Braves at Reds
The Atlanta Braves had dropped the first two contests of their four-game series at the Cincinnati Reds before entering Thursday afternoon’s series finale looking for a split after getting a boost from several of their talented young prospects. Outfielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. made his major-league debut in Wednesday’s 5-4 victory, contributing an eighth-inning single and scoring the game-tying run before third baseman Johan Camargo doubled home Ozzie Albies with the decisive run in the ninth.
Albies and Camargo both made their major-league debut last season, and rookie A.J. Minter earned his first save as the Braves – who are a surprising 13-10 on the season – look to exit the rebuild stage and push toward contention. Cincinnati battled back from an early deficit as first baseman Joey Votto, who was homerless after his first 21 games, went deep for the second consecutive night. The Reds (5-19), who averaged 2.9 runs on 7.3 hits per game during a 3-18 start, have scored 23 runs on 34 hits through the first three games of the series. Cincinnati relievers gave up two runs on six hits in four innings Wednesday, and its bullpen enters the series finale at 2-6 on the season with a 5.34 ERA.
TV: 12:35 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Sean Newcomb (1-1, 3.74 ERA) vs. Reds RH Homer Bailey (0-3, 3.68)
Newcomb has cut his walks per nine innings so far this season to 4.6 from 5.1 last season, and is striking out 11.2 hitters per nine innings. The 24-year-old gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings against the Mets on Friday, and has struck out six hitters or more in three of his four starts. Newcomb, whose lone victory this season featured six scoreless innings at Colorado on April 8, won his only appearance against Cincinnati as a rookie in 2017.
Bailey has pitched far better than his record would indicate, as he has surrendered more than three earned runs just once in five starts and is holding opposing batters to a .218 average. He drew a no-decision Saturday at St. Louis, giving up three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings in a game the Reds would lose 4-3. The 31-year-old owns a 2-2 lifetime record with a 4.54 ERA in six career starts against the Braves, but has not faced Atlanta since 2014.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cincinnati IF Cliff Pennington snapped an 0-for-19 skid with an infield single in the sixth inning.
2. Atlanta CF Ender Inciarte extended his hitting streak to nine games with a three-hit performance, and stole two bases to give him nine steals through 22 games.
3. Albies’ fifth-inning homer marked his 17th extra-base hit in April, tying the franchise record.