Field Level Media
Jun 11, 2021
Five different Cincinnati batters homered in each of the first five innings, and starter Tyler Mahle went six innings as the host Reds routed the road-weary Colorado Rockies, 11-5, Friday night.
Homers from Nick Castellanos, Scott Heineman, Joey Votto, Kyle Farmer and Tyler Stephenson off Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (0-2) marked the first time in Reds franchise history that five different batters went deep in each of the first five innings.
Mahle (6-2) yielded a leadoff single to Raimel Tapia and a two-out walk to Charlie Blackmon to open the game but then retired the next 12 batters -- which could have been more if not for a strikeout/passed ball allowed a fifth-inning runner.
In winning his fourth straight start, the right-hander tired in the sixth, allowing a run on a wild pitch before a three-run homer from Ryan McMahon.
The Rockies continue to be on the wrong side of history this season, falling to 5-25 on the road, by far the worst such mark in the majors.
Baseball's best offensive 1-2 punch did it again for the Reds in the opening inning against Freeland.
Jesse Winker extended his hitting streak to eight games with an opposite-field single to left-center. Castellanos followed that up by also going opposite field, drilling a fastball 408-foot homer to right-center, his 13th home run of the season, to put Cincinnati ahead, 2-0.
Reds center fielder Scott Heineman came into Friday's game with just one hit in 14 at-bats, a solo shot on May 22 against Milwaukee. He doubled his hit and homer totals with a long two-run homer to left off Freeland in the second for a 4-0 Cincinnati advantage.
Votto joined the home run parade with his second homer in as many games, a three-run opposite field blast several rows deep in left for a 7-0 Cincinnati lead. Votto's seventh of the season was also his 1,934th hit with the Reds, tying Tony Perez for sixth all-time in franchise history.
Farmer connected off Freeland to open the fourth, while Stephenson added his fourth of the season to lead off the fifth and a 9-0 Cincinnati lead.
Freeland, who became the first MLB pitcher this season to allow five homers in a game, was finally pulled by Rockies manager Bud Black following the Stephenson homer.
The Reds, who placed their most consistent reliever -- Tejay Antone -- on the injured list before the game, removed Eugenio Suarez from the game for a pinch hitter in the fifth before trainers tended to him in the dugout.
--Field Level Media