The Reds didn’t just bounce back Saturday night in Arizona - they exploded.
After getting blanked 9-0 on Friday and struggling to find steady offense in recent weeks, Cincinnati flipped the script in an 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks behind a relentless attack that chased Mike Soroka early and kept piling on from there. Soroka entered the night with an ERA under three, but the Reds worked him hard, drew him into deep counts, and forced Arizona to turn to the bullpen after just 3 1/3 innings.
The turning point came in the fourth, when Cincinnati put up the kind of inning that can break a game open. Hector Rodriguez drew a walk to start it, Elly De La Cruz followed with a single, and Sal Stewart knocked in a run with a single to left for his 97th RBI.
From there, the pressure never let up. Zack Littell entered and allowed a single to JJ Bleday, a sacrifice fly to Tyler Stephenson, a walk to Eugenio Suarez, and then a bases-loaded walk to Matt McLain.
By the time the inning was over, the Reds had taken control.
And they didn’t stop there.
De La Cruz turned around and hammered a 450-foot shot to right field at 115 miles per hour off the bat in the fifth to make it 7-1. In the sixth, Bleday finished the cycle with a first-pitch homer to right.
Rodriguez then picked up the first home run of his career in the seventh, a 424-foot blast at 110 miles per hour into the right-field seats. Stephenson added an RBI single later in the inning to score De La Cruz, giving him his 300th career RBI.
McLain capped the power show in the eighth with a leadoff home run to left that pushed the lead to 11-4.
Cincinnati finished with four home runs, the 10th time the club has hit four or more in a game. The 2021 team holds the franchise record with 11 such games.
This one came with 16 hits, and Bleday and De La Cruz each had four-hit nights. Stewart went 3-for-6, Stephenson was 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Rodriguez collected his first multi-hit game by going 2-for-3.
Only Hayes and Dane Myers were held without a hit.
Lowder gave the Reds a solid foundation after a rough outing against the Cardinals. He worked six innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs, one walk, and one strikeout.
The biggest threat came in the fifth, when Arizona opened the inning with a walk and a single, then moved a runner from second to third on a sacrifice fly before scoring on a fielder’s choice. Corbin Carroll later singled, but Lowder escaped further damage by striking out Gabriel Moreno with runners on first and second.
His season numbers still aren’t pretty - he’s 5-8 with a 5.13 ERA - but there are signs he’s settling in after missing big-league time last season because of injuries. He had a strong start to his major league career in 2024, but this year has been a different story until recently.
Myers also gave Cincinnati a clean look in relief. He came in for Lowder in the seventh, struck out the first batter he faced, allowed back-to-back singles, then got Moreno to fly out and Perdomo to strike out to end the inning. He hasn’t allowed a run in 9 2/3 innings since his promotion on August 5, with 16 strikeouts, just two walks, and opponents batting .152 against him.
Tony Santillan returned from the injured list and gave up a run on a hit and two walks in one inning. He had been sidelined since June 26 with an oblique strain.
The Reds will try to win the series Sunday afternoon in a nationally televised game on Peacock. Jeff Brantley will be part of the broadcast.
Andrew Abbott is set to start for Cincinnati, while 23-year-old Mitch Bratt gets the ball for Arizona. Bratt is 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 36 2/3 innings.
Abbott comes in at 6-8 with a 4.07 ERA and was strong in his last outing against the Cardinals, when he threw 6 1/3 innings, allowed four hits and two earned runs, walked two, and struck out six.
Cincinnati is now 62-68 and sits 7 1/2 games back of a National League Wild Card spot.
In Other News...
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Terry Francona said there is some optimism around Toglias recovery, though the next round of testing will help determine how soon he can move forward. For a Reds team trying to keep its lineup intact down the stretch, any absence in the middle of the order or on the bench can complicate the day-to-day mix, and this one now leaves Cincinnati waiting on a clearer timetable. [Read more 🡒]