The Cincinnati Reds gutted out a 5-3 extra-innings victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, July 26, needing 10 frames to close out a division rival on the road. Cincinnati erased a one-run deficit, got clutch contributions from Elly De La Cruz and Nathaniel Lowe, and leaned on a bullpen that held St. Louis scoreless after the seventh inning. Brock Burke earned the win, Julian Garcia nailed down the save, and the Reds walked away with a division road win.

Reds Offense Does Enough When It Counts

De La Cruz was the headliner on offense, going 2-for-5 with a home run and an RBI. Nathaniel Lowe matched that with three hits in five at-bats and two RBI — the kind of consistent line that wins extra-inning ballgames.

Noelvi Marte added a 2-for-4 showing to keep the lineup moving, while Ke'Bryan Hayes contributed a home run and an RBI in two at-bats.

Andrew Abbott Works Through Trouble, Bullpen Locks It Down

Andrew Abbott gave Cincinnati six innings but was far from sharp. He allowed two earned runs on three hits, but the walk total — four free passes — kept Cardinals rallies alive longer than Cincinnati would have liked.

The bullpen is where this game was actually decided. Pierce Johnson, Tejay Antone, and Brock Burke combined to hold St. Louis in check through the ninth and into extras. Burke was especially valuable, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to earn the win. Julian Garcia closed it out in the tenth, allowing two hits but stranding both runners to preserve the victory and pick up the save.

Cardinals Put Up a Fight but Couldn't Finish

St. Louis got strong starting pitching from Kyle Leahy, who struck out nine over six innings and held Cincinnati to two earned runs on six hits. That kind of start deserved a better outcome. Alec Burleson went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Cardinals, and Iván Herrera hit a home run, but the St. Louis offense went quiet when it mattered most — stranding runners and failing to break through against Cincinnati's late-game arms.

Matt Svanson took the loss after allowing two earned runs on two hits in just a third of an inning in the tenth. That's a brutal way to end a game your starter deserved to win.

Turning Point: The Tenth Inning

With the game knotted heading to extras, the Reds pushed across two runs against Svanson to take a 5-3 lead. That two-run margin proved to be exactly enough. Garcia came on, navigated traffic with two hits allowed, and slammed the door. Cincinnati's ability to manufacture runs in the extra frame — and then trust Garcia to protect the lead — was the sequence that defined this game.

Key Performances at a Glance

  • Nathaniel Lowe: 3-for-5, 2 RBI
  • Elly De La Cruz: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI
  • Noelvi Marte: 2-for-4
  • Ke'Bryan Hayes: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI
  • Andrew Abbott: 6.0 IP, 4 K, 2 ER, 4 BB
  • Brock Burke (W): 1.1 IP, 2 K, 0 ER
  • Julian Garcia (SV): 1.0 IP, 1 K, 0 ER, 2 H

What's Next for the Reds

Cincinnati picks up a road win against a division opponent. The Reds overcame a deficit, survived a nine-strikeout performance from the opposing starter, and found a way to win in extras — that kind of game is a creditable road result against a division opponent. The schedule ahead will reveal whether this club can string wins together, but Sunday's result was exactly the kind of game a team needs to take on the road.