TJ Friedl hit a two-run, walk-off bases-loaded single to cap a three-run bottom of the ninth as the host Cincinnati Reds rallied for a wild 10-9 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.
Tyler Stephenson homered and had three hits, including an RBI single in the ninth, Will Benson also homered and Jonathan India had two RBIs for Cincinnati, which rallied from an early 6-1 deficit to end a three-game losing streak. Emilio Pagan (4-4), the last of the Reds’ five pitchers in the game, picked up the win.
JJ Bleday went 5-for-5 with a home run and two doubles and scored three runs in his first career five-hit game. Lawrence Butler had his second three-homer game of the season for Oakland, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Grant Holman (0-1) suffered the loss and blew his first save after allowing three runs on three hits and two walks without recording an out.
Trailing 9-7 after the A’s scored three runs in the top of the ninth, the Reds’ Rece Hinds led off with a walk and went to third on a single by India. Elly De La Cruz then walked to load the bases. Stephenson singled to drive in Hinds, and Friedl followed with a ground single to right through the drawn-in infield to drive in both India and De La Cruz to win it.
Oakland jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning by parlaying three straight singles, the final one by Seth Brown driving in Brent Rooker, and a fielder’s choice by Daz Cameron, which knocked in Bleday.
The A’s made it 4-0 in the second when Butler smacked a two-run homer, a 428-foot drive to center, to also score Nick Allen, who had singled.
Cincinnati cut the deficit to 4-1 in the third on Benson’s 14th homer, a 438-foot drive to center.
Oakland extended its lead to 6-1 in the fourth when Butler lined a solo home run to center. One out later, Bleday hit his 19th homer to right.
After Stephenson homered in the fourth, the Reds cut it to 6-4 in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk by India, driving in Ty France, and a groundout by De La Cruz, driving in Dominic Smith, who like France had singled.
Cincinnati took a 7-6 lead in the sixth, scoring three runs without a hit. Friedl was hit by a pitch to open the inning against reliever Joe Boyle, who one out later issued consecutive walks to France, Smith and Santiago Espinal. T.J. McFarland took over for Boyle and then hit pinch-hitter Amed Rosario to tie it, 6-6. India then drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly.
Oakland rebounded to take a 9-7 lead in the ninth against Reds closer Alexis Diaz. Butler led off with a towering 427-foot home run down the right field line, his fifth homer in the last three games and 19th of the season. Rooker followed with a walk and went to third on Bleday’s double off the right field fence. Brown then singled to drive in Rooker and Bleday.
