The game between the Reds and the Atlanta Braves was still tight, when Juan Francisco hit a grand slam home run off J.J. Hoover to stake Atlanta to a 7-2 win.
Dan Uggla hit two solo home runs off Mike Leake to counter Zack Cozart's fifth home run of the season, a solo shot off Mike Minor.
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Dusty Baker took notice that Atlanta had a right-hander and a left-hander warming up because Minor had already thrown 111 pitches.
Baker due to injuries had all left-handed hitters plus switch-hitter Derrick Robinson on the bench to face the lefty, Minor.
"Leake was a better option than anyone we had on the bench," Baker said. "He is a good hitter (.286 coming into the game). Robinson isn't ready to hit left-handed yet. And did you see how Minor made Joey Votto look."
Votto's 10-game hitting streak was snapped as Minor a particularly tough left-hander had one of the best hitters in the National League tied up in knots all day. Robinson due to a pain in his side can't swing the bat left-handed. The Braves would have turned him around by bringing in a right-hander from the bullpen.
"It didn't work but I wanted Leake to face the tired pitcher," Baker said. Leake flied out to left to end the threat.
The Reds' starter went out to face the top of the Braves lineup with 98 pitches under his belt.
Jordan Schaefer worked a walk to start the eighth. Braves' manager Fredi Gonzalez sent the speedy Schaefer on a hit-and-run play. Andrelton Simmons, who hit two home runs on Monday night, collected his fourth hit of the game. He hit a ground ball to shortstop but Cozart had to cover secondbase.
"Leake was good until the eighth," Baker said. "He got behind Schafer, then they executed the hit-and-run to put him in trouble."
There were runners on the corners and no outs with left-handed hitting Freddie Freeman up. Baker sent Sean Marshall into the game. Freeman dumped a soft line drive into right field to make it 3-1.
"I didn't want Marshall facing either Justin Upton or Uggla," Baker said.
He went to J.J. Hoover, who after a rough beginning of the season, retired 20 of his last 23 batters, He had not allowed an earned run in any of his last 10 appearances. He had a 0.79 ERA (11 1/3 innings, 1 earned run) in his last 12 games. He saved two of the three games in Chicago.
Hoover walked Justin Upton, who leads the Major League's with 12 home runs and is third in the National League with a .635 slugging percentage. He is tied for second in the NL with 17 extra-base hits.
Hoover walked him. Uggla followed with a hard one hopper to Cozart at short that forced Simmons at the plate.
That brought former Red Juan Francisco to the plate.
Francisco was one of the promising young players to come through the Reds farm system. He rose quickly displaying power. On September 12, 2011 while playing for the Reds he hit a pitch off Chicago's Rodrigo Lopez 502' out of Great American Ball Park that landed on the south sidewalk of Mehring Way.
Francisco reported to the Reds out of shape for spring training in 2012. He hadn't done his rehab work on an injury from the winter leagues. He loafed through drills in Goodyear, Arizona. The Reds' players were as upset with him as management was. At the same time Todd Frazier was having a great spring. The Reds had also lost Ryan Madson, Nick Masset and Bill Bray to injuries in their own bullpen.
Reds' general manager Walt Jocketty unloaded Francisco for a strike throwing reliever, J.J. Hoover.
Someone was going to make the trade look good and this time it was Francisco that came out on top drilling the first grand slam of his career into the Atlanta bullpen to break the game open.
Jay Bruce hit his second home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth but Anthony Varvaro finished the game with no further score.
Francisco was asked if the grand slam felt extra special coming off his former team and the pitcher they traded him to obtain.
"It felt good just to hit my first grand slam in the major leagues," Francisco said.
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