Marcell Ozuna doubled twice and snapped a tie with a towering home run in a three-run seventh inning as the visiting Atlanta Braves finally beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-1 on Wednesday night. Ozuna had been in a 26-game homerless drought before driving a 3-0 pitch from reliever Tony Santillan (2-3) to center to open the seventh. Ramon Laureano just missed a two-run homer off the top of the wall in left two batters later.
Laureano and Matt Olson scored on an Orlando Arcia two-out insurance single. Michael Harris II added a no-doubt homer, his 13th, in the eighth as Atlanta (82-70) defeated Cincinnati (74-79) for the first time in five meetings this season. The win assured the Braves of staying within two games of the New York Mets for the third and final National League wild-card spot with 10 games remaining.
With the loss, Cincinnati was eliminated from playoff contention. Atlanta rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (7-7) won his second straight start, allowing one run on five hits over six innings. Schwellenbach didn't allow a hit until Jonathan India tripled to right with two outs in the third.
Elly De La Cruz grounded out to third to end the inning. De La Cruz atoned in the sixth when he opened with a triple down the right field line, just beyond the reach of Jorge Soler. After Tyler Stephenson was hit by a pitch, TJ Friedl dropped a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to first to score De La Cruz and tie the game at 1.
Cincinnati starter Jakob Junis held Atlanta to one run an.