The Cincinnati Reds held off the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 on Sunday, July 5, at Great American Ball Park, with Nick Lodolo delivering six quality innings and Spencer Steer providing the decisive blow with a two-run home run. The one-run win kept Cincinnati's bullpen working overtime in the ninth, but the Reds found a way to close it out and bank a series victory against Baltimore.

Nick Lodolo Earns the Win with Six Solid Innings

Lodolo was the story on the mound Sunday. The left-hander worked all six innings, allowing one earned run on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He kept Baltimore's lineup off-balance enough to give the Reds' bullpen a manageable situation. Lodolo picks up the win, a needed bright spot for a Cincinnati rotation that will look considerably different going forward.

Brock Burke followed with a clean seventh — no hits, no walks, no earned runs in one inning of work. Tejay Antone was even sharper in the eighth, striking out two batters in a perfect frame. Those two bridged the gap to the ninth flawlessly.

Then came the ninth. Emilio Pagán, tasked with closing it out, made things uncomfortable in a hurry. He issued two walks and surrendered a hit, allowing a run to score and trimming the lead to one. But Pagán buckled down to record the final out and earn the save, even if it wasn't pretty. He finishes the night with one earned run on one hit and two walks across his inning of work.

Spencer Steer's Two-Run Homer Was the Turning Point

Cincinnati's offense was modest against Kyle Bradish, and that's not a knock — the Baltimore right-hander went 7.2 innings, striking out five and allowing just three earned runs on five hits. He gave his club every chance to win this game.

But Spencer Steer made him pay in the biggest moment. The third baseman connected for a two-run home run, going 1-for-3 on the night with two RBI. That swing accounted for the margin of victory. In a 3-2 game, Steer's homer wasn't just important — it was the game.

Tyler Stephenson also had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-3 for the home side. Stephenson didn't drive in a run, but his two-hit afternoon helped Cincinnati string together enough against Bradish to manufacture the three runs they needed.

Orioles Had Chances but Couldn't Convert

Baltimore wasn't without its own offensive contributors. Blaze Alexander went 3-for-4 and Taylor Ward added a 2-for-4 performance, giving the Orioles plenty of baserunners throughout the night. But the Reds' pitching staff — and particularly Lodolo's ability to work out of trouble in the middle innings — kept Baltimore from stringing together the kind of big inning that would have flipped this game.

Kyle Bradish takes the loss despite a strong outing. That's baseball — sometimes you throw 7.2 innings of three-run ball and it isn't enough.

Hunter Greene's Return Changes the Rotation Picture

The biggest Reds storyline heading into this week has nothing to do with Sunday's box score. Hunter Greene returned from the injured list on July 4 — his first appearance of the 2026 season — giving Cincinnati a genuine boost to a rotation that has had to piece things together without him. Greene's availability matters: a healthy Greene gives the Reds a legitimate top-of-the-rotation arm they simply have not had access to this year, and his return reshapes how manager Terry Francona can deploy his starters down the stretch.

Reds Roster Notes Heading into the Week

  • Will Benson was designated for assignment on July 4, a roster move that signals the front office is actively reshaping the 25-man group.
  • Tony Santillan remains on the 15-day IL with a strained left oblique, which is why the bullpen structure looked the way it did Sunday.
  • Ke'Bryan Hayes continues a rehab assignment as he works back from a bulging disc injury.

What's Next for the Reds

Cincinnati takes a 3-2 win into whatever comes next on the schedule, and there is real value in that. Lodolo looked like himself for six innings. The back end of the bullpen — Antone in particular — was dominant. And Steer delivered when the game was on the line. At Great American Ball Park on a summer Sunday, the Reds did what they needed to do.