ATLANTA — Brandon Williamson gave the Reds six scoreless innings, and the offense gave just enough to make sure that effort did not go to waste Tuesday night.
The Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-0 at Truist Park, collecting 10 hits while improving to 73-84. Williamson and three relievers combined for the shutout, while Elly De La Cruz reached base four times and drove in two runs.
De La Cruz created Cincinnati’s first scoring opportunity before the lineup recorded a hit. He walked during the first inning and stole second base for his 29th steal, although the Reds stranded him there.
He made sure the next opportunity counted. De La Cruz hit a 100.9-mph line drive over the right-field wall with two outs during the third inning, giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead with his 29th home run.
Williamson made the run stand. The left-hander allowed three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out two while throwing 43 of his 68 pitches for strikes. Atlanta put two runners aboard during the fifth inning, but De La Cruz started a double play that ended the threat.
Braves starter JR Ritchie kept Atlanta close, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out eight, but Cincinnati began adding to the lead after he left the game.
Dane Myers opened the sixth inning by driving an Owen Murphy pitch 410 feet to center field. The solo home run was Myers’ eighth of the season and extended Cincinnati’s advantage to 2-0.
The Reds added another run during the seventh. Matt McLain and Carlos Jorge opened the inning with singles before Jorge was caught stealing. De La Cruz followed with a ground-ball single through the left side, allowing McLain to score from second. Tyler Stephenson doubled later in the inning, but Cincinnati left two runners aboard.
Eugenio Suárez completed the scoring in the eighth when he homered to center field. The solo shot was his 25th of the season and the 350th home run of his major-league career.
Atlanta threatened against the Cincinnati bullpen but never broke through. Brock Burke allowed a single and a walk during the seventh before striking out Mauricio Dubón to end the inning. Tejay Antone loaded the bases with two outs during the eighth, then retired Matt Olson on a foul ball. Emilio Pagán worked around a ninth-inning double to finish the shutout.
De La Cruz finished 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBI. JJ Bleday also collected two hits, while Myers, Suárez, McLain, Jorge, Sal Stewart and Stephenson each had one. Atlanta finished with seven hits and grounded into two double plays.
Williamson improved to 5-4 with the victory. Ritchie fell to 1-4 after taking the loss.
What’s Next: Cincinnati continues its three-game series against Atlanta Wednesday at Truist Park. Andrew Abbott is scheduled to face Chris Sale, with first pitch set for 7:15 p.m.
