Pitching control defined Cincinnati's win over Toronto. The Reds established the lead early and kept the Blue Jays from mounting a meaningful comeback.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| TOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Rhett Lowder set the tone with a scoreless start, limiting Toronto's offense and earning the win. Cincinnati's pitching maintained that command after his departure.
JJ Bleday's homer in the second gave Cincinnati the lead and proved to be the final go-ahead play. Sal Stewart later reached on a fielder's choice that brought Matt McLain home, while Eugenio Suárez's double scored Carlos Jorge. Héctor Rodríguez's triple then brought JJ Bleday and Tyler Stephenson across the plate. Toronto's lone run came when Kazuma Okamoto scored on Andrés Giménez's groundout.
Trey Yesavage took the loss for Toronto after allowing Cincinnati to establish its early advantage. The Blue Jays found some offense through Brett Bateman and Josh Smith, but the attack could not sustain pressure against the Reds' pitching.
Cincinnati extended its winning streak, while Toronto's pitching control never matched the Reds' early execution. The game belonged to Lowder and the visiting staff from the moment Bleday put Cincinnati in front.
Cincinnati Reds defeated Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1.
- JJ Bleday went 1-for-3 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored (batting .214 on the season).
- Brett Bateman went 2-for-3 with 1 double (batting .325 on the season).
- Kazuma Okamoto went 0-for-3 with 1 run scored (batting .233 on the season).
- Rhett Lowder allowed 0 runs on 3 hits over 6.0 innings, striking out 2, to earn the win (7-12) (5.74 ERA).
- Trey Yesavage allowed 1 run on 2 hits over 2.0 innings, striking out 3, and took the loss (5-6) (3.69 ERA).
Toronto Blue Jays fell to 78-82; Cincinnati Reds improved to 75-86.