MLB

Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds

· Major League Baseball
Atlanta Braves
83-70, 41-37 Away
Final
15 - 3
Cincinnati Reds
74-80, 37-41 Home

Olson homers twice and Sale wins his major league-leading 18th as the Braves rout the Reds 15-3

The Braves became the first team in major league history to hit four three-run homers in a game, according to Elias. They remained two games behind the final NL wild-card spot.

Along with his career-best win total, Sale (18-3) also leads the majors in ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225).

“I felt good. I was able to get through it,” said Sale, who is expecting to make two more starts and a chance to win 20 games. “This was a little bit of a grind but when the offense goes off like that, it takes a little bit off what I need to do."

Sale pitched five innings, allowing two runs and five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. It was the 18th consecutive game in which he allowed two runs or fewer.

“I could tell he was beat (tired),” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I just think it was hot. It’s an early game. The way he competed to get through that thing, especially in that last inning, he’s different. He has 18 wins for a reason.”

Olson hit his 27th home run and second of the series leading off the second inning. Ramon Laureano hit a three-run homer in the third, his ninth, off rookie Julian Aguiar.

“I like to hit here. It’s just the park, a smaller park,” Olson said. “It has a short right-field fence. A couple balls get out here that aren’t good enough in other places. It’s fun as a hitter. Hopefully, this is a nice little spark.”

Marcell Ozuna doubled in a run in the fifth after Aguiar hit Michael Harris II and Jorge Soler to lead off the inning. Olson greeted Yosver Zuleta with his second homer of the game. It was his fourth multi-homer game of the season and 25th of his career.

Harris hit the Braves' sixth home run with two on in the ninth off Brandon Leibrandt.

The Braves rebounded from a loss Monday night to take the last two games of the season series. The Reds won 4-2.

“These guys, for as long as I can remember, have a really good way of turning the page,” Snitker said. “Every day is a new day. These guys epitomize that. They put a bad one behind them. They don’t rest on their laurels on a good one.”

Soler's 20th home run with two on also came off Leibrandt, the son of former Braves' and Reds' pitcher Charlie Leibrandt. Harris hit his 14th home run and third of the series in the eighth.

Rookie Blake Dunn brought his .095 average to the plate in the third inning. He hit a leadoff single. Dunn stole second and third and scored on Jonathan India's single. The Reds loaded the bases but Ty France hit into a double play.

Dunn hit his first big league home run leading off the fifth inning.

“It was really cool in the moment. Reflecting back on it now, it would have been better if we got a win with it, too. He’s been an amazing pitcher for a long time,” Dunn said.

Dunn walked and scored his third run of the game on Elly De La Cruz's single.

Aguiar (2-1) pitched four-plus innings. He was charged with seven runs on six hits.

“It was a tough day in all areas,” Reds' manager David Bell said. “What is going to make Aggie good is his command. He was off a tick today. The Braves put good swings on the ball and took advantage.”

Snitker confirmed after the game that Ozzie Albies will be activated for the series in Miami.

UP NEXT

Braves: Travel to Miami to start at three-game series. Charlie Morton (8-8, 4.01 ERA) pitches for the Braves.

Reds: Host Pirates starting Friday. Nick Martinez (9-6, 3.37 ERA) is scheduled to start.

How can I watch Atlanta Braves vs. Cincinnati Reds?
  • TV Channel: Braves at Reds 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Reds: 39.0%
Braves: 61.0%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

9th Inning Hinds lined out to left.
9th Inning De La Cruz singled to center.
9th Inning Benson struck out swinging.
9th Inning Maile grounded out to pitcher.
9th Inning Hernández relieved Brebbia
9th Inning Biggio at second base.

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/atl.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originATL https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/cin.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCIN
1 Games Played 1
1 Team Games Played 1
2 Hit By Pitch 0
14 Ground Balls 12
10 Strikeouts 14
15 Runs Batted In 3
0 Sacrifice Hit 0
18 Hits 10
0 Stolen Bases 2
3 Walks 3
0 Catcher Interference 0
15 Runs 3
2 Ground Into Double Play 1
0 Sacrifice Flies 0
43 At Bats 36
6 Home Runs 1
0 Grand Slam Home Runs 0
17 Runners Left On Base 19
0 Triples 0
1 Game Winning RBIs 0
0 Intentional Walks 0
1 Doubles 1
19 Fly Balls 10
0 Caught Stealing 0
170 Pitches 176
0 Games Started 0
2 Pinch At Bats 1
1 Pinch Hits 0
0.0 Player Rating 0.0
1 Is Qualified 1
0 Is Qualified In Steals 1
37 Total Bases 14
48 Plate Appearances 39
972.0 Projected Home Runs 162.0
7 Extra Base Hits 2
14.2 Runs Created 4.8
.419 Batting Average .278
.500 Pinch Hit Average .000
.860 Slugging Percentage .389
.512 Secondary Average .250
.479 On Base Percentage .333
1.340 OBP Pct + SLG Pct .722
0.7 Ground To Fly Ball Ratio 1.2
14.2 Runs Created Per 27 Outs 4.8
98.0 Batter Rating 29.0
7.2 At Bats Per Home Run 36.0
0.00 Stolen Base Percentage 1.00
3.54 Pitches Per Plate Appearance 4.51
.442 Isolated Power .111
0.30 Walk To Strikeout Ratio 0.21
.063 Walks Per Plate Appearance .077
.093 Secondary Average Minus Batting Average -.028
30.0 Runs Produced 6.0
1.0 Runs Ratio 1.0
0.9 Patience Ratio 0.4
0.4 Balls In Play Average 0.4
136.5 MLB Rating 80.3
0.0 Offensive Wins Above Replacement 0.0
0.0 Wins Above Replacement 0.0

Game Information

Great American Ball Park

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 20,071 | Capacity:

2024 National League East Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Philadelphia 95 67 .586 - W1
Atlanta 89 73 .549 6 W1
New York 89 73 .549 6 L1
Washington 71 91 .438 24 L1
Miami 62 100 .383 33 W4

2024 National League Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Milwaukee 93 69 .574 - L1
St. Louis 83 79 .512 10 W1
Chicago 83 79 .512 10 L1
Cincinnati 77 85 .475 16 W1
Pittsburgh 76 86 .469 17 L1
Full Standings