The Cincinnati Reds beat the Baltimore Orioles 24-2 on Sunday to take the weekend series. No, that is not a typo, and no, it is not a sentence about a football game. Noelvi Marte and Austin Wynns combined for 13 RBIs from the eighth and ninth holes, respectively. Starter Brent Suter was not the scheduled pitcher for the game, but gave them three solid innings to start. Reds manager Terry Francona says, all things considered, he was incredibly proud of his team.

“You come in today, you're up against it, I mean, Suter warmed up in the ninth [inning] last night, gives us three, sets a tone just with his energy and professionalism. And we got after it and stayed after it, and it ends up being a really good day.”

“It can be a little fleeting, because we've got a game tomorrow, but some guys are starting to feel better about themselves, and that's good. Some good hitters,” Francona said of the Reds moving forward.

The Reds do have a game on Monday, starting a three-game set in Miami against the Marlins. But they should take the time to revel in this victory. After Nick Lodolo was placed on the paternity list Friday, their rotation was flipped upside down. That trust Suter into the starting role, where he excelled.

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The Reds' offense finally comes alive

Cincinnati Reds infielder Noelvi Marte (16) hits a grand slam during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
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The Reds have not advanced in the playoffs since 1995, a streak that needs to end with this core. They have an elite talent in shortstop Elly De La Cruz and are slowly surrounding him with more talent. Marte and Wynns can be big parts of that depth and gained some confidence on Sunday.

Earlier in the season, the Reds lost three consecutive games 1-0. It was the first time in the history of baseball's oldest franchise that they had stooped that low. On Sunday, they scored 24 runs with 15 hits with runners in scoring position. Their offense has this elite ability, but their inexperience leads to deep swoons at times.

The Reds are 11-11 and just two games back of the Cubs for first place in the National League Central. They can pick up some ground this week with matchups against the Marlins and Rockies. If the Reds are going to take this core to the next level, they have to take advantage of these big momentum swings and lesser opponents.

The Reds and Marlins begin their series at 6:40 p.m. Eastern on Monday.