Braves win 12-11 slugfest over Reds, join rare company with big 8th inning

CINCINNATI — On a day where many expected Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias to no longer don a Braves uniform, the two former trade candidates played pivotal roles in the club’s victory.

Ozuna drove in the go-ahead run, and Iglesias recorded the save, as the Braves outlasted the Reds 12-11 Thursday night in 10 innings at Great American Ball Park.

“I feel good, and I don’t worry about anything outside,” Ozuna said after the game. “Everything, I just want to keep it inside, work hard in the cage and find an opportunity.”

The series opener between the Braves and Reds showcased a performance not seen since an August 2007 game between the White Sox and Yankees — two eight-run eighth innings. The Braves broke a 3-3 tie with an offensive barrage in the top of the frame, and the Reds immediately matched them.

It marked just the third time in MLB history that multiple teams scored at least eight runs in the same inning.

“Just that the guys hung in there and never gave up, kept fighting,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We’re struggling for wins, so any win we can get is big and one like that, especially.”

The Reds took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, and Elly De La Cruz added to the lead with a two-run home run a frame later.

The Braves put themselves on the board in the fourth with a bases-loaded single from Michael Harris II and tied the game two innings later on a fielding error from the Reds’ third baseman.

And then came the fireworks.

The Braves brought 13 batters to the plate in their eight-run eighth inning, facing four different Reds relievers.

The inning began with three consecutive singles from Ozzie Albies (4-for-6), Sean Murphy (2-for-2) and Michael Harris II (2-for-5). Eli White then laced a bases-loaded single into left field to give the club a 4-3 advantage, and Luke Williams drove in two more with a double.

“We just kind of kept the line moving,” Snitker said. “You get on innings and rolls like that where you just kind of keep the line moving.”

The Braves scored 11 unanswered runs and held an eight-run lead entering the bottom of the frame. But relievers Dane Dunning and Dylan Lee surrendered eight runs before recording an out to let the Reds tie the game.

Pierce Johnson, another trade candidate who remained with the club, put out the fire and threw a scoreless final frame to send the game into extra innings. Ozuna’s sacrifice fly drove in Matt Olson with one out, and Iglesias pitched a perfect frame to secure the one-run victory.

“It doesn’t bother those guys,” Snitker said of trade talks surrounding Ozuna and Iglesias. “They’ve been through this thing. They’ve been a part of all this. They get it. They’re pros. They like to play baseball. They’re going to go out and play ball.”

The Braves bats were backed by a strong start on the mound from Carlos Carrasco. The veteran right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits in a season-high six innings in his Braves debut, doing exactly what the club envisioned when it acquired him from the Yankees on Monday — eating innings.

“My last three starts in the minor leagues, I just wanted to get it ready for any chance,” Carrasco said. “And pretty much, that’s what, that’s what I did today. And I like the way we played today. It was crazy for both sides. But I think the more important (part is) we ended up winning the game.”