The Los Angeles Angels built an insurmountable lead through eight innings, then watched Cincinnati mount a furious late rally that fell just short in a 9-6 victory at Great American Ball Park.
Jose Soriano controlled the game from the start, striking out 10 batters over seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits. The right-hander improved to 4-0 with a 0.33 ERA, walking three but never allowing the Reds to threaten.
Los Angeles seized control early with three first-inning runs. Schanuel singled to left, scoring Adell and Trout, then O'Hoppe followed with an RBI single to center. The Angels extended their lead to 5-0 in the second when Trout doubled home Neto and Soler's sacrifice fly brought Trout across. Peraza's solo homer in the fourth made it 6-0, and the Angels added two more runs before Cincinnati finally broke through.
Andrew Abbott lasted just three innings for the Reds, surrendering eight hits and seven earned runs while striking out only one batter. His ERA sits at 5.85 after the loss dropped him to 0-2.
The Reds' desperate ninth-inning surge began with Elly De La Cruz's three-run homer to center, cutting the deficit to 9-6. De La Cruz finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs, but the rally came too late. Los Angeles improved to 8-8 while Cincinnati fell to 9-7.