Reds' bullpen rides to rescue to complete sweep of Angels

Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivered a go-ahead two-run double, five relievers combined on 8 1/3 shutout innings as the Cincinnati Reds finished a three-game sweep of the visiting Los Angeles Angels with a 3-0 victory Sunday.

Elly De La Cruz finished off an impressive weekend with two hits and a run scored for the Reds, who swept a three-game series from the Angels for a second straight year and have won eight straight against Los Angeles.

Angels starter Jose Soriano (0-3) held the Reds hitless over the first 5 1/3 innings and finished with a career-high six innings. He allowed three hits and three unearned runs, with seven strikeouts and three walks while hitting a batter as the Angels dropped their fourth straight and finished 3-7 on a three-city 10-game road trip.

For the second straight start, Cincinnati right-hander Frankie Montas had an abbreviated outing. On Monday at Seattle, Montas struggled with five walks, while allowing five runs over two innings.

On Sunday, Montas threw 16 pitches before taking a Taylor Ward line drive off his pitching forearm and leaving the game. The Reds later announced X-rays on the forearm were negative and h was diagnosed with a bruise.

Brent Suter entered and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his longest outing since throwing four scoreless on Sept. 25, 2020, for the Milwaukee Brewers against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Emilio Pagan (2-1) earned the win with two scoreless innings and was the beneficiary of a slick around-the-horn double play started by third baseman Jeimer Candelario and turned by Santiago Espinal in the fifth.

Alexis Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save in as many days and his fourth of the season.

In the sixth, the Reds finally broke through against Soriano, taking advantage of a two-out error by Angels second baseman Luis Rengifo on a routine Nick Martini grounder.

The three-run rally began with the first Cincinnati hit, a one-out grounder up the middle by De La Cruz that Rengifo knocked down on the outfield grass but had no play. After the Rengifo error, Encarnacion-Strand belted a two-run double off the wall in left-center.

Jeimer Candelario, who finished with two hits, followed with a triple off Mike Trout's glove in center for a 3-0 Cincinnati lead.