They erupted for 18 hits, a season-high, and set their season-high for runs during a 13-3 mauling of the Colorado Rockies,
It was the most hits for the Reds since they accumulated 14 against the Washington Nationals during the third game of the season. And it was the most runs since they twice scored 11 during a three-game series in Chicago against the 15-45 White Sox.
Winning the opening game of series this season has been a plus for the Reds, 13-and-7. And they’ve won seven of their last 10 games overall.
The Reds ripped Colorado starter Ryan Feltner, an Ohio native and Ohio State product, for eight runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.
The state is not Beautiful Ohio to Feltner. In a previous start against the Cleveland Guardians, he gave up a career-high seven runs.
Then the Reds hung an eight-ball on the Akron-area native who was Ohio High School player of the year in 2015 at Walsh Jesuit.
Every Cincinnati starter in the lineup had at least one hit and 10 different Reds collected at least one hit.
Jonathan India and Spencer Steer had three hits, while Jeimer Candelario, Will Benson, T.J. Friedl, Jake Fraley and Tyler Stephenson each contributed two hits.
Candelario and Tyler Stephenson each blasted two-run home runs in the park also known as Homer Haven.
Elly De La Cruz and Nick Martini each had only one hit, but De La Cruz broke a 0-for-16 slide with a run-scoring double in the third.
And every guy in the starting lineup scored at least one run during the offensive outpouring.
The Reds scored in six of the nine innings and the line score looked like this: 013-313-002—13.
The Rockies scored first, a run in the first.
The Reds tied it in the second inning when Steer beat an infield single, took third on Fraley’s single, extending his hitting streak to eight games and scored while Stephenson hit into a double play.
Cincinnati took a 4-1 lead on De La Cruz’s run-scoring double and Candelario’s two-run homer in the third.
The Rockies came right back in their third with a pair of runs, cutting Cincinnati’s lead to 4-3 and it looked as if this one might be one of those 13-12 Coors blood baths.
But that was it for the Rockies as Reds starter Andrew Abbott shut it down — three runs, seven hits, a walk and five strikeouts over six innings.
Benson, batting ninth, singled and scored a run in the third, bashed a two-run triple in the fourth and added a sacrifice fly in the sixth for three RBI.
Running out a triple in the mile-high thin air of Denver is a challenge and Benson said during a post-game interview with Bally Sports Ohio, “I was kind of light-headed but the excitement of seeing my teammates’ reaction kinda brought me back to life. It’s definitely different out here.”
The bottom two in the batting order, India and Benson, put together five hits, three RBI and three runs scored.
Benson, as has the team, been up and down this season, mostly down, but Benson said the team has never been down, despite the 33 losses and an occupancy of last place.
“This is, honestly, the most level, even-keeled, fun group that I’ve played with,” he said. “Teams I’ve played with in the past, we were good. But I’ve never experienced this with a team before.
“Man, what a treat it is to strap on with these guts every day because every day I come to the field it is a blessing and an honor to be with them, regardless of what is going on. it’s fun,” he added.
And about the offensive explosion and eruption, Benson said, “It was exciting, it was a rush of just a.b. after a.b., good energy and momentum that carried throughout the ball game.”
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