In a dominant performance at Great American Ball Park, the Cincinnati Reds blanked the NL East champion Atlanta Braves 4‑0 on Tuesday night, giving fans a reason to celebrate as the team surged toward the postseason.
De La Cruz inches toward 30‑30 club
Elly De La Cruz opened the scoring in the third inning with his 29th career home run, a two‑out blast into the right‑field seats off Braves rookie JR Ritchie. Earlier, in the first inning, he stole his 29th base, putting him just one stolen base shy of joining the exclusive 30‑30 club. He added a run‑scoring single in the seventh to finish with three hits, one run and one stolen base.
Reds’ pitching staff shines
Starter Brandon Williamson (5‑4) delivered a masterful six‑inning effort, allowing only three hits, issuing no walks and striking out two batters on 68 pitches. He did not permit any runner to reach second base, a remarkable feat for a pitcher who has struggled with injuries and has been used out of the bullpen in recent outings. Relievers Brock Burke, Tejay Antone and Emilio Pagán each threw a scoreless inning to complete the seven‑hit shutout.
For the Braves, rookie right‑hander JR Ritchie (1‑4) took the loss despite posting a career‑best eight strikeouts over five innings and surrendering just one run. Atlanta’s slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. exited in the third after injuring his left leg on a foul ball, but X‑rays were negative and he was listed as day‑to‑day with the playoffs only a week away.
Historical context and upcoming games
If De La Cruz reaches the 30‑30 mark in the final week of the regular season, he will become only the fourth player in Reds history to do so, joining Eric Davis (1987), Barry Larkin (1996) and Brandon Phillips (2007). The Braves, who clinched their seventh NL East title in nine years on Sunday, are set to host a best‑of‑three wild‑card series next week.
Looking ahead, Atlanta left‑hander Chris Sale (14‑9, 2.18 ERA) will make his final start before the playoffs on Wednesday night, facing Cincinnati left‑hander Andrew Abbott (6‑11, 4.70 ERA). Both teams will be fighting for momentum as the postseason approaches.
The Reds’ victory underscores a late‑season surge that has energized Cincinnati’s baseball faithful, offering a glimpse of what could be a memorable finish to the regular season.
Original reporting: WLWT Cincinnati — read the source article.
