CINCINNATI — Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson pitched into the seventh inning for the third time in four starts, but the lone earned run he allowed, a 433-foot home run to Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, was all the offense the Reds needed in a 7-1 victory on Friday night before a crowd of 22,539 at Great American Ball Park.
Angeles relievers Adam Cimber and Jose Cisnero turned a tight game into a rout by surrendering five runs in the bottom of the eighth, with Elly De La Cruz’s opposite field, three-run home run providing the dagger.
Luis Rengifo went 2 for 4 with a double, and Jo Adell went 2 for 3 while driving in the Angels’ only run as they out-hit the Reds 7-5.
Rengifo’s double in the top of the seventh put runners on second and third with one out, chasing Cincinnati starter Nick Lodolo (2-0).
But Reds reliever Fernando Cruz recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Adell and Zach Neto, catching both hitters looking, to escape the jam with a 2-1 lead intact.
The Reds got their first run off Anderson (2-2) in the second inning when De La Cruz singled, stole second and third and came home on O’Hoppe’s throwing error for an unearned run.
The Angels tied it 1-1 in the top of the fifth when Rengifo hit a two-out single to center, stole second and scored on Adell’s single to left, marking the first run Lodolo had allowed in 10⅓ innings this season.
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But one inning later, Stephenson hit the first pitch he saw from Anderson, an 88 mph four-seam fastball, into the upper deck in left field for a tie-breaking home run.
Anderson went seven innings, allowing three hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
Cimber loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth before hitting Nick Martini to make it 3-1, ending his night. Cisnero came on to face De La Cruz with the bases loaded and threw a wild pitch to make it 4-1. De La Cruz hit the next pitch into the left-field bleachers for his sixth homer of the season and a 7-1 lead.
The loss dropped the Angels to 3-5 on their 10-game road trip.
The teams will meet again on Saturday at 3:40 p.m. PT.
More to come on this story.
