Reds’ 12-game winning streak ends as Braves prevail 7-6 in 8-homer slugfest

Published 8:46 pm Saturday, June 24, 2023

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds’ longest winning streak in 66 years was stopped at 12 games when Raisel Iglesias struck out Jonathan India for the final out as the Atlanta Braves prevailed 7-6 Saturday in an eight-homer slugfest.

Each team homered four times.

Matt Olson hit the 200th of his big league career and Travis d’Arnaud and Ozzie Albies also went deep off Graham Ashcraft (3-6), who allowed three long balls for the first time in 33 big league starts. Marcell Ozuna homered against Alex Young as the Braves won for the ninth time in 10 games.

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Cincinnati’s Matt McLain and Spencer Steer hit two-run homers.

Iglesias, who pitched for the Reds from 2015-20, entered with a 7-4 lead in the ninth and allowed consecutive one-out homers to Jake Fraley and Will Benson. He then struck out McLain and India, both on changeups, for his 11th save in 13 chances.

Cincinnati’s winning streak was its longest since April 30 to May 12, 1957. The Reds have not won 13 straight since their final six games in 1918 and their first seven in 1919.

Fraley homered for the third straight game.

Boosted by the streak, the Reds drew 43,498 for their first consecutive sellouts since June 24-26, 2016, when Pete Rose’s No. 14 was retired.

Michael Tonkin (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings for the Braves, who won eight in a row before losing Friday’s series opener.

Ashcraft made his first start since he was hit by a comebacker June 8. He allowed six runs and 10 hits in four innings.

Atlanta took a 2-0 lead on solo homers by d’Arnaud in the second and Albies in the third, the latter a drive off the bridge connecting the Sun and Moon Deck in right with the main concourse. Ozuna added an RBI single in the third and McLain’s homer cut the gap to 3-2.

Austin Riley hit an RBI double in the fourth and scored on Olson’s NL-leading 24th home run, his third of the series.

Ozuna’s seventh-inning homer was his 15th of the season and 13th since the start of May, and it put the Braves ahead 7-4.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves: C Sean Murphy (hamstring) is expected to start behind the plate on Sunday. He has made one pinch hit appearance since getting hurt a week ago.

Reds: RHP Ben Lively (right pectoral muscle strain) was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Wednesday. Lively had been scheduled to start Sunday. … Ashcraft (bruised left calf) was activated from the 15-day IL and RHP Alan Busenitz was optioned to Triple-A Louisville.

UP NEXT

Atlanta starts 39-year-old RHP Charlie Morton (6-6, 3.71) on Sunday. Lively’s replacement had not been announced.

Braves 7, Reds 6

Atlanta Cincinnati
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Acuña Jr. rf 4 0 1 0 Newman 3b 4 0 1 0
Albies 2b 4 2 2 1 Benson ph 1 1 1 1
Riley 3b 5 1 2 1 McLain 2b 5 1 2 2
Olson 1b 4 2 2 2 India dh 5 0 0 0
Ozuna dh 5 1 2 2 De La Cruz ss 3 1 1 0
d’Arnaud c 5 1 4 1 Steer lf 4 1 1 2
Rosario lf 4 0 1 0 Votto 1b 4 0 1 0
Arcia ss 5 0 0 0 Senzel rf 2 0 0 0
Harris II cf 3 0 0 0 Maile c 1 0 0 0
Friedl cf 4 1 1 0
Casali c 2 0 1 0
Fraley ph-rf 2 1 1 1
Totals 39 7 14 7 Totals 37 6 10 6

Atlanta 012 300 100 7
Cincinnati 002 200 002 6

E–d’Arnaud (3), Casali (2). DP–Atlanta 0, Cincinnati 1. LOB–Atlanta 10, Cincinnati 6. 2B–Olson (13), Riley (14). HR–d’Arnaud (6), Albies (18), Olson (24), Ozuna (15), McLain (4), Steer (11), Fraley (11), Benson (3). SB–Friedl (11), Albies (5), Acuña Jr. (34).

IP H R ER BB SO
Atlanta
Shuster 3 2-3 7 4 4 0 2
Tonkin W,4-2 2 1-3 0 0 0 2 2
Anderson H,12 1 1 0 0 0 1
Minter H,6 1 0 0 0 0 2
Iglesias S,11-13 1 2 2 2 0 3
Cincinnati
Ashcraft L,3-6 4 10 6 6 0 2
Cruz 2 0 0 0 1 2
Young 2-3 1 1 1 1 0
Duarte 1-3 0 0 0 0 0
Bracho 2 3 0 0 1 2

Ashcraft pitched to 1 batter in the 5th.

HBP–Ashcraft (Acuña Jr.).

Umpires–Home, Nic Lentz; First, Brock Ballou; Second, Jeremie Rehak; Third, Chad Fairchild.

T–3:09. A–43,498 (43,891).