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Jonathan Villar, Jonathan Lucroy pace Milwaukee Brewers past Cincinnati Reds

By Andrew Wagner, The Sports Xchange
Milwaukee Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy. UPI/Brian Kersey
Milwaukee Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy. UPI/Brian Kersey | License Photo

MILWAUKEE -- It's been a good year for Jonathan Lucroy, but lately, his inability to drive in runs with runners at third and two outs had been bothering him.

Lucroy put those concerns to rest over the weekend, driving in nine runs including three Sunday afternoon as the Milwaukee Brewers held off the Cincinnati Reds for a 5-4 victory at Miller Park.

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"It's an approach thing, a mental approach," Lucroy said. "Whenever my mental approach is correct and my mechanics are correct in my swing, I feel like I should do it more times than not. It's a matter of pride. I take it personally when I don't get a guy in with less than two outs."

Lucroy was a deciding force in each of the three games against Cincinnati, picking up two hits and driving in three runs in each contest, including 2-for-2 with a triple Sunday.

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"Lucroy was a thorn in our side the entire series," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He had a really nice series against us."

He was also a big contributor on the defensive end, tossing out a pair of Cincinnati runners in the first inning, thwarting an early breakout attempt against right-hander Jimmy Nelson.

Lucroy put Milwaukee on the board in the bottom of the inning with a sac fly to center and the Reds answered in the second, taking the lead on a home run by Jay Bruce and on a Tucker Barnhart double-play that scored Adam Duvall, but Nelson settled in after that and faced just three over the minimum the rest of the way, holding the Reds to two runs on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out five and worked into the eighth inning for the third time in his last four starts.

"I don't think it was his best performance of the year, but he figured out enough certainly to get it going," manager Craig Counsell said. "That's what you want to do. You're not going to have your 'A' stuff or your 'A' delivery every day, but figure out a way to put up zeroes and get deep into the game."

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Reds starter Brandon Finnegan (1-4) worked into the seventh, allowing four Milwaukee runs on six hits and four walks with four strikeouts.

Jonathan Villar was responsible for two of those hits; he went 2-for-2 on the day with a walk, an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.

He got Milwaukee started right off the bat, reaching on a leadoff single and advancing to third when Hernan Perez popped out to second baseman Brandon Phillips in foul territory. He scored on Jonathan Lucroy's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 Brewers lead.

Villar sparked Milwaukee again in the third, this time drawing a two-out walk and scoring on Perez's double to the wall in center.

A Lucroy single sent Perez home and put the Brewers back in front, 3-2. Finnegan would surrender one more run in the fifth on an RBI double by Alex Presley and Milwaukee drove in another in the seventh against Dayan Diaz, going up 5-2 on an RBI triple by Lucroy that scored Villar.

"I knew from the get go that it wasn't going to be my best," Finnegan said. (My) arm felt fine; body didn't feel too well."

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The Reds added a pair of runs in the ninth on three straight two-out singles by Tyler Holt, Ivan De Jesus, Jr. and Barnhart but right-hander Blaine Boyer struck out pinch-hitter Jordan Pacheco to earn his first save of the year.

NOTES: Brewers LF Ryan Braun woke up with a stiff neck and was held out of the lineup Sunday. Braun also sat Saturday, a scheduled off day according to manager Craig Counsell, but appeared late as a pinch hitter. ... Reds manager gave INF Eugenio Suarez a day off Sunday and started OF Adam Duvall at 3B. Duvall, who has four homers in his previous six games, had been taking pregame work at 3B recently. ... Milwaukee LHP Will Smith was transferred from Class A Brevard County to Double-A Biloxi as he continues a minor league rehab assignment to work his way back from a sprained left LCL. He is expected to join the Brewers as early as next weekend. ... Reds 2B Brandon Phillips will be re-examined Monday after tweaking his ankle sliding into the wall in the third inning. Philips remained in the game.

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