Avisail Garcia, Willy Adames and Luis Urias homered to help the visiting Milwaukee Brewers erase a three-run deficit and post an 11-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
Adames added a two-run double in a five-run eighth and finished with four RBIs for the Brewers, who moved five games ahead of second-place Cincinnati in the NL Central. The Reds and Brewers are in the midst of seven consecutive games bridging the All-Star break, with Cincinnati winning three of the five so far.
Cincinnati native Brent Suter (9-4) pitched a scoreless fifth to earn the win, his third this season against the Reds. Meanwhile, Amir Garrett (0-3) allowed the game-tying and go-ahead hits in a three-run sixth to take the loss.
Compounding the loss for the Reds was the early exit of their MVP candidate and NL batting leader Nick Castellanos. Milwaukee starter Adrian Houser came too far inside with a fastball, drilling Castellanos in the lower right forearm, near the wrist.
He stayed in the game and scored but was replaced by Aristides Aquino in right field to start the fourth. X-rays were negative, manager David Bell said.
Tyler Naquin’s double off Houser down the right field line scored Jesse Winker and Joey Votto to put the Reds up 2-0 in the first.
Garcia launched his 17th homer of the year in the second, a long home run over the Reds bullpen in left-center with one out in the second to cut the Reds’ lead in half, 2-1.
The Reds got to Houser for two more runs in the third when Eugenio Suarez doubled just over the reach of Christian Yelich in left, scoring Castellanos and Naquin for a 4-1 lead.
The Brewers again cut the Cincinnati lead down to one in the fifth when Adames lined a fastball into the first row of seats just above the right field wall for a two-run homer, his 10th of the season.
Urias doubled home Jace Peterson to narrow the gap to one run in the sixth. Garrett was brought in to face Jackie Bradley Jr., who singled off the glove of second baseman Jonathan India. The ball dribbled into center field, enabling Urias to score the game-tying run for Milwaukee. Kolten Wong then singled Bradley home for the go-ahead run, 6-5.
Aquino connected for his fifth homer of the year with two outs in the ninth to close out the scoring.
–Field Level Media