Braves Power Past Reds

The Atlanta Braves have a powerful lineup and Bronson Arroyo knew it.

The Braves came into the game second in the National League with 41 home runs but they also strike out more than any other team.

Justin Upton leads the league with 12.  Evan Gattis has hit seven.  Dan Uggla has five.

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But it was shortstop Andrelton Simmons that torched the Reds' starter. That resulted in a 7-4 win for Atlanta. He hit a solo home run as the Braves built a 3-0 lead against Arroyo.

"Top to bottom that is a powerful lineup," Arroyo said.  "The only person I wasn't worried about was the eight hole hitter and he ended up taking me deep.  I was a little too fine in the early innings."

The Reds were eerily silent with the bats against Paul Maholm, who has pitched at Great American Ball Park many times as an intradivision rival of the Reds for most of his career. Pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs in the past, Maholm was not intimidated by the park's smallish dimensions.

The Reds had an awakening in the fourth against the Braves' left-hander.

Zack Cozart singled.  Joey Votto walked.  Brandon Phillips doubled to left to move to second in the RBI list with his 28th of the season.  Jay Bruce grounded to Freddie Freeman at firstbase to score Votto and move Phillips to third but Todd Frazier took a called third strike and Devin Mesoraco grounded out.

"We had a chance to tie the game that would have changed the momentum," Dusty Baker said.  "We battled. Bronson struggled but we still had action when he left.  It was 4-2."

The Braves padded the lead in the eighth after two were out.

Dan Uggla singled and Simmons belted his second home run of the game off Logan Ondrusek.  Pinch hitter Jordan Schaeffer homered.

The Braves needed the runs because the Reds came back with two in the bottom of the inning but trailed 7-4 going into the ninth.

Craig Kimbrall got the save for the Braves by striking out Votto as the tying run with Donald Lutz and Shin-Soo Choo on base.

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