 for a 5-4 lead, Jessie Biddle forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk to pinch-hitter Phillip Ervin and Puig hit a sacrifice fly against Wes Parsons.Robert Stephenson (2-0) struck out two batters with a runner on third to end the sixth.Atlanta scored on RBI doubles by Charlie Culberson against Wandy Peralta in the seventh and Dansby Swanson off Jared Hughes in the eighth. Raisel Iglesias allowed Matt Joyce's leadoff double in the ninth, then retired Ozzie Albies, Josh Donaldson and Freddie Freeman for his fifth save in six chances.Cincinnati scored its most runs since routing Miami 14-0 on April 9. The Reds entered last in the major leagues in batting average at .197.Joey Votto walked three times and singled in his first game after missing two games due to back tightness.Swanson also tripled for the Braves.Sonny Gray tied his season high with nine strikeouts but tired in the middle innings. He allowed four runs - three earned - and six hits in 5 1/3 innings as his ERA rose from 2.79 to 3.28. He is 0-3 in five starts in his first season since the Reds acquired him from the New York Yankees.Gausman (1-2) gave up six runs - five earned - and eight hits - in 5 1/3 innings.Puig's third home run of the season went 432 feet and was his first in Cincinnati this season, and Barnhart homered leading off the fourth.Ender Inciarte homered in the fifth and Atlanta went ahead in the sixth when Donaldson hit an RBI double and scored on a single by Freeman, who came home on Nick Markakis' sacrifice fly.TRAINER'S ROOMBraves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz, who hasn't pitched this season because of a right elbow bone spur, is expected to start Saturday against Colorado.Reds: OF Matt Kemp went on the 10-day IL with a broken left rib sustained when crashing into the outfield wall at San Diego on Sunday.UP NEXTBraves: RHP Mike Soroka (0-1, 1.80) is scheduled to make his first big league start on Wednesday against Cincinnati, with RHP Tanner Roark (1-0, 3.60) starting for the Reds. It will be Roark's 17th start against Atlanta, which has a .231 average against him.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Reds hope bats wake up against Braves A pair of quality right-handers take the hill Tuesday when the visiting Atlanta Braves open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.Atlanta will send Kevin Gausman (1-1, 2.75 ERA) against Cincinnati's Sonny Gray (0-3, 2.79) when the Braves pay their only series visit of the season to the Great American Ballpark.The Braves are fresh from an 11-5 win over Cleveland on Sunday that gave them a 2-1 series victory. The Reds dropped a 4-3 decision at San Diego on Sunday, but took three of four games against the Padres.Gausman gave the Braves a much-needed seven-inning start in his last outing. He allowed three hits and two runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out a season-high 10. Opponents are hitting only .141 against him through his first three starts."If we keep getting starting pitching like this, everything will work itself out," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.Gausman did not face the Reds in 2018. He lost his only start to Cincinnati when he yielded eight runs in 2 2/3 innings while he was a member of the Baltimore pitching staff in 2017.Gray has yet to win a game, despite holding the opposition to a .174 batting average. The Reds have scored only two runs while Gray has been in the game. Last week against the Dodgers, he retired 15 of the first 16 batters but was tagged with the loss after giving up a three-run homer in the sixth inning.Gray said he had no lingering issues with the left calf contusion that forced him to leave the game in the fourth inning of his start against the Miami Marlins on April 11. He has also avoided the stiffness in his right elbow that bothered him in spring training.He has made two previous starts against the Braves, both while a member of the Oakland A's. He was 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA. The most recent start was in 2017, when he lost despite allowing only one run on two hits over eight innings.Former Oakland teammate Josh Donaldson, who hit two home runs for Atlanta on Sunday, is batting .333 against Gray. No current Atlanta player has homered against Gray.Gray, obtained in an offseason trade with the New York Yankees, has suffered from lack of support all season. The Cincinnati offense has been scuffling. The Reds rank last in the National League in batting average (.197) while the pitching is tied for the second-best ERA (3.22)."I take that personally because I'm out there hitting myself," Cincinnati catcher Curt Casali said. "We're not doing (Gray) any favors right now. Kudos to him for not letting it be known. Everybody knows he's pitching his tail off and we're not giving him any support right now." The Reds may be without left fielder Matt Kemp, who sustained a "bruised chest wall" after he ran into the outfield fence in San Diego while chasing a fly ball."Hopefully he's OK," Cincinnati manager David Bell said. "He's a tough guy." Cincinnati is already without second baseman Scooter Gennett (right groin) and left-hander Alex Wood (lower back).--Field Level Media
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