CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Eugenio Suárez homered in the seventh inning and Nick Lodolo pitched into the seventh as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 6-4 on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds snapped a two-game losing streak to the Braves in the series finale, avoiding a sweep after Atlanta had taken the first two games of the weekend set by scores of 5-2 and 8-3. Cincinnati improved to 30-28, while Atlanta fell to 40-20, still the best record in baseball.

The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Braves take an early lead, the Reds chip away, and then Cincinnati seize control with a go-ahead run in the sixth before Suárez delivered the decisive blow in the seventh.

Atlanta struck first in the top of the first inning when Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a leadoff home run to left-center field, his seventh of the season. The Braves added another run in the fifth on a solo homer by Jorge Mateo, his fourth, to tie the game at 2-2. But the Reds had already answered each Atlanta score.

Cincinnati got a run back in the bottom of the first when JJ Bleday doubled to right field, scoring Elly De La Cruz. The Reds tied the game in the third on another Bleday double, again scoring De La Cruz. Atlanta regained the lead in the fifth on Mateo’s homer, but Cincinnati answered in the bottom half when Suárez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, scoring Matt McLain to make it 3-3.

The Braves went ahead again in the sixth. Michael Harris II singled and moved to third on a single by Ozzie Albies. After a walk to Mauricio Dubón, Austin Riley hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Harris II to give Atlanta a 4-3 lead. But the Reds answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth. Spencer Steer walked and scored on a double by P.J. Higgins, tying the game at 4-4.

The most important part of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the score still tied at 4, Cincinnati’s Suárez stepped to the plate against Atlanta reliever Dylan Dodd. Suárez launched a solo homer to center field, his fourth of the season, giving the Reds a 5-4 lead. The home run proved to be the game-winner, as the Reds bullpen held Atlanta scoreless over the final two innings.

Cincinnati added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when Suárez’s homer made it 6-4. The Reds had scored in six of the seven innings they batted, plating one run in each of the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The Braves, meanwhile, scored in four innings but could never sustain a rally.

Lodolo earned the win, improving to 2-1 on the season. He worked six and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out four. Brock Burke followed with one and one-third scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out one. Sam Moll recorded the save, his first of the year, pitching one-third of an inning and retiring the only batter he faced.

Atlanta starter Spencer Strider took the loss, falling to 3-1. He pitched five innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs while striking out eight. The Braves bullpen was effective at times, with Reynaldo López throwing a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts, but Dodd allowed the pivotal home run in his one inning of work.

Bleday led the Reds offense, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Suárez finished 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Acuña was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, and a walk for Atlanta. Mateo went 1-for-3 with a solo homer.

The attendance was 31,084, and the game lasted 2 hours and 38 minutes.

Atlanta’s lineup managed only seven hits, while Cincinnati collected 10. The Braves left seven runners on base and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The Reds stranded eight baserunners but delivered timely hits when needed.

The ninth inning provided a brief moment of drama for Atlanta. Trailing 6-4, the Braves mounted a late rally. Dominic Smith walked to lead off the inning, and Mike Yastrzemski followed with a single, putting runners at first and second. Sandy León flied out to left field for the first out. Acuña then singled to center field, scoring Smith and cutting the deficit to 6-5. Yastrzemski advanced to second on the play, and Acuña moved to second on the throw. Harris II walked to load the bases with one out, bringing the potential tying run to third and go-ahead run to second. But Matt Olson grounded out to third base to end the game, stranding three runners.

The win was important for Cincinnati, which had lost three of its previous four games and had been outscored 17-8 in the first two games of the series. The Reds now return home to face the Kansas City Royals on Monday night. Atlanta heads back to Truist Park to host the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

The Braves entered the game having won five of their previous seven contests, including a 10-2 victory over Boston on Thursday. Cincinnati came in after a 4-2 loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday and a 7-2 win on Tuesday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta Braves 6, Cincinnati Reds 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Atlanta a 57.80 percent probability to win. The Braves were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 10 went under the over-under line of 8.5.