CINCINNATI -- The Reds are the best hitting team in baseball in the first inning. They lead the Majors in runs, home runs, RBIs and batting average in the opening frame.

On Tuesday night, after the Angels jumped out to a three-run lead in the first, the Reds did what they have done all season: They pounced.  

Eugenio Suarez’s 30th home run of the season and a two-run blast by Jose Iglesias erased the early deficit and set the tone for an 8-4 victory to complete a two-game sweep of the Angels at Great American Ball Park. 

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“It's kind of on par with what we've done all season,” said Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart. “When you can get on a team [early], in this case we were down, but usually we've been getting on top of people early, it's a great feeling. We just battle back.” 

Barnhart homered in consecutive at-bats in the sixth and eighth innings for the first multi-home run game of his career.

Justin Upton’s three-run home run in the first inning came on an 0-2 fastball from Anthony DeSclafani. It was his sixth homer of the season. 

But the Angels’ lead was short-lived. The Reds have now outscored their opponents 96-59 in the first inning.

“They jump out to a 3-0 lead, and you don't know what's going to happen,” said Reds acting manager Freddie Benavides. “But our guys come right back to get us back in the game. That’s always huge.”

A big part of that first-inning success has been Suarez. His 451-foot blast reached the upper deck in left-center, giving him back-to-back 30-home run seasons.

He now has a Major League-leading 11 first-inning home runs, one shy of the club record, currently held by George Foster in 1977.   

“Back-to-back years with 30 homers and he keeps getting better,” Benavides said. “He plays with passion. He plays loose. I think he's going to continue to go.”

Suarez is the first Cincinnati third baseman since Reds Hall of Famer Tony Perez to have two straight 30-homer seasons. 

“That’s amazing,” Suarez said. “For me, that’s my goal every year, to break my numbers. That feels really good, and to go back to back is more special. Back-to-back 30 home run seasons is not easy. But I work hard and I did it today.” 

Iglesias’ homer was his eighth of the season. He now has 43 RBIs, tied with Derek Dietrich for second-most on the current roster.

Aristides Aquino’s second home run of the season, a 448-foot shot to center, put the Reds ahead 4-3 in the fourth. In six games, he has seven hits, two homers and five RBIs.

Since coming off the injured list, Barnhart has hit safely in 7 of 9 appearances and is batting .379 since the All-Star break. 

“Just trying to contribute any way I can to help the team win,” Barnhart said. “I’ve played around here long enough where we haven’t been any good. We’re good now. And we’re going to make things interesting down the stretch.”