For the second consecutive game, the bottom of the Reds’ lineup erupted and lifted Cincinnati to a much-needed victory.
Zack Cozart and Kris Negron each homered and combined for six RBIs to back a solid outing by Mat Latos in the Reds’ 8-3 win over the Indians at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday night. It was Cincinnati’s sixth win in nine games after beginning the second half of the season 1-9.
After exploding for nine runs on 15 hits in a win over the Tribe in Cleveland on Tuesday, the Reds had 10 more hits on Wednesday, five of which came from the seventh and eighth spots in the order where Negron and Conzart, respectively, were penciled in.
Much like Cincinnati’s offense as a whole, the two middle infielders have begun to emerge from their post-All-Star break offensive ruts:
• Cozart went into Tuesday’s game batting .125 (6-for-48) since the All-Star break. In the last two contests, he’s gone 4-for-8 with a triple, homer, four RBIs and four runs scored.
• Cozart’s four RBIs on Wednesday were a season-high.
• Cozart’s triple on Tuesday was his first extra-base hit since July 11 against the Pirates, and by tripling and homering in his last two games, he equaled his extra-base hit total over his previous 104 at-bats dating back to June 27.
• Negron entered Tuesday batting .192 (5-for-26) in the second half. Over the last two contests, he’s 5-for-9 with two doubles, a homer, four RBIs and four runs scored.
• As a team, the Reds are batting .282 in six August games after batting .228 in July.
• Cincinnati has hit four homers in the last two games after hitting four homers in the previous 14 games combined.
Cozart opened the scoring in the second. With one out, Brayan Pena singled against Tribe starter Danny Salazar and moved to second one out later on Negron’s infield single. That set the stage for Cozart’s homer, a 391-foot blast off the foul pole in left that gave the Reds a 3-0 lead.
It was Cozart’s third home run this season and first since June 1 against the D-backs at Arizona.
“It feels really good not only to get some hits, but to get some extra-base hits,” Cozart said. “I’m not a guy, at least early on in my career, that’s hitting .300, but I’ve had my fair share of extra-base hits every year. And this year, it just seems like I haven’t had any at all.”
In the fourth, Pena and Negron again factored into Cincinnati’s run production. Pena singled with one out and, following a Chris Heisey strikeout, Negron launched a 410-foot homer to left-center, his third of the season, to extend the Reds’ advantage to 5-0.
Negron was 3-for-4 in the game, doubling to open the seventh. It was the first three-hit effort of his career.
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