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Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain hammered three-run home runs as the Cincinnati Reds ripped the host Baltimore Orioles 8-3 in Friday night’s series opener.

Jeimer Candelanio also homered for Cincinnati, which matched its third-highest run total of the season.

Winning pitcher Andrew Abbott struck out 11 batters in six innings. The Reds halted a two-game skid and won for the fifth time in their last seven games.

Cedric Mullins’ second-inning solo home run was Baltimore’s lone hit through four innings and Heston Kjerstad smashed a two-run shot in the eighth, but the Orioles managed only two other hits. Starting pitcher Cade Povich couldn’t get out of the fourth inning.

The Orioles had their first winning streak – two games – of the season end as Cincinnati struck for seven runs across the third and fourth innings.

Abbott (2-0) has won in both of his outings this season. He allowed one run on two hits with one walk.

Povich (0-2) allowed seven runs on six hits and five walks with four strikeouts.

Jose Trevino had three hits, drew a walk and scored three runs for the Reds. Teammates Santiago Espinal and Austin Hays, a former Baltimore player, each had two hits.

Mullins belted his fifth home run of the season to lead off the second.

De La Cruz’s fourth homer came with two outs in the third. Candelario began the bottom of the fourth with a home run. Four batters later, McLain unloaded for his fourth long ball this year.

The Reds tacked on another run in the sixth when Hays singled and McLain scored on a subsequent throwing error on Baltimore second baseman Jorge Mateo.

Kjerstad’s homer came off Scott Barlow.

Orioles reliever Scott Blewett went 2 2/3 innings, giving up one unearned run on four hits.

The Reds didn’t commit an error after four fielding miscues a day earlier in a home loss to Seattle.

–Field Level Media