Both the Reds and Braves brought the offensive fireworks on Friday night in the series
opener at a packed Great American Ball Park, but it was Cincinnati who came out on top, beating the Atlanta Braves 11-10 to win their 12th straight game.
The win streak is tied for the second longest in franchise history, matching the 1939 and 1957 teams.
Cincinnati dug themselves in a 5-0 hole to Atlanta in the first inning. The Reds would rally back, scoring their first two runs on a Jake Fraley two-run home run in the 2nd to make it 5-3. In the 3rd, the Cincinnati would cut the deficit down to 1, thanks to an Elly De La Cruz two-run blast. Joey Votto would tie the game at 5 in the 4th with a solo home run.
The Braves would answer as they took 7-5 lead on a two-run home run by Matt Olsen in the top of the 5th. However, Cincinnati responded with 4 runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. De La Cruz would kick things off with an RBI single, and Joey Votto would follow it up with a 3-run blast to give the Reds their first lead of the game, 9-7.
Cincinnati would add two more runs to make 11-7 after six innings. The first run came in on a Jonathan India single to center and the other on a De La Cruz triple.
With the triple, De La Cruz was able to complete the cycle, becoming the first Reds player since Eric Davis in 1989 to do so.
Atlanta did not go away quietly as they would homer three times in the 8th to make it a 11-10 game.
Those would be the final runs for the Braves as Reds closer Alexis Diaz got his 21st save by shutting down the Braves in the ninth to give Cincinnati the 11-10 win.
Elly De La Cruz went 4-5 with a single, a double, a triple, a home run and 4 RBI.
Joey Votto also had a standout game, batting 2-4 with two home runs and 4 RBI.
With the win, the Reds’ record improves to 41-35. Cincinnati currently leads the NL Central by 1.5 games.
The series concludes this weekend with games today and tomorrow. Coverage for both games can be heard on 103.9 WRBI. Today’s coverage begins at 3:40 pm, while tomorrow’s coverage starts at 1:10 pm.