The Cincinnati Reds went into Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks having scored four runs or fewer in five of their last nine games and fresh off a 9-0 loss on Friday. Going into the game, Diamondbacks starter Mike Soroka had an ERA under three. 

The Reds' offense chased Soroka out of the game after just 3 1/3 innings, after Sal Stewart hit an RBI single in the fourth. He threw 84 pitches, and only 50 were strikes. The Reds' hitters did a great job at working the count against him, drawing three walks and a hit-by-pitch. He allowed six earned runs after reliever Zack Littell allowed a single, sacrifice fly, and two walks, one on an ABS challenge with the bases loaded against Matt McLain. Let's discuss everything that went right in the Reds' 11-5 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday night.

JJ Bleday's Cycle Leads Reds Offensive Explosion

The bulk of the runs scored Saturday came in the fourth inning. Nine batters came to the plate in the inning. The Reds chased Arizona's starter Soroka from the game after he recorded just one out. Hector Rodriguez started the inning off with a walk, and Elly De La Cruz singled. With runners on first and second, Sal Steart drove in his 97th RBI on a single to left field, adding to his case for Rookie of the Year. New reliever Zack Littell allowed a single to JJ Bleday, a sacrifice fly RBI to Tyler Stephenson, a walk to Eugenio Suarez, and a bases-loaded walk to Matt McLain to give the Reds three runs in the inning. 

The Reds’ offensive onslaught continued. In the fifth, De La Cruz launched a 450-foot moonshot to right field at 115 miles per hour off the bat to make it 7-1. In the sixth, Bleday, who was a home run shy of the cycle, completed the cycle by launching the first pitch of the inning over the right field wall. In the seventh inning, Rodriguez lined the first home run of his career at 424 feet at 110 miles per hour into the right field seats. They scored once more on an RBI single by Tyler Stephenson, scoring De La Cruz. Stephenson recorded his 300th career RBI in this game.

In the eighth, McLain led off the inning with a home run to left field to give the Reds an 11-4 lead. The Reds hit four home runs against the Diamondbacks, the 10th time they have hit four or more home runs in a game. The 2021 team holds the team record; they had 11 games with four or more home runs in a game. The Reds scored 11 runs on 16 hits, including a first multi-hit game from the rookie Rodriguez: he went 2-3. They had two four-hit performances: De La Cruz and Bleday. Stewart went 3-6, Stephenson went 2-3 with three RBI. Only Hayes and Dane Myers failed to record a hit Saturday.

Bounce Back Start From Rhett Lowder

Lowder came into Saturday fresh off of a subpar start against the Cardinals, giving up four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. On Saturday, he pitched six innings with six hits, three earned runs, one walk, and one strikeout. The only real trouble of the game came in the fifth inning. He allowed a walk and a single to lead off the inning. A sacrifice fly moved the runner from second to third. That runner scored on a fielder’s choice. Corbin Carroll later singled, but Lowder got out of the inning on a strikeout of Gabriel Moreno with runners on first and second.

Lowder's season hasn't been great, but he's showing signs of improvement. After an excellent start to his big-league career in 2024, he did not reach the big-league level last season after dealing with injuries all of last season. This season, he's 5-8 with a 5.13 ERA. 

Luis Mey Continues To Dominate Since Recent Promotion

Mey came in to pitch in relief of Lowder in the seventh. He started the inning off with a strikeout. Then he allowed back-to-back singles to put a runner in scoring position. He got Moreno to fly out to center field and struck out Geraldo Perdomo to get out of the inning.

He is making a strong case to earn more high-pressure situations. While it's still early in his recent run of success, he has yet to allow a run in 9 2/3 innings since his promotion on August 5. He has 16 strikeouts and just two walks, and batters are hitting just .152 against him. He has electric stuff; it's consistency that has plagued his young career up to this point. If this string of success continues, the Reds need to give him a look in more late-game situations.

Tony Santillan made his return from the injured list; he allowed a run on a hit and two walks in one inning of relief. He was placed on the IL on June 26 with an oblique strain and was optimistic he would return this season.

On Deck

The Reds look to take the series on Sunday afternoon. It is a nationally televised game on Peacock, and Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley will be part of the broadcast. Andrew Abbott is the scheduled starter for Cincinnati; 23-year-old Mitch Bratt is scheduled for the Diamondbacks. Bratt is 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 36 2/3 innings. Abbott is 6-8 with a 4.07 ERA and pitched well his last time out against the Cardinals. He pitched 6 1/3 innings with four hits, two earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts. 

The Reds are 62-68 on the season, 7 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot in the National League.