DENVER (Interstat) — Brady Singer pitched seven strong innings and Spencer Steer hit two home runs, including an inside-the-park homer, to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night at Coors Field.

Singer allowed four hits and two earned runs while striking out six, improving to 4-9 on the season. He retired the side in order in the first, second and fourth innings and worked out of a jam in the fifth when the Rockies tied the game. The right-hander threw 50 balls, 10 strikes and 10 balls in play according to the game’s pitch counts, though the official stat line was 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 6 strikeouts.

Gabriel Hughes took the loss for Colorado, falling to 0-1. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs with six strikeouts, but was charged with three runs total after the bullpen allowed inherited runners to score. Hughes threw 22 strikes, 41 balls and 22 balls in play.

The Reds jumped ahead in the first inning. Elly De La Cruz led off with a single to right field, and Sal Stewart followed with a double to left-center that scored De La Cruz. Stewart’s 23rd double of the season gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead. The Reds threatened to add more when JJ Bleday flew out to center, advancing Stewart to third, but Steer struck out and Eugenio Suárez was called out on strikes to end the inning.

Both pitchers settled in after that. Singer retired nine of the first 10 Rockies he faced, allowing only a sharp lineout by Willi Castro in the second. Hughes worked around a double by Suárez in the fourth, stranding him at second.

Colorado finally broke through in the fifth. TJ Rumfield singled to left with one out, then moved to second on a Kyle Karros forceout. Castro singled to right, putting runners at the corners. Troy Johnston then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Rumfield to tie the game 1-1. Tyler Freeman reached on a fielder’s choice that sent Castro to second, and Castro advanced on a fielding error by shortstop De La Cruz. But Singer induced a forceout from Ezequiel Tovar to end the inning.

The game turned in the sixth. After Stewart struck out to start the inning, Bleday drew a walk. Steer then crushed a 1-0 pitch to left field for his 15th home run of the season, scoring Bleday and giving the Reds a 3-1 lead. Suárez followed by launching his 12th home run to left-center, making it 4-1. Hughes was lifted after Tyler Stephenson struck out, and reliever Victor Vodnik got TJ Friedl to pop out.

Cincinnati added a run in the seventh. Ke’Bryan Hayes reached on a throwing error by Tovar and moved to second. De La Cruz singled to third, deflected by Vodnik, putting runners at the corners. Stewart then sacrificed Hayes home with a fly out to center, extending the lead to 5-1.

Colorado answered in the bottom of the seventh against Singer. Kyle Karros struck out to start the inning, but Castro homered to left, his eighth of the season, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Singer retired the next two batters to complete his outing.

The Reds tacked on another run in the eighth. Steer led off with an inside-the-park home run to right-center, his 16th homer of the season, making it 6-2. He sprinted around the bases after the ball caromed off the outfield wall away from the center fielder. Stephenson followed with a single, and Friedl walked, but Edwin Arroyo lined into a double play to end the inning.

Cincinnati capped the scoring in the ninth. De La Cruz led off with a home run to center, his 16th, for a 7-2 lead. Stewart grounded out and Dane Myers struck out to end the top half.

Brock Burke, Tejay Antone and Victor Vodnik each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Reds. Burke allowed one hit and struck out one in the eighth. Antone struck out one in the ninth. Vodnik worked a scoreless seventh for the Rockies, allowing one hit and striking out one.

For the Reds, De La Cruz went 4 for 5 with a home run, a single and an RBI. Stewart drove in two runs with a double and a sacrifice fly, going 1 for 3. Suárez was 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. Steer finished 2 for 4 with two homers and three RBIs. The Reds totaled 11 hits.

For the Rockies, Castro went 2 for 4 with a solo home run. Rumfield had a single, and Johnston doubled in the ninth. Colorado managed six hits overall.

The win improved Cincinnati’s record to 44-52. The Rockies fell to 39-60. The game drew 40,356 fans and lasted 2 hours, 27 minutes.

The Reds have now won two of their last three games after dropping the previous two against the Chicago Cubs. They open a three-game series at Colorado on Saturday. The Rockies have lost three straight.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cincinnati Reds 5, Colorado Rockies 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Cincinnati a 58.30 percent probability to win. Cincinnati was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 9 went over the over-under line of 12.