Maybe if a bloop single didn’t fall in or the Braves got a win on a replay challenge, they would have left Cincinnati with a series win. Then again, those bad breaks hardly mattered because Braves pitchers couldn’t keep Reds batters from sending balls out of Great American Ball Park.
The Braves gave away a two-run lead in the sixth inning and faded to a 6-3 loss to the Reds on Wednesday. The Reds didn’t hit a home run while winning a home series against the Brewers last weekend and then clubbed six homers while taking two of three games against the Braves.
Tucker Barnhart put the Reds ahead for good with a two-run homer against Lucas Harrell during Cincinnati’s four-run sixth inning. Joey Votto added another two-run shot in the seventh against Braves reliever Ian Krol.
“I don’t think any lead is ever safe here,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “You are always in a game. It’s a different place. It’s kind of like everybody is on top of you in this place. Every ball that goes up in the air, you think is going to go out.”
The Reds (36-59) won the season series 4-3 and gained some separation from the Braves (33-62) in the race to avoid the worst record in the NL. The Reds have won four of their past six games while the Brave have lost four of six.
Freddie Freeman's 17th homer of the season staked Harrell (1-2) to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Braves left fielder Chase d'Arnaud extended the lead with an RBI single in the fifth.
Harrell held the Reds scoreless through five innings before they broke through in the sixth. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
“I made a lot of good pitchers when I needed to (early) and then in that last inning I made a couple of mistakes over the plate ,” Harrell said. “The home run, fastball was supposed to be in and it was middle. Overall, I felt pretty good and felt like I threw the ball pretty well. Started off a little rusty but after that I felt like I kind of got in a rhythm.”
Reds outfielder Jay Bruce led off the sixth inning with a single, and Eugenio Suarez followed with a flared hit that dropped in front of right fielder Nick Markakis. Brandon Phillips flied out to Markakis but Bruce and Suarez advanced.
The next batter, former Braves prospect Jose Peraza, singled to center field to score Bruce and Suarez. Umpire Angel Hernandez called Suarez safe at the plate on center fielder Ender Inciarte’s throw and catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s tag attempt.
The Braves have lost 16 of their 26 replay challenges this season.
“A.J., he obviously thought he was out,” Freeman said. “But even the replays on the (video) board, it just wasn’t a very good angle. I don’t know what kind of replays New York (replay officials) had. It was a great throw, but just unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”
Barnhart, the No. 8 batter, hit the go-ahead homer on Harrell’s 1-1 fastball. Harrell hadn’t allowed a home run in 17 1/3 innings over three previous starts.
Harrell limited the Reds to three hits over the first five innings while stranding six base runners, but gave up four hits in the sixth.
“Wheels came off right there,” Snitker said. “He did a good job keeping us in the game for five innings, but I obviously stayed with him too long.”
After Billy Hamilton hit a leadoff single against Krol in the seventh inning, Votto provided the Reds more cushion with his 16th home run of the season.
Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani improved to 5-0 by holding the Braves to two runs over eight innings. Braves third baseman Adonis Garcia led off the ninth with a home run against reliever Ross Ohlendorf.
