Acuna singles home winning run against Reds

Ronald Acuna Jr. ATLANTA — is usually the player pouring water on a teammate who’s getting mobbed after the Atlanta Braves win in their last at-bat.

This time it was Acuna’s turn after his first career game-ending hit.

“It feels great to be able to do that and have the victory,” he said through a translator. “See the ball, hit the ball.”

Acuna hit an RBI single off Robert Stephenson with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning and Atlanta recovered from blowing two leads to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 on Saturday night.

The Braves, whose 10 extra-inning victories rank second in the majors, thought they had the game just about won in the eighth when Acuna drew a tiebreaking, bases-loaded walk from Michael Lorenzen . But then Shane Greene, the new closer making his Braves debut after being acquired in a trade with Detroit, blew a save opportunity in the ninth.

Greene gave up consecutive singles to begin the inning before Tucker Barnhart’s flair single to left field scored the tying run.

Luke Jackson (6-2), who lost the closer’s job to Greene after the trade, earned the win after striking out the side in the 10th.

Jared Hughes (3-4) walked Adam Duvall and Ender Inciarte before Johan Camargo’s sacrifice bunt advanced the runners. After Stephenson struck out pinch-hitter Charlie Culberson, Acuna singled down the third base line to win it.

It marked the 18th time Atlanta has won in its last at-bat this season.

Braves starter Dallas Keuchel was turning in his best outing in nine starts this season before Aristides Aquino hit his first career homer, a three-run shot into the left field seats in the seventh to make it 3-all.

Neither Keuchel nor Trevor Bauer, who was making his Cincinnati debut after getting traded from Cleveland earlier in the week, received a decision.

Bauer was chased when Duvall’s RBI double put the Braves up 3-0 in the fifth. He allowed three runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking three.

“I thought my stuff was really good,” Bauer said. “I just never could quite find the groove where I could locate when I needed to or at least throw (the fastball) for a strike.”