CINCINNATI >> The Cincinnati Reds never found a way to slow down A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler, who homered three more times on Thursday and clobbered five in three games at Great American Ballpark. But a Bay Area native capped a ninth-inning rally that allowed the Reds to overcome Butler and avoid being swept by the A’s.

TJ Friedl, who starred at Pleasanton’s Foothill High, capped Cincinnati’s three-run ninth inning with a two-run single in the Reds’ 10-9 comeback win.

The A’s saw their four-game winning streak snapped despite leading by five in the fourth inning and taking a 9-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

Oakland closer Mason Miller saved each of the first two games in the series, so manager Mark Kotsay sent Grant Holman (0-1) to the mound for the ninth. And the Reds rallied against the rookie right-hander who was seeking his first big league save.

Butler hit a two-run drive in the second and a solo shot in the fourth, helping Oakland build a 6-1 lead. He also homered in the first two games of the series. In all, Butler went 7 for 14, drove in eight runs and scored five times over the three games.