Omar Narvaez doubled home the go-ahead run to cap a four-run seventh inning as the host Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series.
The Brewers extended their lead in the National League Central to 8 1/2 games over the second-place Reds, who had won six of their first seven games in Milwaukee this year.
After being held in check by Cincinnati starter Tyler Mahle for 5 2/3 innings, the Brewers erased a 4-1 deficit against the Reds' bullpen.
Lorenzo Cain and pinch hitter Manny Pina opened the seventh with consecutive singles off Michael Lorenzen (0-1). Kolten Wong followed with an RBI single to left to make it 4-2. Jace Peterson walked to load the bases with no outs.
Mychal Givens took over on the mound, and Christian Yelich lined a sacrifice fly to center with Pina scoring and Wong advancing to third. Peterson stole second before Avisail Garcia delivered another sacrifice fly to tie it. Narvaez followed with his RBI double into the right field corner.
Wong made it 7-4 in the eighth with a two-run homer, his 11th long ball of the season, driving a 1-0 pitch 378 feet to right.
After the Reds scored four runs in six innings off Milwaukee starter Corbin Burnes, Hunter Strickland (3-1) tossed a scoreless seventh, Devin Williams followed with a perfect inning, and Josh Hader converted his 27th save in 28 opportunities.
Cincinnati put its first five hitters aboard in the fourth to score three off Burnes, who entered with the second-best ERA in the National League at 2.13.
The Reds loaded the bases with no outs, sandwiching walks to Tyler Naquin and Joey Votto around a Nick Castellanos single. Mike Moustakas and Kyle Farmer followed with consecutive RBI singles. Tucker Barnhart added a sacrifice fly to put Cincinnati up 3-1.
The Reds made it 4-1 in the sixth on a double by Moustakas and Barnhart's RBI single.
The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Willy Adames doubled, Yelich singled and Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly to center.
Adames, Milwaukee's shortstop, left the game after the first inning as a precautionary measure due to left quad discomfort.
--Field Level Media
Cincinnati | Milwaukee | |
Tyler Mahle | Player | Corbin Burnes |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
5.2 | IP | 6.0 |
8 | Strikeouts | 5 |
5 | Hits | 7 |
1.59 | ERA | 6.00 |
Cincinnati | Milwaukee | |
Mike Moustakas | Player | Omar Narvaez |
2 | Hits | 2 |
1 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 3 |
.500 | Avg | .667 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Cincinnati | 7 | 0 | 8 | .226 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Milwaukee | 10 | 1 | 15 | .333 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 |