In a three-run seventh inning, Marcell Ozuna broke a tie game with a towering home ball, and on Wednesday night, the visiting Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-1.
Before hitting a 3-0 fastball to centre from reliever Tony Santillan (2-3) to start the seventh, Ozuna had been hitless for 26 games. Two batters later, Ramon Laureano almost missed a two-run home run off the top of the wall in left. A two-out insurance single by Orlando Arcia drove in runs for Laureano and Matt Olson.
For the first time in five meetings this season, Atlanta (82-70) upset Cincinnati (74-79) thanks to a no-doubt home run by Michael Harris II in the eighth, his 13th. With ten games left, the victory guaranteed the Braves would remain two games ahead of the New York Mets for the third and final National League wild-card slot. Cincinnati was knocked out of the playoffs after the loss.
After allowing one run on five hits in six innings, rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (7-7) of Atlanta won his second straight start. It wasn’t until Jonathan India tripled to right with two outs in the third that Schwellenbach let up a hit. The inning was ended by Elly De La Cruz grounding out to third.
In the sixth, De La Cruz made amends by opening with a
Eli White replaced Stephenson on defence in the seventh inning, and in the eighth, he stopped Stephenson from hitting a home shot in right field.
