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Reds 10 A's 9
TJ Friedl bounced a game-winning two run single through the right side to rally the Reds to their most improbable win of the season.
It's just their second walk-off win of the season. The wins avoids a sweep.
The Reds trailed 9-7 entering the 9th. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the 9th, with a walk by Rece Hinds, Jonathan India single and Elly walk. Tyler Stephenson singled in a run to make it 9-8. Friedl came through with the winner.
Down 4-0 and 6-1, the Reds had rallied with six unanswered runs in the 6th to take a 7-6 lead. But Alexis Diaz served up a game-tying 9th inning homer to Lawrence Butler, his third homer of the day, and was done after the first four reached and three scored in the inning.
Offense: Reds had no hits in the 6th inning, but scored 3 runs on 2 HBP, 3 BB, SF/DP.
Benson: 438 foot HR (14)
Stephenson: 2 H, HR (18), 2 rbi. 13-game hit streak. It’s the longest hit streak by a Reds catcher since Javier Valentin (16) in 2007.
Smith: H, 2 BB, 2 R
The A's slammed 11 homers in the series.....11. Three on Tuesday, four on Wednesday, four on Thursday. In all, Butler cracked five long balls in the series.
JJ Bleday had a five hit game.
Julian Aguiar was the A’s batting practice victim, allowing more runs (6) than first two starts combined (4).4.0, 10 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 HR.
31-year-old Brandon Liebrandt: 2.1 IN, 0 R. The son of former Reds pitcher Charlie, took over in the 5th. Becoming the seventh set of father-son combinations to play for the Reds. He began the year pitching for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League (Independent ball).
Santillan: 1.2 IN, 4 K
Diaz: 0.0, 3 H, 3 R, HR, BB
Reds will have to play roster roulette to bring up fresh arms for tomorrow’s DH.
How they scored
3rd Benson HR, 4-1 A’s
4th Stephenson HR, 6-2 A’s
5th India RBI BB, 6-3 A’s
5th Elly RBI groundout, 6-4 A’s
6th Espinal RBI BB, 6-5 A’s
6th Rosario HBP, 6-6
6th India sac fly, 7-6
9th Stephenson RBI 1B, 9-8
9th Friedl 2-R 1B, 10-9