KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Winning Streak Ends at 12

You really can’t say enough about how fun these last two weeks have been as a Cincinnati Reds fan. Great American Ball Park set a three-game regular season attendance record of 126,724. The fans were treated to a 12-game winning streak, Elly De La Cruz hitting for the cycle, and two near comebacks on Saturday and Sunday. “America’s Team” has officially entered the national consciousness when it comes to Major League Baseball.

The 12-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday night, and the Reds lost again on Sunday to drop the series. However, they still sit at 41-37 and half-game up in the National League Central. That is as good of a spot as anyone could have dreamed of entering the final days of June.

Up next, Cincinnati will head east for a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles. Brandon Williams will take the ball for a 7:05 p.m. EST first pitch on Monday night. Andrew Abbott and Luke Weaver are also slated to start this coming week. After the interleague series, the Reds will have Thursday off before returning home to face the Padres.

Cruz Hits For Cycle, Reds Win 12th Straight

The Cincinnati Reds storybook run wasn’t ready to come to an end on Friday night. You really can’t make up all that went into this victory. Great American Ball Park was completely sold out and the City Connect uniforms popped under the lights. Furthermore, the most exciting player in Major League Baseball hit for the cycle in just his 15th career game. It was yet another wild comeback for the Reds as they extended their winning streak to 12 games against the best team in the National League.

Many Reds fans didn’t have a lot of hope with Luke Weaver going against this loaded Atlanta Braves lineup. Unfortunately, that fear was proven to be true immediately in the top of the first inning. The Braves put up five runs in the first at-bat including a three-run home run to Travis d’Arnaud. That 5-0 early advantage would prove to not be enough for Atlanta.

Jake Fraley got the Reds on the board in the second inning with a two-run home run. Then, Elly De La Cruz hit his own two-run shot in the third that made it a 5-4 game. In the fourth, it was Joseph Daniel Votto who went deep to tie the ball game up.

However, just as the Reds didn’t roll over early, neither did the Braves. Matt Olson hit a two-run home run in the fifth to retake a 7-5 lead, but it would once again be quickly erased. De La Cruz singled up the middle scoring Matt McLain to put runners at the corners with Votto coming to the plate. The veteran first baseman proceeded to launch one 415 feet-feet into the right-centerfield stands to give Cincinnati a 9-7 lead. They would never look back from there.

THE MOST EXCITING 10.83 SECONDS IN SPORTS ⚡⚡⚡@ellylacocoa18 pic.twitter.com/3lJjyhWRkc

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 24, 2023

Jonathan India added some insurance in the sixth, as did De La Cruz with his run-scoring triple to complete the cycle. Those two additional runs would become crucial later in the game. The ball started to fly out of Great American in the eighth for the Braves. Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, and Matt Olson all hit solo home runs to get it within one. However, that would be as close as they would get. Alexis Diaz slammed the door shut in the ninth to finish an 11-10 victory. It was the 12th straight win for the Reds.

Winning Streak Snapped in Another Slugfest

Eventually, always digging yourself an early hole will catch up to you. That is especially true when playing a team as good as the Atlanta Braves. On Friday night, the Cincinnati Reds were able to overcome a 5-0 first-inning deficit. However, an early 3-0 deficit on Saturday evening was just a little too much. Once again, it was the long ball that got the Braves going. Travis d’Arnaud went deep in the second inning to get on the board. Then, Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna each hit solo home runs in the third to build that 3-0 advantage. Cincinnati would make their comeback, but could never get over the hump this time around.

Matt McLain blasted a two-run home run to centerfield in the third to make it 3-2. However, Austin Riley quickly answered with a RBI double in the fourth and Matt Olson hit a two-run home run to extend the lead to 6-2. Cincinnati would use the long ball to inch back into it, but it wasn’t enough to extend the winning streak to 13 games.

Spencer Steer hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Then, Jake Fraley and Will Benson also each homered in the ninth that got the Reds within one run, but it would end right there at 7-6. On the mound, Graham Ashcraft made his return to the rotation, but it did not go well for him. He continued to struggle allowing six runs on 10 hits in just four innings. Ashcraft is just 3-6 on the season with an ugly 7.17 earned run average. He will have to improve to give the Reds a shot at continuing to compete at the top of the NL Central.

Another Late Comeback, Another One-Run Loss for the Reds

When the Cincinnati Reds began their winning streak, at 29-35, moral victories were sometimes acceptable. However, now at 41-37 and a half-game up in the division, you can’t accept losses the same way as before. Things are different now for the ball club and that is a very good thing.

Much like on Saturday night, the Reds played with fire early on Sunday and it burnt them in the end. Atlanta posted a three-spot in the third inning to build a lead once again. However, as always, the Reds bounced right back up off of the mat. Spencer Steer doubled in the bottom half of the inning to score Matt McLain to make it 3-1. Then, McLain doubled in the fourth scoring two runs to tie the game up. That score would hold until Matt Olson hit his third home run in as many games in the sixth. Unfortunately for the Reds, it was a three-run shot aided by a two-out walk to give the Braves a 6-3 advantage.

Late-inning heroics were activated, but it wasn’t enough to climb back on top.

McClain delivered a home run in the seventh inning to make it 6-4. The rookie infielder was 4-5 on the day with five runs driven in. His three doubles and home run made him the first rookie in franchise history with four extra-base hits in a game. He set the eventual final score of 7-6 in the eighth with a two-out, two-run double as well. In the ninth, Cincinnati put runners on the corners with one out but Kevin Newman hit into a double play to end the game. After 12 straight wins, the Reds ended up losing the series to the Atlanta Braves.