The game turned on a single swing. Cincinnati trailed by a run heading into the fourth inning, and then Tyler Stephenson sent a 401-foot shot to left center that brought Nathaniel Lowe and Noelvi Marte across the plate with him. Three runs, one at-bat, and the Reds never looked back.
Chase Burns made that margin hold. The right-hander worked five innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking 3 on 96 pitches. He moves to 9-1 on the season with a 2.00 ERA. Tony Santillan closed it out with 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1 and earning his fifth save of the year.
New York had taken the lead in the third when Ben Rice homered to right center, a 375-foot shot that gave the Yankees a 1-0 edge. It was the only run Elmer Rodriguez's offense could produce. Stephenson's blast in the fourth — his sixth home run of the season — flipped the score to 3-1 and ended the Yankees' brief advantage. Marte added an insurance run in the ninth, scoring Steer on a ground rule double to make it 4-1.
Rodriguez absorbed the loss, dropping to 0-2. He lasted 4 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. The Yankees managed 7 hits on the night but could not convert after the third inning, leaving the crowd of 46,046 with little to cheer past the early frames.
Cincinnati improves to 36-39 with the win. New York falls to 46-29 despite holding first place in its division. Tony Santillan, who recorded the save, is 8 appearances away from 200 in his career.