CINCINNATI -- Since Luis García moved into the fifth spot in the lineup, Nationals manager Dave Martinez felt he was pressing a little. On Friday night, there were signs he’s coming out of that.

“His swing got a little bigger,” Martinez said. “Typical of a young guy moving up [in the lineup]. When he does get runners in scoring position, I want him to be aggressive in the strike zone. Don’t try to do a whole lot. Be yourself.”

García heeded his skipper’s advice in the ninth inning, delivering the game-tying single as the Nationals rallied for three runs to tie the score. But in the bottom of the 11th, Aristides Aquino’s single drove home automatic runner TJ Friedl with the winning run.

Ultimately, Washington lost, 8-7, at Great American Ball Park.

“That was a good at-bat,” Martinez said of García. “He stayed on the ball. He had some good at-bats, so that’s good.”

Alcides Escobar and Keibert Ruiz hit solo homers, while Juan Soto’s takeover of the Nationals’ record books continued.

Soto walked in the first inning to reach base for the 11th straight plate appearance, passing Nick Johnson (June 18-20, 2009) for the longest streak in Nationals history. He then walked again in his second plate appearance to pass Ken Griffey Jr. for the longest on-base streak in the Expansion Era (1961-present).

Soto is 29-for-56 (.518) with four doubles, one triple, five homers, 12 RBIs, 23 walks, one stolen base and 19 runs scored over his past 17 games. He has hit safely in 14 of those 17 games.

Soto walked four times Friday night and scored on three of those occasions.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Martinez said. “He’s one of the best when it comes to plate discipline. You see it every night. It doesn’t shock me to see him do what he’s doing.”

García has been keeping a close eye on what Soto has accomplished lately, in particular his focus and discipline at the plate.

“I’ve learned a lot from [Soto], just the focus he has every at-bat and keep learning,” García said. “In a moment like that [in the ninth], I’m just trying to focus on waiting for my pitch. With two strikes, I was just trying to battle and hit the ball the other way.”

The Nationals roughed up Reds right-hander Sonny Gray, who had only allowed two home runs at Great American Ball Park since July 26 before Ruiz and Escobar took him deep. Ruiz finished 3-for-5 with the aforementioned homer and two RBIs.

“I’ve been feeling better and more comfortable,” Ruiz said. “It was nice to get the homer. I’m not trying to do too much. Before, I was jumping a little bit, I just need to keep working on that. I’m not trying to hit a homer. I feel like if I have the right approach there, the homer is going to come.”

Martinez believed Ruiz’s power would show up eventually.

“He’s seeing the ball a lot better and exploding with his hands,” Martinez said. “He’s continuing to stay in the middle of the field, which is good.”

The Reds homered four times off Nationals pitching to overcome an early 4-0 deficit, including a two-run shot by Eugenio Suárez off Andres Machado in the sixth.

In his first career start against the Reds, Paolo Espino allowed three runs and two homers through five innings.

Right-hander Jhon Romero made his Major League debut for the Nationals with a 1-2-3 eighth, as the bullpen gave the Nats a chance to rally.

“Romero threw the ball well,” Martinez said. “His slider was good. He threw a couple changeups that were good. My big thing with these guys is pitch execution.”