Reds 3, Brewers 1: Mat Latos racked up a career-high 13 strikeouts in the second complete game of his career, leading Cincinnati to a win over National League Central rival Milwaukee in the series opener.
Jay Bruce staked Latos to a 2-0 lead with a two-run double off the left-field wall in the fourth, and the right-hander shut down the Brewers to give the Reds their second win in seven games and preserve their slim division lead.
Latos (6-2) was in the midst of an awful June - he had a 6.97 ERA in his previous four starts this month - but was dominant from the outset. He retired 13 straight after allowing the first two batters of the game to reach base and didn't allow a hit out of the infield until Norichika Aoki's homer down the right-field line leading off the sixth. Latos allowed four hits and two walks.
Brandon Phillips gave the Reds some insurance with an RBI double in the eighth, and Latos closed it out with a perfect ninth - striking out Rickie Weeks to end it.
Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo (6-6) lost despite turning in his fourth straight quality start. He allowed two runs on four hits over six innings.
Milwaukee's Ryan Braun went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, snapping his 18-game hitting streak, which was the longest active streak in the majors.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati's Drew Stubbs went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base in his first game back since injuring his left oblique June 5. … Milwaukee's Aramis Ramirez went 0-for-4 to snap his eight-game hitting streak, and Cincinnati's Ryan Ludwick went 0-for-2 to end his seven-game streak. … Reds leadoff man Zack Cozart went 0-for-3 and is mired in a 1-for-17 slump. … The Brewers dropped to 15-22 on the road. … Veteran Livan Hernandez made his Brewers debut in the eighth and struck out Scott Rolen, the only batter he faced.
Milwaukee | Cincinnati | |
Yovani Gallardo | Player | Mat Latos |
Loss | W/L | Win |
6.0 | IP | 9.0 |
5 | Strikeouts | 13 |
4 | Hits | 4 |
3.00 | ERA | 1.00 |
Milwaukee | Cincinnati | |
Norichika Aoki | Player | Mat Latos |
1 | Hits | 2 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
1 | HR | 0 |
4 | TB | 2 |
.333 | Avg | .667 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Milwaukee | 4 | 1 | 8 | .129 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Cincinnati | 7 | 0 | 11 | .250 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 |