Freddie Freeman hit the first cycle of the 2016 season on Wednesday night, and Chase d’Arnaud sealed the win with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning to help the Braves outlast the Reds, 9-8, at Turner Field.
“That was a really special moment,” d’Arnaud said. “I feel like the adrenaline is still coursing through my veins right now. That was a blast. I wouldn’t have had that opportunity if it wasn’t for all the hard work from everybody ahead of me getting on base and rallying back.”
The Braves jumped on Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani early, taking a 1-0 lead in the first before adding three unearned runs in the third. The right-hander labored through his second start of the season, throwing 76 pitches in just 2 2/3 innings.
Bud Norris, meanwhile, didn’t surrender a hit until Brandon Phillips registered a single during the Reds’ three-run fourth. The right-hander ultimately allowed three hits and three runs while issuing two walks and striking out seven batters over five innings. Since returning to Atlanta’s starting rotation on June 4, Norris has posted a 2.65 ERA over three starts.
The Braves’ bullpen couldn’t back up Norris, however, as Casey Kelly entered the game in the sixth and surrendered three more to hand the Reds a 6-5 lead, but Freeman’s home run in the bottom of the frame tied the game at 6.
Neither team managed to break the tie over the next six innings, until Reds shortstop Jose Peraza drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 13th. Joey Votto gave Cincinnati a two-run cushion with an RBI single in the ensuing at-bat, but an RBI double by Jace Peterson and an RBI single by Tyler Flowers in the bottom of the frame set the stage for the Braves’ second walk-off win of the season.
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