Orioles vs Reds Recap: Basallo, Alonso spark 8-5 Baltimore win

The Orioles came to Cincinnati hungry for more after shutting out the Reds 3-0 the night before. Now they wanted to prove it wasn't a fluke. Hunter Greene took the mound for the home team, throwing gas at 100 miles per hour. Samuel Basallo stepped up with two outs in the first inning. Greene fired a four-seam fastball right down the middle. Basallo didn't miss. He crushed it 406 feet into right center field. The ball sailed over everything. Henderson and Alonso both scored on the monster shot. Baltimore jumped ahead 3-0 before Cincinnati even got a chance to bat. The Reds answered back fast though. Eugenio Suarez ripped a single to center, scoring Stewart. The game was already electric and we were just getting started.

The Reds weren't going down without a fight. In the second inning, Brandon Young was pitching for Baltimore. Jose Trevino stepped in and drilled a double to right field. Spencer Steer raced home. Then TJ Friedl came up and smacked a triple down the line. Trevino scored. The Orioles' lead was shrinking fast. Elly De La Cruz added a single to right, bringing home Friedl. Cincinnati had tied it up 3-3 in just one inning. The momentum had completely flipped. Young threw strikes, racking up seven strikeouts through five innings, but the damage was done early. De La Cruz was on base again, ready to help Cincinnati keep fighting. The Reds smelled blood now. They believed they could win this game.

The fourth inning belonged entirely to Baltimore. The Orioles' bats exploded. Blaze Alexander singled to right, scoring Cowser and Taveras. Jackson Holliday was dancing on third. Then Adley Rutschman came up and doubled to right. Alexander and Holliday both scored. Baltimore led 7-4 now. Pete Alonso followed with a single to left, pushing Rutschman home. That made it 8-4. The Orioles had blasted four runs in one inning. Cincinnati scored one more in the seventh when Suarez got an infield single, bringing home Stewart. But it wasn't enough. The final score was 8-5 Baltimore. The Orioles improved to 41-48 with the win. Cincinnati fell to 40-47. Two struggling teams fighting hard, and Baltimore's bats won the day.