CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Nathaniel Lowe’s three-run double keyed a four-run first inning, and the Cincinnati Reds snapped a three-game skid with a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds, leveraging an early offensive outburst and a parade of effective relievers, improved to 9-6. The Angels fell to 7-8, with manager Kurt Suzuki ejected in the eighth inning during a disputed interference call.

Cincinnati wasted no time attacking Angels starter George Klassen. After a leadoff strikeout, Spencer Steer walked and Elly De La Cruz singled. Sal Stewart followed with an RBI infield single, scoring Steer. After a walk to Eugenio Suárez loaded the bases, Lowe cleared them with a sharp ground ball double down the right field line, staking the Reds to a 4-0 lead before many of the 32,554 in attendance had settled into their seats.

The Reds added to their lead in the second when Steer launched a solo home run, his second of the year, to left field off Klassen to make it 5-0.

Klassen, the losing pitcher, lasted just 1 2/3 innings, surrendering five runs on five hits and three walks. The Angels’ bullpen, led by Brent Suter’s 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, kept the game within reach.

Los Angeles chipped away at Reds starter Brandon Williamson in the third. Zach Neto singled, Mike Trout walked and Jo Adell was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Nolan Schanuel grounded out to shortstop, allowing Neto to score the Angels’ first run.

They drew closer in the fourth. Yoán Moncada walked and, after a strikeout, Neto also walked. Trout then laced a two-run double into the left-field corner, scoring both runners and cutting the deficit to 5-3. Williamson was pulled after four innings, having allowed three runs on three hits and five walks.

From there, the game transformed into a bullpen duel. The Reds’ relief corps shut the door. Pierce Johnson, who earned the win, entered in the fifth and recorded four outs, striking out three. Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán provided scoreless innings, navigating around traffic.

The Angels, who managed only five hits, repeatedly stifled their own rallies. They grounded into two critical double plays, one in the second inning and another in the seventh, each time erasing a baserunner.

Cincinnati’s bullpen dominance continued until the eighth, when they provided crucial insurance. Against Angels reliever Chase Silseth, Noelvi Marte singled and moved to second on a groundout. After walks to TJ Friedl and pinch-hitter Matt McLain loaded the bases, De La Cruz drew another walk to force in a run. A wild pitch during the at-bat allowed a second run to score, extending the Reds’ lead to 7-3.

The eighth inning also featured controversy. With one out, Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe struck out swinging on a pitch that bounced away. As he ran to first, he was called out for batter’s interference for failing to stay in the runner’s lane. Manager Kurt Suzuki argued vehemently and was ejected. It was Suzuki’s second dispute of the evening; he had left the dugout in the sixth to argue a successful ABS challenge by Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson that resulted in a strikeout of Jo Adell.

Reds closer Pierce Johnson returned for the ninth, working around a two-out walk to Trout to seal the victory. The Cincinnati bullpen combined for five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits.

De La Cruz paced the Reds’ nine-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with a walk, two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. Trout drove in two of the Angels’ three runs with his fourth-inning double.

The most important sequence of the game was undoubtedly the bottom of the first inning. The Reds, coming off a 10-2 loss to the Angels the previous afternoon, immediately reversed the series momentum. They sent nine men to the plate against Klassen, with Lowe’s bases-clearing double serving as the decisive blow. That early four-run cushion allowed Cincinnati to play from ahead, leverage their deep bullpen, and withstand the Angels’ subsequent push, setting the tone for the entire evening.

The teams conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon.