CINCINNATI, Oh. (WMDJ) — The Cincinnati Reds held off a late rally by the Athletics Thursday afternoon, earning a 6-5 victory to complete a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park.
Elly De La Cruz opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning, but the Athletics answered with three runs in the fourth.
Cincinnati quickly responded. Sal Stewart and Tyler Stephenson each homered in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. The Reds moved ahead with two runs in the fifth, including a bases-loaded walk by Eugenio Suárez.
JJ Bleday added what proved to be an important insurance run with a solo homer in the seventh.
Andrew Abbott earned the win after allowing three runs on seven hits over six and two-thirds innings. The Athletics pulled within one on Brian Serven’s two-run homer in the ninth, but Brock Burke recorded the final two outs to earn the save.
The Reds have won four straight and will open a weekend series against the Washington Nationals Friday. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:15 on WMDJ FM 100.1.
