The Milwaukee Brewers took over the game against the Cincinnati Reds after going back and forth early on.
Despite a rain delay, the Milwaukee Brewers opened their three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds with a 10-7 win at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Friday.
Even though they faced an early deficit, the Brewers found a way to gain and hold on to the lead. Let’s get into it:
Going back and forth
Through the first three innings, Milwaukee and the Reds continued to trade blows.
Cincinnati struck in the bottom of the first via an Elly De La Cruz RBI single, but the Brewers immediately answered with two runs of their own in the top of the second largely thanks to a double by Garrett Mitchell and a triple by David Hamilton.
The trend continued when the Reds put two more on the board when Matt McClain hit a home run to left-center field to give Cincinnati a 3-2 lead. Milwaukee had another response in the top of the third when walks drawn by Jake Bauers and William Contreras were rewarded with a two-RBI double by Brice Turang.
But a three-run home run by Eugenio Suarez in the bottom of the third put the Reds back on top, 6-4. The fourth inning broke the early streak of scoring by either club, and in the fifth, the Brewers took over.
An onslaught
In the top of the fifth, Jackson Chourio got things started with a single before Christian Yelich drew a walk. Then, Contreras reached on a fielder’s choice thanks to an error by De La Cruz.
With the bases loaded, Reds manager Terry Francona went to his bullpen, replacing Rhett Louder with Sam Moll. It did not help Cincinnati stop the bleeding, though, as Moll hit Turang with a pitch that scored a run for Milwaukee.
After Luis Lara struck out, Cooper Pratt took advantage of the situation and got his teammates across home plate with a three-RBI triple. A wild pitch by Moll subsequently scored Pratt and capped off a five-run frame for the Brewers.
One of Milwaukee’s greatest weapons this season has been its ability to rack up several runs in one inning. Friday’s win was another example of how an offensive onslaught by the Brewers can be used to seize control of a game.
With a 9-6 lead after the fifth, they added a bit of insurance with one more run in the sixth, thanks to an RBI double by Contreras. The Reds scored again in the seventh, but it did not matter.
The win was the Brewers’ 88th of the season, and with 20 games remaining, they are on pace for a 100-win season.
