ATLANTA -- Mike Leake had a five-run lead and was just one scoreless inning from earning his first career shutout.
He and Reds manager Bryan Price agreed, however, that there was no sense risking injury this early in the season.
"Yeah, I was getting a little tight," Leake said. "I didn't feel like I should push it."
Leake pitched eight strong innings and hit his fifth career home run to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Thursday night.
Todd Frazier, Tucker Barnhart and Billy Hamilton also had solo homers as the Reds won for the third time in four games. Joey Votto had two hits and drove in a run.
Leake (1-1) allowed just four baserunners, retiring the last 12 batters he faced. The right-hander, who struck out three, threw 62 of 97 pitches for strikes.
Leake gave up singles to Nick Markakis in the first and Jace Peterson in the second, and walked Freddie Freeman in the first and Chris Johnson in the fourth.
But Price saw no reason to push Leake's arm to an extreme.
"We had that conversation," Price said. "I love starters staying in the game. I'm a huge fan of it. He was done. If you get a starter that says he's done, I'm not going to run him back out there. That's creating problems."
Cincinnati, which ranks second in the NL with 31 homers, went up 4-0 in the eighth on Frazier's seventh homer and 5-0 in the ninth on Hamilton's second.
Leake leads the majors in hits by a pitcher with 70 since he debuted in 2010. Despite his success at the plate, Leake takes more pride in what he does on the mound.
"I've got to say the pitching," he said. "It's fun not feeling the ball come off your bat, but my job's to pitch."
The Braves have dropped three in a row and eight of 10.
Atlanta starter Shelby Miller (3-1) gave up six hits and three runs -- two earned -- with three walks and nine strikeouts in seven innings.
It marked the third straight game that the top of the Braves' rotation struggled. Atlanta's starters began the night with a 5.11 ERA over their previous 14 games.
Miller began the sixth with Hamilton reaching on a passed ball strikeout. After Zack Cozart singled, Hamilton scored from second on Votto's RBI single for a 1-0 Reds lead. Barnhart and Leake had back-to-back homers to make it 3-0 in the seventh.
"Made two terrible pitches down the middle," Miller said. "We were in the ballgame at that point and just gave it away. It's on me."
Frazier homered off Donnie Veal, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day. Hamilton homered off Ian Thomas.
Tony Cingrani pitched the ninth for Cincinnati, allowing Freeman's RBI double before Jonny Gomes popped up to end the game.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips was scratched from the lineup 90 minutes before the game with sickness. Skip Schumaker took his place and went 1 for 3. ... Manager Bryan Price said C Devin Mesoraco (hip) was still getting treatment but was available to pinch-hit. Price said the team won't know a longtime plan for RHP Homer Bailey (elbow), on the 60-day disabled, for another day or two.
Braves: Johnson left the game before the bottom of the fifth with a fractured left hand. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday.
UP NEXT
Reds: Anthony DeSclafani (2-1) will make his fifth start of the season and career-first against Atlanta. DeSclafani leads NL rookies in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched.
Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz, a top prospect acquired in January in the deal that sent Evan Gattis to Houston, is expected to get called up from Triple-A Gwinnett and make his Atlanta debut. RHP Trevor Cahill is still listed as Friday's starter, but he pitched two innings of relief Wednesday and is 0-3 with a 9.42 ERA.
He and Reds manager Bryan Price agreed, however, that there was no sense risking injury this early in the season.
"Yeah, I was getting a little tight," Leake said. "I didn't feel like I should push it."
Leake pitched eight strong innings and hit his fifth career home run to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Thursday night.
Todd Frazier, Tucker Barnhart and Billy Hamilton also had solo homers as the Reds won for the third time in four games. Joey Votto had two hits and drove in a run.
Leake (1-1) allowed just four baserunners, retiring the last 12 batters he faced. The right-hander, who struck out three, threw 62 of 97 pitches for strikes.
Leake gave up singles to Nick Markakis in the first and Jace Peterson in the second, and walked Freddie Freeman in the first and Chris Johnson in the fourth.
But Price saw no reason to push Leake's arm to an extreme.
"We had that conversation," Price said. "I love starters staying in the game. I'm a huge fan of it. He was done. If you get a starter that says he's done, I'm not going to run him back out there. That's creating problems."
Cincinnati, which ranks second in the NL with 31 homers, went up 4-0 in the eighth on Frazier's seventh homer and 5-0 in the ninth on Hamilton's second.
Leake leads the majors in hits by a pitcher with 70 since he debuted in 2010. Despite his success at the plate, Leake takes more pride in what he does on the mound.
"I've got to say the pitching," he said. "It's fun not feeling the ball come off your bat, but my job's to pitch."
The Braves have dropped three in a row and eight of 10.
Atlanta starter Shelby Miller (3-1) gave up six hits and three runs -- two earned -- with three walks and nine strikeouts in seven innings.
It marked the third straight game that the top of the Braves' rotation struggled. Atlanta's starters began the night with a 5.11 ERA over their previous 14 games.
Miller began the sixth with Hamilton reaching on a passed ball strikeout. After Zack Cozart singled, Hamilton scored from second on Votto's RBI single for a 1-0 Reds lead. Barnhart and Leake had back-to-back homers to make it 3-0 in the seventh.
"Made two terrible pitches down the middle," Miller said. "We were in the ballgame at that point and just gave it away. It's on me."
Frazier homered off Donnie Veal, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day. Hamilton homered off Ian Thomas.
Tony Cingrani pitched the ninth for Cincinnati, allowing Freeman's RBI double before Jonny Gomes popped up to end the game.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips was scratched from the lineup 90 minutes before the game with sickness. Skip Schumaker took his place and went 1 for 3. ... Manager Bryan Price said C Devin Mesoraco (hip) was still getting treatment but was available to pinch-hit. Price said the team won't know a longtime plan for RHP Homer Bailey (elbow), on the 60-day disabled, for another day or two.
Braves: Johnson left the game before the bottom of the fifth with a fractured left hand. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday.
UP NEXT
Reds: Anthony DeSclafani (2-1) will make his fifth start of the season and career-first against Atlanta. DeSclafani leads NL rookies in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched.
Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz, a top prospect acquired in January in the deal that sent Evan Gattis to Houston, is expected to get called up from Triple-A Gwinnett and make his Atlanta debut. RHP Trevor Cahill is still listed as Friday's starter, but he pitched two innings of relief Wednesday and is 0-3 with a 9.42 ERA.
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Cincinnati - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby Miller pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Hamilton grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Cozart struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Votto grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Markakis reached on infield single to second. | 0 | 0 |
| A. Simmons grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Markakis out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| Freeman walked. | 0 | 0 |
| K. Johnson grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Shelby Miller pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Frazier flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Byrd popped out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| C. Johnson grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Bethancourt flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Peterson singled to right center. | 0 | 0 |
| Young Jr. grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Shelby Miller pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Schumaker doubled to deep left center. | 0 | 0 |
| Barnhart grounded out to second, Schumaker to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Leake struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Hamilton lined out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Miller struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Markakis lined out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| A. Simmons grounded out to pitcher. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Shelby Miller pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Cozart walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Votto doubled to deep right, Cozart to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Frazier struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce lined into double play, first to shortstop, Votto doubled off second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Freeman flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| K. Johnson grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| C. Johnson walked. | 0 | 0 |
| C. Johnson caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Shelby Miller pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Byrd walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Schumaker lined out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Barnhart struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Leake struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Bethancourt grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Peterson grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Young Jr. grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Shelby Miller pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Callaspo at third base. | 0 | 0 |
| Hamilton struck out swinging, Hamilton safe at first on passed ball by Bethancourt. | 0 | 0 |
| Cozart singled to shallow left, Hamilton to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Votto doubled to left, Hamilton scored, Cozart to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Frazier struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Bruce intentionally walked. | 1 | 0 |
| Byrd struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Schumaker lined out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Miller struck out bunting foul. | 1 | 0 |
| Markakis grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| A. Simmons lined out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Shelby Miller pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Barnhart homered to right (375 feet). | 2 | 0 |
| Leake homered to center (407 feet). | 3 | 0 |
| Hamilton bunt grounded out to pitcher. | 3 | 0 |
| Cozart lined out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| Votto struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Freeman struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| K. Johnson flied out to left. | 3 | 0 |
| Callaspo flied out to left. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Donnie Veal pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Veal relieved Miller. | 3 | 0 |
| Frazier homered to left (403 feet). | 4 | 0 |
| Bruce lined out to second. | 4 | 0 |
| Byrd singled to center. | 4 | 0 |
| Schumaker walked, Byrd to second. | 4 | 0 |
| Barnhart flied out to right, Byrd to third. | 4 | 0 |
| Leake struck out swinging. | 4 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Bethancourt fouled out to pitcher. | 4 | 0 |
| Peterson grounded out to first. | 4 | 0 |
| Young Jr. lined out to left. | 4 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Ian Thomas pitching for Atlanta | CIN | ATL |
| Thomas relieved Veal. | 4 | 0 |
| Hamilton homered to left center (411 feet). | 5 | 0 |
| Cozart grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Votto grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Frazier struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Tony Cingrani pitching for Cincinnati | CIN | ATL |
| Cingrani relieved Leake. | 5 | 0 |
| Gosselin hit for Thomas. | 5 | 0 |
| Gosselin doubled to right. | 5 | 0 |
| Markakis walked. | 5 | 0 |
| A. Simmons grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Markakis out at second, Gosselin to third. | 5 | 0 |
| Freeman doubled to left, Gosselin scored. | 5 | 1 |
| Gomes hit for K. Johnson. | 5 | 1 |
| Gomes popped out to third. | 5 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Cincinnati Reds | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Hamilton CF | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .217 | .278 | .349 |
| Cozart SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | .280 | .318 | .500 |
| Votto 1B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | .317 | .423 | .646 |
| Frazier 3B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17 | .238 | .340 | .550 |
| Bruce RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | .181 | .310 | .403 |
| Byrd LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | .169 | .188 | .273 |
| Schumaker 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | .200 | .238 | .250 |
| Barnhart C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .231 | .286 | .692 |
| Leake P | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17 | .077 | .077 | .308 |
Cingrani P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Totals | 36 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 146 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Schumaker (1, Miller); Votto 2 (4, Miller 2) HR: Barnhart (2, 7th inning off Miller 0 on, 0 Out); Leake (1, 7th inning off Miller 0 on, 0 Out); Frazier (7, 8th inning off Veal 0 on, 0 Out); Hamilton (2, 9th inning off Thomas 0 on, 0 Out) RBI: Votto (17), Barnhart (2), Leake (1), Frazier (16), Hamilton (3) Reds RISP: 1-11 (Bruce 0-1, Frazier 0-2, Votto 1-1, Barnhart 0-2, Leake 0-2, Hamilton 0-1, Byrd 0-1, Schumaker 0-1) Team LOB: 8 | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 2 (Cozart-Schumaker-Votto, Schumaker-Cozart-Votto). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| 3B C. JOHNSON (LEFT HAND) LEFT GAME TOP 6TH. |
Game Information
| Stadium | Turner Field, Atlanta, GA |
| Attendance | 15,744 (31.9% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:22 |
| Weather | 71 degrees, clear |
| Wind | 15 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Bob Davidson, First Base - David Rackley, Second Base - Jerry Layne, Third Base - Sean Barber |
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