CINCINNATI (Interstat) — José Soriano carved through the Cincinnati Reds lineup with dominant efficiency, striking out 10 over seven shutout innings to become the majors’ first four-game winner and propel the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-6 victory Sunday at Great American Ball Park.

The win secured the Angels’ first series victory in Cincinnati since 2007, taking two of three games. Los Angeles improved to 8-8, while the Reds fell to 9-7.

Soriano was the story from the outset. The right-hander allowed just two singles and three walks, throwing 106 pitches to stifle a Reds offense that had scored seven runs a day earlier. He lowered his ERA to a microscopic 0.33, becoming the first Angels pitcher to win his first four decisions since Jered Weaver won six straight to open the 2011 season.

The Angels’ offense provided an immediate cushion, battering Reds starter Andrew Abbott in a 32-pitch first inning. Mike Trout and Jo Adell singled before Nolan Schanuel lined a two-run single to left. Logan O’Hoppe followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.

They added two more in the second on an RBI double by Trout and a sacrifice fly from Jorge Soler that scored Trout on a unusual 8-2-5 double play. Oswald Peraza led off the fourth with a solo home run to left, and a bases-loaded force out by Adell brought in another run for a 7-0 lead.

Soriano, meanwhile, was untouchable. After Matt McLain’s single in the fourth, he retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced, punctuating his outing by striking out Eugenio Suárez, walking Nathaniel Lowe, and then striking out Spencer Steer to end the seventh.

The Angels tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. In the seventh, Nolan Schanuel walked, advanced to third on a Logan O’Hoppe double, and scored on an Oswald Peraza groundout. In the eighth, Schanuel worked another bases-loaded walk to force in Trout, extending the lead to 9-0.

The most important sequence of the game, however, arrived in the bottom of the eighth, transforming a blowout into a suddenly tense affair. With Soriano departed, the Reds finally broke through against reliever Drew Pomeranz. After a walk and a strikeout, Elly De La Cruz singled. Sal Stewart followed with an RBI single for Cincinnati’s first run. Pomeranz then lost his command, walking Will Benson and Nathaniel Lowe with the bases loaded to force in two more runs, cutting the deficit to 9-3.

The Reds mounted a more dramatic threat in the ninth against Angels reliever Luis García. An error and a single put two on before TJ Friedl was hit by a pitch to load the bases with none out. Matt McLain then lined out directly to third baseman Peraza, who doubled off Noelvi Marte at third for a crucial double play.

With two outs and the potential tying run still in the on-deck circle, De La Cruz launched a three-run homer to deep center field, suddenly making it a 9-6 game and bringing the announced crowd of 20,311 to life. The blast was De La Cruz’s fifth of the season. García, however, recovered to strike out Sal Stewart on a foul tip to end the game.

Beyond Soriano’s masterpiece, Schanuel drove in three runs for the Angels, while Trout finished 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored. De La Cruz’s late heroics led the Reds, going 2 for 5 with the home run and three RBIs.

Abbott took the loss for Cincinnati, falling to 0-2 after surrendering five runs on six hits in just 1 2/3 innings. Reds relievers Sam Moll, Kyle Nicolas and Connor Phillips combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the game from spiraling further early.

The victory defied pregame projections, as Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 4-3 Reds win, giving Cincinnati a 62.1% probability of victory. The Angels, installed as a 1.5-run favorite, covered the spread, and the 15 total runs sailed over the over/under line of 8.5.

Los Angeles now heads to New York for a four-game series against the Yankees beginning Monday. The Reds enjoy an off-day before opening a three-game set at home against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.