MILWAUKEE (AP) – The downed hitters of Christian Yelich and Milwaukee were eliminated, allowing the Brewers to get their first home win of the year.
Yelich hit a house run, tripled and caught a goal-laden walk base when the Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-3 on Sunday at their first home start 0-5 since 1970, the franchise’s inaugural season in Milwaukee.
“I think every single time we play here, we hear the same song every single night: ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’,” said Milwaukee first baseman Justin Smoak, referring to the bob Marley’s tune, which is called “Three Little Birds” and plays in Miller Park after the Brewers’ defeats. “I think last night, after the game, two of us said, “I don’t need to hear this song anymore.”
The Brewers have moved away from that fate – Daryl Hall’s “You Make My Dreams” and John Oates played after the game – because Smoak and the other hitters who suffered in their lineup were successful. Milwaukee entered the day through hitArray210, but scored 8 problems in his last 3 trips to the plate.
“He was smart at batting,” manager Craig Counsell said. “They were deep bats. It was a long time. I think we did it all day.
Yelich had beaten Array114 but reached 4 of his marble appearances.
Smoak struck out in his first at-bat, then allowed three hits to break a 0-out retirement of 14 and 1 of 25.
Smoak, who hit 3 out of 5, allowed hits on either of the dishes in a six-run explosion in the sixth inning. The rally included 4 rides, two of which were loaded.
“When you’re struggling, you can try too hard to get out of it, but that’s not how it works,” Yelich said. “They’re usually guys who put smart players and that’s how it works.”
Milwaukee did so in the seventh with consecutive homes of Keston Hiura and Yelich.
Hiura left three out of five with two problems and two driven.
Jesse Winker of Cincinnati finished in 3 with a house run, a double and two RBIs.
The Reds were seeking their first sweep at Milwaukee since August 2009 and led 2-1 when starter Sonny Gray (3-1) remained in the game to open the sixth with his pitch count at 92.
Gray allowed three hits to the first 4 batters in the Brewers’ innings and tied the game with runners in the corners with one out. Michael Lorenzen replaced Gray and did not give in to any of the four batters he faced when the Brewers took a 7-2 lead.
“It was a snowball for us in sixth grade,” Gray said.
Eric Sogard walked to lay the groundwork and Hiura marked Mathias to put the Brewers at the forefront. Lorenzen then gave Yelich a ticket with the bases full to increase Milwaukee’s lead to 4-2.
Lorenzen visited through a mound, then walked Logan Morrison to bring some other race before leaving with the Brewers in front of 5-2. Smoak capped the rally with a two-inning bachelor opposite Cody Reed.
“Despite the good luck Michael has had in his career, right now he’s suffering with his confidence,” said Reds manager David Bell. “We will assist you through this test and continue to look for opportunities to take you there. I’m in him a lot. We all do. It’s going to be okay.”
GREY (APENAS) EXTEND THE STRIPE
Gray allowed six or fewer hits for a 37th consecutive primary league record. He allowed six hits and 4 walks in five 0.33 innings while withdrawing seven.
The last time Gray allowed more than six hits early on August 1, 2018, when he pitched for the New York Yankees and allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings of a 7-5 loss to Baltimore.
COACH’S ROOM
The Reds placed infielder Mike Moustakas on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, with a bruised left quadriceps.
Reds reliever Pedro Strop and midfielder Nick Senzel have groin injuries. Bell said Strop “tends to waste some time here,” but Senzel could come back on Tuesday.
Following
The Reds have a Monday off before starting a series of two-game homes in front of Kansas City. Luis Castillo is probably the Cincinnati starter in the first game.
The Brewers remain at home to start a series of three games against Minnesota on Monday. The most likely beginner is Adrian Houser, who allowed only one clean run in 12 innings in his first two starts. The Twins will start Randy Dobnak.
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Follow Steve Megargee on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevemegargee
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