CINCINNATI (AP) — Chase Burns threw six scoreless innings, JJ Bleday homered twice and drove in six runs, and the Cincinnati Reds avoided being swept by the Washington Nationals with a 15-1 victory Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Burns (5-1) allowed two hits while striking out seven and walking two to win his fourth consecutive decision.
The 23-year-old right-hander worked around a three-error fifth inning — one of which was his after
dropping a toss while covering first base — to keep the Nationals scoreless. He’s allowed only one earned run in his last three starts.
Matt McLain staked Burns to a 2-0 lead in the second inning with his fourth home run of the year and the Reds’ first of four on the day.
Bleday added a three-run blast in the fifth to make it 9-0, marking the end of the day for Washington starter Foster Griffin (4-2).
Griffin had allowed only 11 earned runs in eight starts for a 2.12 ERA before surrendering nine in 4 1/3 innings against the Reds.
Bleday's two-run homer in the seventh was his sixth of the season, upping the lead to 11-0 and marking the third multi-homer game of his career. He added a bloop single as part of a four-run eighth inning against Washington outfielder-turned-pitcher Joey Wiemer, who also surrendered a three-run homer to Dane Myers.
Burns received some highlight-reel help from his outfielders to help hold Washington scoreless, with Spencer Steer making a sliding catch in left field to strand a runner on second in the third inning. And Myers made a diving catch in center to end the fifth with runners on the corners.
Steer went 2 for 3 with three runs scored, and Elly De La Cruz doubled and singled for his sixth consecutive multi-hit game, which is tied for the longest streak since 1900 by a Cincinnati switch hitter.
The Nationals’ lone run came on a wild pitch by Lucas Mey in the eighth.
The victory extended the Reds’ run of consecutive home series without being swept to 39, their longest since setting a franchise record with 52 in a row from 2011-13.
Nationals: Zack Littell (1-4, 6.94) will face Baltimore on Friday in Washington.
Reds: Andrew Abbott (2-2, 4.17) will pitch Friday in Cleveland.
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