Eric Thames did it again, and he is not the only Brewers hitter teeing off against the Reds.
Thames continued his habit of hitting a home run every time the teams play, lifting a two-run shot amid a five-run sixth inning in the Brewers’ 9-1 win on Tuesday at Miller Park. Hernan Perez also homered after hitting a pair of run-scoring triples, and Jonathan Villar drove in four runs for Milwaukee’s fifth victory in six games against Cincinnati this season.
“It’s incredible,” said Brewers starter Zach Davies, referring to Thames. “The guy puts the bat on the ball and it’s always looking up.”
The Brewers have scored double-digit runs three times this season, all against the Reds, including the first two games of a series that concludes Wednesday afternoon.
The hit barrage backed Davies, who emerged from four subpar starts to deliver the first glimpse of the pitcher he was last season. Davies held the Reds scoreless over five-plus innings, striking out six and lowering his ERA nearly two runs, from 8.24 to 6.57.
“Getting Zach going in the right direction is really big for us,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “The command of the fastball is what it always starts with for Zach. It was much better tonight, just much crisper. It felt crisper from the get-go.”
The damage was spread between Reds starter Scott Feldman and reliever Robert Stephenson, who each surrendered four earned runs on five hits. Stephenson was on the mound to start the sixth, when Perez led off with a home run and Thames followed four batters later with another to finish a five-run rally. Thames leads the Major Leagues with 11 home runs, including eight in six games against Cincinnati
“They’ve been swinging the bat pretty well,” Feldman said. “Tonight, I shot myself in the foot a couple of times with some bad walks. They were able to score some runs there. They’ve been swinging the bats well, but for me, I’ve got to do a better job and keep the pitch count under control.”
Adam Duvall homered in the eighth for the Reds, who have lost nine of 12 games since beginning the season 7-2.
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