Athletics Hit Four Home Runs To Send The Reds To A Third Straight Loss

 

 

The Oakland Athletics belted four home runs, including two by Seth Brown and overcame a Reds' comeback to post its second win of the series, 9-6.

It was the 10th straight loss to an American League team in Great American Ball Park this season and was the third staight loss and fifth of the last six.

Fernando Cruz opened the game for the Reds on yet another bullpen day necessitated by the three Reds' starters on the injured list.

"I was just putting myself available," Cruz said. "I know the situation we're in. It's not about numbers, It's not about me. I'm ready for what my team needs. I took it for the team."

Lawrence Butler led off the game with his 16th home run of the season. Cruz recovered and pitched a career-high three innings with a career-high six strikeouts.

Sam Moll entered in the fourth to pitch to a pair of left handed batters. He got the first lefty but /Seth Brown hit his 11th home run to put the A's up 2-0.

Osvaldo Bido started for the Athletics. He came into the game with a three-game, winning streak with a stingy 0.53 ERA. He retired the first 13 Reds' batters until Spencer Steer singled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

Brent Rooker extended the Athletics lead to 3-0 with his 31st home run, a long blast into the leftfield upper deck off Casey Kelly. It established a new career high for Rooker.

The A's added two more runs in the seventh against Kelly. Daz Cameron, who is the son of former Red Mike Cameron, doubled to open thte inning. Zack Gelof singled to put runners on first and third. Max Schuemann hit a sacrifice fly. Jacob Wilson walked. Butler drove in his second run by beating out a double play ball after Gelof stole second and thirdbase.

Bido went into the seventh inning retiring 18 of the 19 batters he faced. The seventh was less kind to Bido.  Elly De La Cruz opened the inning with a single. Tyler Stephenson extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a double into the leftfield corner that scored De La Cruz. Two outs later Santiago Espinal extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double off reliever, T.J. McFarland. Pinch hitter Ty France singled to drive in Espinal. Amed Rosario singled in front of a three-run home run by Will Benson his 13th of the season.

"After Will Benson, I'm going to be honest with you here. After Will Benson hit the homer, I yelled hard and I think I passed out in the trainers room. The trainers picked me up," Cruz sai

The A's immediately retaliated  against Emilio Pagan. JJ Bleday singled. Shea Langeliers hit a ground rule double. Brown hit his second home run of the game and 12th of the season his fifth multi-home run game. The A's weren't done. Gelof singled. He went to third on a hit-and-run single by Schuemann. Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to restablish a three-run lead.

"I made a really bad pitch to a good fastball hitter and he made me pay for it. I threw maybe 18 pitches, I think 16 of them were really, really good but I made a bad pitch to Seth Brown and he's a really good fastball hitter,"  Pagan said. "We can make all the excuses we want but we just haven't executed at a high enough rate."

"They (A's) did their job," David Bell said. "It was a tough swing when we took the lead. Their offense was able to turn it around against us. Emilio has been throwing the ball really well."

All-star rookie Mason Miller allowed two base runners in the ninth but struck out Rosario and Benson to earn his 23rd save.