CINCINNATI -- It took all of two innings for Adam Duvall to tie his career high for RBIs in one game. Given two chances with the bases loaded vs. the Orioles' Kevin Gausman, the Reds left fielder cashed in with five RBIs in Tuesday's 9-3 victory.
"It felt like every time I came up, I was hitting with the bases loaded," Duvall said.
In the first inning, with no outs and the bases full, Duvall lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Billy Hamilton for a 1-0 lead. It was 2-0 with one out in the second inning, when Duvall skied his first career grand slam into the left-field seats.
Grand slams mean 40% off pizza
Duvall jumped on a 0-2 cutter that was 86 mph, down and in, after his first three pitches in the at-bat were 97 mph fastballs.
"It wasn't a bad pitch, I don't think," Duvall said. "But I had two strikes so I was just battling and trying to drive the ball in the outfield and get a run home. I was able to get the barrel to it and send it out of there."
That snapped an 0-for-13 slump for Duvall and gave him his first five-RBI game since Sept. 26 of last season vs. the Cardinals.
In the third inning, after Gausman was lifted following a two-out double by Jose Peraza, Joey Votto took Vidal Nuno deep with a two-run homer into right field that made it 9-1.
The 9-5 Reds are in first place in the National League Central division race. As their starting pitching has largely struggled, their offense has been a strength with the second-most runs in the NL with 71. The Reds have also homered in 12 of their 14 games this season, including each of the last four games.
"I like this team," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We don't have to force things. I think we felt in years past that we had to run more, just be a more active team. Though we will pick our spots and we have speed at the top of the order, we don't have to force things to happen because 1-8, I think we have a really nice club of guys that can contribute."