| Advertisement |
CINCINNATI -- Reds pitchers have allowed at least one home run in each of the past 20 games to extend a franchise record. On Tuesday night, Cincinnati gave up three homers, but the Reds hit four of their own to outslug the Milwaukee Brewers.
Advertisement
Joey Votto and Adam Duvall hit two-run homers, and Billy Hamilton and Eugenio Suarez added solo shots to lift Cincinnati to an 8-6 victory over the first-place Brewers in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park.
Travis Shaw hit a three-run homer and Orlando Arcia and Manny Pina added solo shots for Milwaukee, which spent its 38th day alone in first place in the National League Central.
It was the 22nd time that seven home runs were hit in a game since Great American Ball Park opened in 2003.
"We hit 15 or 16 balls right on the screws," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It wasn't just the homers. There were a lot of quality at-bats. Billy set the tone with the leadoff homer."
Milwaukee's Ryan Braun went 1-for-5 with a double in his first game back after missing 31 games with a left calf strain.
Junior Guerra (1-2) took the loss after allowing eight runs in four-plus innings. Guerra missed more than a month with a right calf strain.
"The first couple of starts he pitched well," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell. "Where he gets in trouble is when he struggles with his fastball control. He struggled with all of his pitches a little tonight. He paid for his mistakes."
Tim Adleman (5-4) got the win despite allowing five runs and three home runs in five innings. He yielded five hits and three walks while striking out seven.
"Adleman didn't have his best game, but he battled," Price said. "He would have gone back out there if we didn't get to that spot in the order (in the fifth). We wanted to add some more runs there."
The Reds (32-44) won for only the third time in 17 games and for the second time in eight meetings this season against Milwaukee (41-38).
The Brewers had the bases loaded with two outs in the eighth, but Michael Lorenzen retired Stephen Vogt, who was making his Brewers debut as a pinch hitter, on a fly ball to right to end the inning.
Raisel Iglesias retired the Brewers in order in the ninth for his 13th save.
Reds right fielder Scott Schebler ran down Eric Thames' long drive up against the wall for the final out. Thames, who homered eight times in seven games this season against Cincinnati, went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout on Tuesday.
"That saved us from having to face Shaw with the tying run, and he's having a tremendous year," Price said of Schebler's play.
Hamilton's opposite-field home run in the first inning put Cincinnati ahead 1-0. It was only the second leadoff homer in Hamilton's career.
"That don't happen too often for me," Hamilton said. "I'm just trying to hit line drives."
With one out and a runner aboard, Duvall launched Guerra's 0-1 pitch into the second deck of the left field bleachers to make it 3-0.
Devin Mesoraco added an RBI single to complete a four-run first in which Guerra also walked two and hit a batter.
Milwaukee homered twice off Adleman in the second with Pina belting his fifth and Arcia his sixth to cut the Brewers' deficit to 4-2.
Shaw's three-run homer in the third put the Brewers ahead 5-4. His 16th home run tied a single-season career high.
Suarez tied the score 5-5 in the third with his 12th homer. Suarez went 1-for-2 with two walks while batting fifth.
"It's great to see him drive the ball to right-center," Price said. "The two walks also show his plate discipline. It's an important spot in the order. He's handled the ups and downs of the season very well."
Votto put the Reds ahead 7-5 with his 21st home run in the fifth.
Guerra didn't make it out of the fifth after allowing the first four batters to reach. He allowed eight hits, half of which were homers.
"I was getting behind in the count most of the game and missing spots," said Guerra, through interpreter Carlos Brizuela. "All of the home runs were on fastballs with bad location. The velocity is still lower than last year, but at the same time, you've got to hit your location."
NOTES: The Brewers reinstated LF Ryan Braun and INF Jonathan Villar from the 10-day disabled list and designated INF/OF Nick Franklin for assignment. ... The Reds selected the contract of RHP Kevin Shackelford from Triple-A Louisville, optioned RHP Austin Brice to Triple-A and designated RHP Jake Buchanan for assignment. ... Cincinnati SS Zack Cozart missed his seventh straight game with right quad tightness but could return during this series. ... Reds CF Billy Hamilton's first leadoff homer came June 15, 2014, at Milwaukee off RHP Marco Estrada.
