WATCH: Centerville, Wright State product leads Braves to walk-off win over Reds

With his team down a run in the bottom of the 10th and ghost runner Austin Riley on second base, Murphy led off the inning.

On the first pitch from Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Derek Law, Murphy drove it 408 feet over the center field wall for a 5-4 walk-off victory.

That finished his night with a crescendo after he doubled twice and drove in another run.

The quick turnabout came after the Reds staged another ninth-inning miracle by scoring two runs to tie the game, 3-3. And Jonathan India singled home ghost runner Jose Barrero in the top of the 10th to give the Reds a 4-3 lead.

Then Murphy enacted Murphy’s Law on the Reds — anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

And that, once again, applied to the Reds bullpen. Or as broadcaster Jeff Brantley put it, “These days you live and die by the bullpen.”

The Reds trailed by 1-0 when starter Graham Ashcraft turned it over to Buck Farmer after issuing a leadoff walk. Farmer struck out the next two, but then gave up a single to Ronald Acuna Jr. Reiver Sanmartin relieved Farmer and walked Matt Olson on four pitches to fill the bases.

A run scored on a wild pitch that catcher Tyler Stephenson probably should have blocked to make it 2-0.

The Reds scored their first run in the eighth against Nick Anderson. India’s double and Jake Fraley two-out first pitch single to pull them within 2-1.

But Sanmartin gave up arun in the eighth on singles by Ozzie Albies and Orando Arcia, and the Reds trailed, 3-1, entering the ninth.

Wil Myers opened the ninth against A.J. Minter with a single and pinch-hitter Stuart Fairchild tripled off the top of the left-field wall and scored the tying run on India’s single.

Then came the fateful 10th for the Reds and a stunning defeat.

“These games are tough to swallow, but it doesn’t change the fact that we fought back and made it a game, for sure,” said Reds manager David Bell. “That gave us an opportunity, then one pitch in the 10th. . .”

Of Murphy, Bell said, “A really good hitter beat us today.”

If timing is everything, it seemed the perfect time for the Reds to unpack their bags in Atlanta. The Braves had lost three straight and were 3 for 26 with runners in scoring position.

That didn’t improve much. The Braves were 0 for 10 Monday before they got a hit with runners in scoring position. But they didn’t need it early on.

The Braves first run came with a runner on first, Murphy’s second double that came in the sixth with Riley on first base. The second run come on Sanmartin’s wild pitch.

Ashcraft pitched five scoreless innings before giving up a run in the sixth on Murphy’s double. And he put the runner on base via a walk in the seventh that scored on Sannmartin’s wild pitch, so the run was charged to Ashcraft.

For his six-plus innings, he gave up two runs, six hits, walked three and struck out seven — and received nothing to show for it.

“A real good start. He had great stuff,” said Bell. “He didn’t have the slider he usually has, but that just shows what he can do with his fastball that moves and his cutter. That was against a real good lineup.”

Atlanta starter Bryce Elder turned over a 1-0 lead after pitching 6 1/3 innings — no runs, six hits, one walk, seven strikeouts. Braves manager Brian Snitker removed him with two outs and none on in the seventh because he had thrown 103 pitches. He, too, received nothing to show for it.

“Elder kept making pitches right on the edge,” said Bell. “A lot of pitches could have gone either way. But he was locating them exactly where he needed them. He definitely made it for difficult at bats. Nothing was in the middle and over the plate. All the credit goes to him right there.”

It was an interesting first inning, an identical first inning for both teams — single, walk, double play, strikeout. And both pitchers threw 17 pitches.