After leading 2-1 through the first five innings things unraveled for Atlanta as Cincinnati scored ten unanswered runs to take an 11-2 victory from the Braves in Game 2 of their three game set.
Cincinnati grabbed an early 1-0 lead from Derek Lowe when Drew Stubbs scored on a ground out from Joey Votto in the first inning. Lowe took matters into his own hands driving home two runs in the second inning with a double that scored both Dan Uggla and Eric Hinske.
After grabbing the lead, Lowe allowed just one Reds base runner from the second through the fifth innings. Things began to unravel fast though in the sixth. Jay Bruce led off the inning with a pinch hit double to right and Drew Stubbs put runners at the corners with a bunt single. Former Braves shortstop Edgar Renteria gave Cincinnati back the lead with a double to left to make the score 3-2. Joey Votto followed with another single to once again put runners at the corners for Brandon Phillips. Phillips proceeded to knock Lowe out of the game with another double to left that scored Renteria making the score 4-2.
George Sherrill and Scott Proctor both came on in relief of Lowe and were able to stop the bleeding temporarily. Proctor wouldn't be so lucky in the seventh however. By the time the smoke had cleared in the inning, the Reds had plated seven runs on five hits against both Proctor and Cristhian Martinez. The big blows in the inning came on another RBI double by Phillips and a bases loaded double by Todd Frazier.
Overall the pitching lines for Atlanta were ugly. Lowe had his standard line of five innings, six hits allowed and four earned runs but probably deserved a better fate. He just couldn't escape the sixth inning as the snow ball mounted. Proctor saw his ERA jump to a gargantuan 7.36 on the season by allowing three hits and four runs in just an inning of work. Martinez wasn't much better pitching 1.2 innings while allowing four hits and three more runs.
This was one of those games where Atlanta had opportunities to capitalize early but failed to do so. Atlanta got the lead off man on in each of the 4th and 5th innings but couldn't do anything with it.
The rubber match of the series is on Sunday with Brandon Beachy matching up against Dontrelle Willis.