Eugenio Suarez belts 3-run shot to lift Reds over Red Sox

Eugenio Suarez belted a three-run homer to wipe out a two-run deficit and lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox in the rubber game of the series Sunday. Rookie Sal Stewart had another two hits and walked twice and is hitting .700 in his first three games.

The Red Sox were leading on a two-run homer from Wilyer Abreu in the fourth inning before Suarez launched his go-ahead shot to the upper deck in left off reliever Greg Weissert (0-1) in the sixth inning.

Lefty reliever Brock Burke (1-0) allowed one hit over 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Tony Santillan picked off Jarren Duran for a critical out in a scoreless eighth and Emilio Pagan redeemed himself for blowing Saturday's save chance by pitching a scoreless ninth for his first save.

In taking the last two games, Cincinnati recorded a home series win against Boston for the first time since taking two of three at Riverfront Stadium in the middle set of the 1975 World Series. Before Saturday's win, Cincinnati was just 3-11 all-time at home against the Red Sox in interleague play. The Reds beat the Red Sox in a regular season series for just the second time since the two began playing each other in 2005.

The pitcher's duel between two of the best young arms in the game didn't disappoint as Cincinnati right-hander Rhett Lowder and Boston lefty Connelly Early matched zeroes for the first three innings.

Willson Contreras smoked a one-hop liner past Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz to get the one-out rally started in the fourth. Abreu followed with a two-run homer to right-center on a Lowder slider for a 2-0 Boston lead.

Those would be the only two runs allowed by Lowder over five innings. The right-hander was making his first major league start since Sept. 28, 2024, after oblique, forearm and shoulder injuries sidelined him all of 2025. Lowder allowed just three hits and walked two while striking out five.

Early was even better, scattering four hits over five shutout innings. But he allowed a leadoff single to Matt McLain to open the sixth before striking out Elly De La Cruz. Weissert then walked Sal Stewart, setting up the three-run homer from Suarez. Early was charged with one run over 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, striking out six and walking two.

--Field Level Media