If the Brewers were going to put the brakes on the Reds’ hot start on Thursday, there was an excellent chance familiar nemesis Ryan Braun would be involved. It was Braun’s two-run home run that capped a four-run third inning, leading the Brewers to a 5-1 win. The now 7-3 Reds saw their winning streak halted at four games.
Facing Reds starter Bronson Arroyo and trailing by a 1-0 score in the third, the Brewers used back-to-back singles and a Jimmy Nelson sacrifice bunt to set up their big frame. Jonathan Villar’s groundout to first base plated the tying run, and Eric Thames then added a RBI single to put the Brewers ahead. Up next was Braun, who slugged a 1-0 pitch that carried to left field for a two-run homer. It was Braun’s 36th career homer against the Reds and 21st at Great American Ball Park — his most at any stadium besides Miller Park. Since his 2007 debut, Braun has the most homers vs. Cincinnati in the Majors.
Thames’ two-out solo homer in the fifth made it a four-run game. Arroyo was finished after six innings having allowed five earned runs, seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts.
That was enough room to work with for Nelson, who gave the Brewers seven innings and allowed one earned run and five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. In the bottom of the first, Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton created the game’s first run when he singled, stole second base, advanced to third base on a Jose Peraza fly out to right field and scored on Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly.
The Brewers entered the game coming off a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays where they also won via solid starting pitching, allowing just three runs in both games combined.
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