CINCINNATI (AP) — William Contreras and Jake Bauers hit back-to-back homers in the third inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Milwaukee improved to a season-high 20 games over .500 at 49-29. The Brewers have won 18 of the last 21 series against the Reds.
Cincinnati (37-42) was swept at home for the first time since Aug. 16-18, 2024 against the Royals, a streak of 44 consecutive series.
The Reds loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Joel Kuhnel, who got Dane Myers to ground into an ending 6-4-3 double play.
It was Kuhnel’s third save of the season. Chad Patrick (5-3) got the win.
Brewers left-hander Shane Drohan pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings with three walks and five strikeouts on a career-high 98 pitches.
Contreras’ two-run home run off Rhett Lowder — a line drive that eluded the glove of leaping Dane Myers in center — put the Brewers ahead 2-0.
Bauers followed with his team-leading 14th homer. It was the first time this season the Brewers hit back-to-back homers.
Lowder (3-5) allowed three earned runs on eight hits with a walk and six strikeouts on a season-high 100 pitches.
Blake Dunn’s RBI double in the sixth cut the Brewers’ lead to 3-1. With runners on second and third, Garrett Mitchell made a diving catch on Elly De La Cruz’s sinking liner in center to end the inning.
Milwaukee extended its lead to 6-1 in the seventh on pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn’s bases-loaded double off Sam Moll which drove in three runs.
Eugenio Suárez had an RBI double in the seventh and Spencer Steer hit a two-run home run, his 13th, in the eighth off Craig Yoho to make it -5.
Up next
Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski (8-3, 1.45) was scheduled to start at home Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (5-4, 3.83) was set to start Friday at Pittsburgh.
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