ATLANTA – It took the Atlanta Braves 109 games to get above .500 for the first time this season, but less than a week later, the three-time reigning National League East champions shared first place in their division.
After steering the ship through those waters without giving up, it’s going to take more than one bad night and a small step back in the standings to shake Brian Snitker.
Jesse Winker’s second-inning grand slam was one of five homers hit by the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night as they snapped a three-game skid by routing the Braves 12-3, but Atlanta’s manager remained encouraged despite the lopsided loss. The setback came the night after the Braves moved to the top of the NL East when Ozzie Albies hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th for an 8-6 win against the Reds.
“If we keep winning series, we’re going to be OK,” Snitker said. “That’s big in what we’re trying to accomplish. You’re not going to win 50 games in a row. We’re going to get beat, but we’re going to go into Washington and look to win that series.”
The Braves, who open a three-game road series against the Nationals on Friday night after taking two of three from them last weekend, took the first two games against Cincinnati to win three straight series for the first time this season. It started by sweeping a three-game series against the host St. Louis Cardinals last week, with the finale pushing the Braves above .500.
Atlanta had not won three straight series since going 7-2 over a nine-game stretch in 2020 from July 29 to Aug. 6, against the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Thursday’s loss dropped Atlanta (59-56), which had won three straight games and eight of their past 10, one game behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies (60-55) and into third place in the division. The Mets (59-55) are in second place, a half-game ahead of the Braves.
“With the three teams, that could be a daily occurrence, too, but that’s OK,” Snitker said. “We’re right there. You know what I mean? We’re going to fight … to get back there.”
Albies hit his 20th homer of the season in the seventh, becoming the franchise’s career leader in home runs by a second baseman with 80. He surpassed Dan Uggla, who hit 79 from 2011-14.
Winker’s 24th homer of the season, the second grand slam of his MLB career, cleared the wall in right field to give the Reds a 4-1 lead after singles by Tyler Naquin and pitcher Vladimir Gutiérrez and a walk to Jonathan India.
“I was just looking for something up to drive,” Winker said. “Naquin gets the hit, and then Gutie gets a hit right behind him and Jon works the great walk. Then he threw the first pitch for a ball, so I really just cut the zone in half. I was looking for something up just to drive. It got up and got out, so I was pumped about that.”
Cincinnati, which remained eight games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, tacked on five runs in the third to make it 9-1. Tyler Stephenson scored from second on Eugenio Suárez’s double, Naquin hit a three-run shot off Josh Tomlin and India also homered. It was the 14th homer of the year for each player.
Gutiérrez, who won his fourth straight start, walked two batters in the bottom of the first, and Jorge Soler scored from second on Dansby Swanson’s bloop single to make it 1-0. Gutiérrez stranded two runners in scoring position on Adam Duvall’s groundout.
Gutiérrez (8-3) gave up one run and five hits with two walks and six strikeouts in six innings. Since losing 15-11 to the Mets on July 19, Gutiérrez has a 1.78 ERA over his past four starts.
AP photo by John Bazemore / Atlanta Braves pitcher Kyle Muller walks off the field after being pulled during the third inning of Thursday’s home game against the Cincinnati Reds, who won 12-3.Atlanta starter Kyle Muller (2-4) allowed six runs on five hits and three walks with one strikeout in 2 1/3 innings. Snitker said the 23-year-old rookie will be optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett and that Huascar Ynoa would likely take his spot in the rotation.
Braves pitcher Ian Anderson (forearm inflammation) has struggled in two rehab starts at Triple-A Gwinnett, posting an 8.44 ERA and no decisions, but fellow right-hander Ynoa (hand fracture) has fared even worse in three rehab starts, going 0-1 with an 8.71 ERA.
“Ian, I think, struggled a little bit with his command, threw a lot of pitches,” Snitker said. “Both of them felt great. Ynoa was really good and ran out of gas in his last inning, so I heard. From what I heard, his stuff was really good.”
Winker, who went 3-for-4, hit his 32nd double of the season in the sixth inning off Tomlin, and Kyle Farmer followed with his 11th homer of the year to make it 11-1. Winker began the day tied for the MLB lead in doubles and extra-base hits.
Stephenson went deep in the ninth for his seventh homer of the season as the Reds matched their single-game season high with homers by five different players. They also had five against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 22 and five against the Colorado Rockies on June 11.
“As good as our offense has been, we haven’t had too many games like this, so it’s nice,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “Guys have been working so hard to get some results, to get some hits, the home runs, big days by several of our position players. That always helps. It’s kind of rewarding to get the home runs and the hits and all the runs.”