CINCINNATI — Elly De La Cruz recorded his fourth career leadoff home run, contributing to a total of four home runs hit by the Reds in their 6-5 victory over the Athletics on Thursday afternoon. This win secured a three-game sweep for Cincinnati.
Event Context
Following the All-Star break, the Reds have recorded a strong 13-6 performance, while the A’s are struggling, having lost eight consecutive games and 12 straight series.
In the fourth inning, Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott had a solid start, retiring seven batters in a row before allowing singles from Henry Bolte and Tommy White, along with a walk to Jonah Heim, which loaded the bases. Tyler Soderstrom then delivered a crucial two-run single, giving the A’s a 2-1 lead, followed by a third run scored on a double-play grounder.
Abbott concluded the game after allowing three earned runs on seven hits, coupled with two walks and four strikeouts.
In a notable moment for the Reds, Sal Stewart opened the fourth inning by hitting his 25th home run, which places him second on the franchise’s single-season rookie home run list, tied with Joey Votto’s 24 in 2008. Shortly after, Tyler Stephenson hit his 10th home run, leveling the score at 3-3.
The Reds then took the lead in the fifth inning as A’s right-hander Elvis Alvarado issued consecutive bases-loaded walks, pushing the score to 5-3. Remarkably, Alvarado had previously gone 13 of 15 appearances without allowing a run.
Later in the game, JJ Bleday hit his 20th home run off Seth Johnson, who was making his debut for the A’s, extending the Reds’ lead to 6-3 in the seventh.
For the Athletics, right-handed pitcher Jack Perkins is set to start on Friday against Boston. The Reds have yet to announce their starter for Friday’s matchup with Washington.
Match Outlook
In the ninth inning, Brian Serven cranked a two-run homer off Brock Burke, bringing the A’s to within one run. This marked Serven’s second home run of the game. However, Burke went on to retire the next two batters, securing his second save of the season.
The game’s scoring kicked off with De La Cruz, who launched his 19th home run of the season against A’s pitcher Mason Barnett.
Barnett, making his second consecutive start after 14 appearances in relief, struggled through the outing, giving up five earned runs over 4 and 1/3 innings while issuing three walks and recording seven strikeouts.
