The Reds found their offense in a hurry Thursday afternoon and never let go, using four solo homers and a pair of RBI walks to edge the Athletics 6-5 and finish a sweep. It was Cincinnati’s first sweep of Oakland since 2010, and the win pushed the Reds to 56-58 as they moved to within five games of the third NL Wild Card spot.
Elly De La Cruz set the tone right away. Facing Mason Barnett in just his second start of the season, De La Cruz jumped on the second pitch he saw and sent it into the left-field seats for a leadoff homer in the first inning. It was his first leadoff blast since July 21 against the Seattle Mariners, another reminder of the thump he’s giving Cincinnati at the top of the lineup.
The power kept coming in the middle innings. Sal Stewart launched a solo homer in the fourth to pull the Reds closer at 3-2, then moved into a bigger spot in the record book by passing Joey Votto for sole possession of second place on the Reds’ all-time rookie home run list with 25. Only Frank Robinson’s franchise rookie mark of 38, set in 1956, stands ahead of him.
Tyler Stephenson followed Stewart’s shot with one of his own in that same fourth inning, and JJ Bleday later added another solo homer in the seventh to stretch Cincinnati’s lead to 6-3. That gave the Reds their ninth game this season with at least three solo home runs, tying the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins for the most in MLB.
The difference, though, wasn’t only the long ball. After Tyler Stephenson was struck out with the bases loaded in the fifth, Athletics reliever Elvis Alvarado unraveled by walking two straight batters with two outs, bringing in two more Reds runs and putting Cincinnati ahead 5-3. The Reds and Athletics combined for seven walks, but Alvarado’s two RBI walks ended up being the key swing in the game.
On the other side, Andrew Abbott absorbed the only real burst from Oakland and still gave Cincinnati what it needed. After two singles and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth, Tyler Soderstrom punched a grounder through the left side for a two-run hit that gave the Athletics a one-run lead. Abbott allowed three runs in the inning, but he settled in from there, kept Oakland from adding on, and worked seven innings to pick up his 10th quality start of the season.
After a solid 7-3 homestand, the Reds now head to D.C. for a three-game set against the Washington Nationals beginning Friday night. Neither club has announced a starter, and first pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. The game will air on Reds.TV and 700 WLW.
In Other News...
Reds Just Sent A Strong Message About Their Next Infield Hope
The Reds wasted little time pushing their newest infield investment into the upper levels of the system, sending Becker straight to High-A after bringing him aboard. The shortstop out of Virginia arrived with the kind of collegiate rsum that made him an attractive second-round addition, and Cincinnati is clearly treating him like a player who should be challenged early rather than eased along at the lower rungs.
For a farm system always looking for the next everyday option in the middle of the diamond, the assignment says plenty about how the Reds view his timeline. The move also came as the organization elevated top-30 pitching prospect Edgar Colon to High-A Dayton, another sign that the club is sorting through some intriguing young talent while it waits to see which arms and bats can handle the next test. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Prospect Pipeline Has 2 Names Rising And 1 Still Waiting
Hctor Rodrguezs Major League debut this season was another reminder that the Reds farm system keeps feeding the big-league roster, with Rodrguez becoming the sixth player from the organization to reach Cincinnati this year. It has been a useful run of development for a club that has leaned on young talent, and the pipeline still has more names worth tracking as the season turns toward its final stretch.
Jose Acua and Carlos Jorge are both in Triple-A and remain the most obvious candidates to be next if the Reds find themselves looking deeper into the organization later in 2026. Leo Balcazar, meanwhile, is still working his way through the minors after some performance issues, and the expectation is that he will stay there through next season rather than force his way into the active roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Williamson Just Raised A Tough Reds Rotation Question
Brandon Williamsons path back to the Reds took another shaky turn this week, and it comes at a time when the rotation picture is already getting crowded. Williamson last appeared in a major league game on April 29 before landing on the injured list with left-shoulder fatigue, and his latest step in Triple-A Louisville was supposed to move him closer to Cincinnati. Instead, it left the club with even more to think about as Nick Lodolo nears a return and the staff keeps one eye on how to manage Chase Burns.
The bigger issue is no longer just whether Williamson is healthy enough to help, but how the Reds fit him in if he is. Cincinnati has enough moving parts in the rotation that Williamsons next stop could depend as much on roster math as on his arm, and that makes his comeback an uneasy one to sort out. The club also has some recent momentum at the plate, with four top hitters, including JJ Bleday, going deep in a recent game, but the pitching side now has a decision that could shape the next stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]