It was one of those picture-perfect innings for the Cincinnati Reds where every little thing went their way, the stars aligning for the offense in the middle of a dreadful season.
Jonathan India hit a two-run homer to the first row of seats in left field. Tommy Pham tripled on a ball that bounced past a diving outfielder, then scored on a throwing error and the Reds were off to the races in a seven-run, six-hit third inning.
Mike Moustakas capped the rally with a two-run homer to right field for the 200th homer of his career, ending a 38-game, 116 at-bats homerless streak. Following a pair of walk-off wins this weekend, the Reds left nothing to chance in their 10-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday at Great American Ball Park.
"To have that 200 home runs in the big leagues is pretty special," Moustakas said. "Obviously, it took a little bit longer than I thought to get there."
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It was the first three-game sweep for the Reds this year. It was the second time the Rays were swept in a series longer than two games this season with the Reds joining the New York Yankees (June 14-16).
The Reds closed their 11-game homestand with a 6-5 record against Atlanta, the New York Mets, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
"Our team has gotten healthier, gotten better," Reds Manager David Bell said.
A 10-spot on the scoreboard certainly wasn’t the expectation against Rays starter Shane Baz, who entered with a 2.92 ERA and had permitted three runs across his last four starts (22 1/3 innings).
Baz didn’t make it out of the third inning. After Pham scored on the throwing error, initially caught in a rundown between third and home on a fielder’s choice in the infield, for a 3-0 lead, the inning kept snowballing for a Rays team that sits in second place in the American League wild-card race.
Tyler Stephenson, in his second game back from the injured list, blew the doors open for the Reds’ offense when he crushed a two-run homer over the center field wall in a 3-0 count.
"To have Tyler hitting in the middle of our order, not only does that help the middle of our order, it really has lengthened our lineup," Bell said. "You saw it come into play a lot."
Baz’s next two pitches after Stephenson's homer were a single by Donovan Solano and Moustakas’ homer. It was the first time Moustakas homered since May 13, a 390-foot rocket that left his bat at 106 mph.
"A lot of hard work went into that, man," said Moustakas, who will keep the bat and ball from his milestone homer at his home in California. "Two hundred home runs over 10 years, I’ve got to thank my wife for sticking by my side. It’s tough to be married to a baseball player and raising three kids, and she’s always there for me. It’s pretty special, not just for me, but for my family."
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Despite a seven-run lead after three innings, it wouldn’t be a Reds game without a little drama. Reds rookie left-hander Nick Lodolo allowed the first three batters to reach base in the top of the fourth inning, including a leadoff homer by Randy Arozarena.
"The biggest thing after you get an inning like that is you want to go out and throw up a zero," Lodolo said. "Obviously, I didn't do that. That was one thing I was pretty upset about."
With two runners on base and two outs, the 24-year-old Lodolo had trouble completing the inning. Three more batters reached base through a hit batsman, a two-run single and a walk. The Rays brought the tying run to the plate, but Lodolo struck out Taylor Walls to finish a 41-pitch inning.
Lodolo, in his fifth big-league start, permitted three runs on nine hits and one walk. He struck out six.
"I was really just trying to get a fastball in on guys," Lodolo said. "I felt like they were pretty comfortable on balls away, trying to get (arms extended)."
The Reds helped take some pressure off the young left-hander with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With runners on the corners, Tyler Naquin hit a two-run double to center field. Naquin then scored on a single to left field with a nifty slide around catcher René Pinto.
It was one thing for the last-place Reds to sweep the Rays, but just as impressive was how their offense navigated a tough weekend.
"If you go over the list of pitching that we faced the last couple of games, man, it’s been incredible," Moustakas said.
The three games this weekend were started by Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Baz. McClanahan is the favorite to start for the American League in the All-Star Game and he hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in each of his last six starts. Rasmussen owns a 2.63 ERA in his last 11 starts. Baz was one of the sport’s top pitching prospects before he was called up.
It didn’t faze the Reds’ offense. An extra-innings win. Another extra-innings win. A blowout win.
“I think our team responds to these kind of games,” Bell said. “They are fun games to play in. We’ve talked about how they’re kind of like a playoff game where one at-bat can make all the difference. We’re seeing that.”
Next up for the Reds, following Monday's off day, is a three-game series against the Yankees.
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