Jake Fraley belted a two-run homer and Nick Senzel drove in three runs as the visiting Cincinnati Reds won their season-high fourth straight game, beating the Oakland Athletics 11-7 on Friday
Cincinnati had a season-high 16 hits, and eight of the nine batters in the lineup had two hits. Luis Cessa (1-3) allowed three runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts over five-plus innings.
Ryan Noda went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and four runs for Oakland, which has lost four straight and 13 of its last 15. Brent Rooker had three hits, including a two-run homer in the ninth inning, and Shea Langeliers added two hits and three RBIs.
The A's fell to 5-22 and need one win in their next two games to avoid setting a major league record for the most losses in April.
Langeliers' run-scoring single with out in the first inning gave Oakland a brief lead before Cincinnati responded with three runs in the second against Drew Rucinski (0-1). After Senzel singled in a run with one out, Stuart Fairchild doubled, and Jose Barrero followed with a two-run double.
The Reds stretched their lead to 5-1 on Fraley's two-run homer in the third against Rucinski, who was activated from the 15-day injured list (hamstring strain) prior to the game to make his Oakland debut
Cessa was relieved by Law after giving up two runs in the sixth inning. Noda hit a leadoff single, Rooker walked, and both scored on Langeliers' triple to left field.
Rucinski gave up five runs (three earned) on 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings in his first major league appearance since September 2018. He walked one and struck out one.
Cincinnati moved ahead 8-3 with three runs in the seventh against Sam Long when Senzel doubled in two runs with two outs and Fairchild followed with a run-scoring single.
Noda's two-run homer in the seventh cut the A's deficit to 8-5. Cincinnati answered in the eighth with Stephenson's run-scoring single before adding two runs in the ninth.