Michael Harris II and Matt Olson hit home runs for Atlanta, but the Braves lost a 6-5 game to the Cincinnati Reds after giving up a four-run lead on Tuesday night.
Pierce Johnson and Jesse Chavez had a tough time on the mound as Atlanta lost its third straight game. The Braves (81-70) are now two games behind the New York Mets (83-68) for the third NL wild card spot.
Harris started the game with a home run against Brandon Williamson. Marcell Ozuna got on base with a single, and Olson followed with his 26th homer, making it 3-0. Jorge Soler added another homer in the fourth, bringing the score to 5-1.
However, that was all the scoring for Atlanta, which struggled with runners in scoring position, going 2 for 9 and leaving 14 runners on base.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a couple times,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “This is one of those places, too. You’re never safe. You have to keep scoring. There were a couple plays that could have been executed better.”
Cincinnati’s Spencer Steer homered, and Tyler Stephenson had two hits and drove in a run. The Reds (74-78) improved to 4-0 against the Braves this season.
Cincinnati started its comeback with a sacrifice fly from Jake Fraley in the fourth inning. They added two more runs in the sixth against Chavez.
Stephenson began the seventh inning with a single, and Steer hit a drive to left-center off Johnson (5-5), giving the Reds a 6-5 lead.
Steer now has 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases. He and Elly De La Cruz are the first Reds teammates to achieve at least 20 homers and 20 steals in the same season since Barry Larkin and Eric Davis did it in 1996.
“I try to show up every day and take good at bats to help this team win. That’s why I showed so much emotion,” Steer said.
