The Cincinnati Reds put on a power-hitting clinic Wednesday night, blasting five home runs—including two from rookie Sal Stewart to overpower the Philadelphia Phillies 11-5 at Great American Ball Park.
Cincinnati’s offense erupted with one of its most explosive performances of the season, as the Reds relied on the long ball to secure only their third victory in the last 10 games and fifth in their previous 15 contests. Meanwhile, the Phillies continued to struggle on the mound, surrendering double-digit runs for the second time in three games while dropping their third game in four outings.
Stewart led the offensive charge with a pair of home runs, while Noelvi Marte, Elly De La Cruz and JJ Bleday also went deep in a remarkable display of power. The Reds’ five home runs accounted for their first seven runs of the game and highlighted an offense that overwhelmed Philadelphia pitching from the middle innings onward.
The decisive moment came in the fourth inning when Cincinnati erupted for five runs, fueled by an extraordinary four-home-run inning. Marte opened the frame by launching a go-ahead solo homer off Phillies starter Alan Rangel to give the Reds a 3-2 advantage. After Rangel exited, reliever Tanner Banks was greeted by three consecutive home runs from De La Cruz, Stewart and Bleday, marking Cincinnati’s first back-to-back-to-back home run sequence since July 22, 2023, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It also represented the Reds’ first four-homer inning since July 4, 2010, when they accomplished the feat against the Chicago Cubs.
Marte continued his outstanding night in the sixth inning, delivering a bases-clearing three-run double that stretched Cincinnati’s lead and effectively put the game out of reach.
Despite the offensive fireworks, Reds All-Star right-hander Chase Burns had to battle through a difficult outing. The rookie worked five innings, allowing three runs on three hits while issuing a season-high six walks and striking out two. Burns threw 106 pitches to complete five innings but did enough to earn his National League-leading 11th victory of the season.
Philadelphia had struck first in the second inning, taking a 2-0 lead behind Justin Crawford’s RBI triple before Burns uncorked a wild pitch that allowed another run to score.
Stewart erased that deficit in the third inning with a towering two-run opposite-field home run to right field off Rangel. The blast landed atop the netting over the visitors’ bullpen and tied the game, setting the stage for Cincinnati’s offensive explosion an inning later.
Rangel, making just his second major league start after four scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his debut outing on July 2, struggled to contain the Reds’ lineup. He fell to 0-2 after being tagged for the early damage before the bullpen allowed the game to slip away.
The Phillies briefly attempted a comeback in the sixth when J.T. Realmuto connected for a solo home run off Reds reliever Brock Burke to trim the deficit to 7-4. However, Cincinnati answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single by Bleday before Marte ripped his three-run double to restore complete control.
Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber added one final highlight for the visitors in the ninth inning, smashing his major league-leading 32nd home run of the season—a solo shot to right field off Rhett Lowder—but it was far too little to prevent another disappointing defeat for the Phillies.
Powered by Stewart’s breakout performance and a franchise-worthy display of slugging, the Reds delivered one of their most dominant offensive games of the season while handing Philadelphia another lopsided loss.
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