CINCINNATI -- How much fun is it to win a game during which you scored eight runs and allowed eight runs in the same inning?
“That third out in the 10th was really fun,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after his team claimed a 12-11, 10-inning win over the Reds on Thursday night at Great American Ball Park.
The Braves scored eight runs in the top of the eighth and then surrendered eight in the bottom half of the frame. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the third time in MLB history that both teams scored eight-plus runs in the same inning.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Atlanta designated hitter Marcell Ozuna said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”
The baseball gods may have had some fun scripting this crazy night. Ozuna delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly a few hours after surprisingly not being traded before the Trade Deadline. The Braves also opted not to trade former Red Raisel Iglesias, who got the save with a scoreless 10th.
“I don't think either of them wanted to go anywhere,” Snitker said. “I’m glad they stayed, because I know what they can bring to our club.”
While the Reds have playoff aspirations, the Braves are just trying to piece it together over the remainder of the season. They have five starting pitchers on the 60-day injured list and a makeshift bullpen that includes Dane Dunning, who has allowed nine runs over 5 2/3 innings since being acquired from the Rangers.
The right-hander took the mound Thursday night after the Braves appeared to have given him more than enough run support. With the score tied at 3, Ozzie Albies opened the top of the eighth with a single. It was the first of five consecutive Atlanta hits before a single out was recorded.
Though Cincinnati may have felt Jurickson Profar's strikeout halted the Braves' momentum, those hopes were quickly dashed. The next five Atlanta hitters reached, including Albies, who singled home a pair of runs in his second at-bat of the frame.
The Reds finally recorded the last two outs of the inning after Sean Murphy's RBI double put them behind 11-3. After three Cincinnati relievers combined to allow eight Atlanta hits, it appeared the night's drama was complete.
Turns out, it was only getting started.
Tyler Stephenson led off the Cincinnati eighth with a single against Dunning -- and was the first of seven straight batters to reach on a hit. Two batters after Stephenson, Ke'Bryan Hayes atoned for a two-run error that cost his new team the lead in the sixth inning by hitting a three-run homer to left field.
“It was a little bit of everything in the game today," said Hayes, who was acquired by the Reds from Pittsburgh on Wednesday. "I missed that ball [in the sixth]. I wished I could have that one back. I feel like we were able to battle back, tie that game back up and were able to get the winning run up at the plate. But yeah, it was a pretty crazy day. I was able to put a good swing on the ball, but ultimately I would like to get the win."
After Noelvi Marte's single against Dunning, Atlanta turned to lefty Dylan Lee. Elly De La Cruz hit an RBI single to left field to make it 11-7 and Austin Hays added an RBI single to left field to bring the tying run to the plate.
On the second pitch he saw from Lee, Spencer Steer erased what was left of the Braves' lead with a game-tying three-run homer to left field to send the fans at Great American Ball Park into euphoria. But for Cincinnati, it didn't last long enough.
“It hurts. We fell short," Steer said. "It’s just a loss. That one stings, but we’ve got a quick turnaround tomorrow so we’ve got to flush it and find a way to win tomorrow.”
Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs over six innings. He surrendered a two-run homer to De La Cruz in the third inning. The Braves erased the early deficit when Eli White’s one-out grounder got by Hayes, allowing Ozuna and Albies to score.
“Hopefully we can continue to score, because we’re piecing this thing together,” Snitker said.