Spencer Steer hit a two-run homer and an inside-the-park solo home run, Brady Singer tossed seven strong innings and the Cincinnati Reds opened a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies with a 7-2 win on Friday in Denver.
Elly De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with a solo homer and Eugenio Suarez homered in his third straight game for Cincinnati, which has won 17 of its last 20 meetings against Colorado since June 19, 2023, including seven straight at Coors Field.
Singer (4-9) allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
Willi Castro homered among his two hits for National League-worst Colorado (39-60), which has lost five of its last six.
Cincinnati claimed a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Gabriel Hughes (0-1) when De La Cruz hit a leadoff single and scored on Sal Stewart’s double to left field.
Singer retired his first 12 batters faced before TJ Rumfield singled to begin the fifth inning.
After Rumfield was retired on Kyle Karros’ groundout, Castro singled and Karros scored on Troy Johnston’s sacrifice fly.
Cincinnati regained the lead with three runs in the sixth inning. Jimmy Herget replaced Hughes after JJ Bleday drew a one-out walk, and he allowed back-to-back homers to Steer and Suarez.
Hughes yielded two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.
The Reds tacked on a run in the seventh inning against Victor Vodnik. With runners on the corners and one out, Ke’Bryan Hayes scored on Stewart’s sacrifice fly.
Colorado cut into the deficit on Castro’s eight homer this season, a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh.
Jeff Criswell entered in the eighth inning and was greeted on his first pitch by Steer’s inside-the-park homer to deep right-center field.
De La Cruz capped the scoring with a one-out homer against Criswell in the ninth. The solo shot was his 16th homer of the season.
–Field Level Media
