carlos Jorge opened the scoring with a homer, but Matt Olson’s sacrifice fly brought Drake Baldwin home and Michael Harris’ double brought Ronald Acuña Jr. across to put Atlanta ahead. Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley added scoring plays in the same opening frame. In the third, Elly De La Cruz homered before Eugenio Suárez’s single brought Sal Stewart and Tyler Stephenson home, giving Cincinnati the lead. Riley’s homer tied the game again, and Mike Yastrzemski’s single brought Mauricio Dubón home in the fifth. Rodríguez then homered with Suárez scoring in the sixth, creating the final lead change.
Atlanta’s offense kept finding answers early, but it went quiet after the Reds moved in front. AJ Smith-Shawver took the loss, while Cincinnati’s Connor Phillips earned the win and Emilio Pagan recorded the save. The Reds’ bullpen held Atlanta scoreless through the closing innings.
Cincinnati extended its winning streak, while Atlanta’s losing streak continued. The game’s character was defined by constant responses, but Rodríguez’s late power swing gave the Reds the last word.
Cincinnati Reds defeated Atlanta Braves, 7-6.
- (gpid=sa:699302) went 2-for-4 with 1 home run, 1 double, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored (batting .220 on the season).
- Austin Riley went 1-for-2 with 1 home run, 2 RBIs and 1 run scored (batting .223 on the season).
- Elly De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 1 run scored (batting .285 on the season).
- AJ Smith-Shawver allowed 2 runs on 1 hit over 2.0 innings, and took the loss (0-3) (6.60 ERA).
- Connor Phillips allowed 0 runs on 1 hit over 1.1 innings, to earn the win (2-0) (5.28 ERA).
- Emilio Pagan allowed 0 runs on 1 hit over 1.0 inning, striking out 1, and closed it out for the save (25) (3.38 ERA).
Atlanta Braves fell to 93-66; Cincinnati Reds improved to 74-85.