Brewers 4, Reds 1
MILWAUKEE -- A strong performance by right-hander Wily Peralta and a solo home run by right fielder Ryan Braun led the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds Sunday afternoon at Miller Park.
Peralta (5-8) was coming off his worst outing of the season, a 2 2/3-inning effort last Tuesday in Cleveland, but he started out strong on Sunday, hitting the mid-90s with his fastball in the first inning.
His offense gave him a slim lead to work with, going up 1-0 on Braun's 24th home run of the season.
The Reds tied the game in the second on an RBI single by catcher Brayan Pena, but the Brewers answered in the third with a leadoff double from catcher Martin Maldonado, who scored on a base hit down the left-field line by first baseman Jonathan Lucroy, giving Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.
Peralta locked in from there, allowing just two hits before being replaced to start the eighth inning.
The Reds put pressure on the Brewers bullpen in the eighth, putting two on with one out against left-hander Will Smith. Right-hander Jeremy Jeffress got out of the jam, though, getting second baseman Brandon Phillips to bounce into a double play at short.
Another Maldonado double and a triple from shortstop Jean Segura, along with a sacrifice fly from Lucroy in the bottom of the inning provided some breathing room for right-hander Francisco Rodriguez, who worked a perfect ninth inning to record his 31st save of the year, one night after blowing his first since Aug. 27 of last year.
Left-hander John Lamb (0-3) allowed five hits over his six innings of work. He allowed Milwaukee's first two runs and didn't walk a batter while striking out eight.
NOTES: Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy made his fourth start of the season at first base Sunday, giving Adam Lind a day off against a left-handed starter and allowing Martin Maldonado to get some action behind the plate. ... Lind had gone 18-for-46 with four home runs and 14 RBIs against Cincinnati this season, including 4-for-8 in the current series, but is batting just .215 (17-for-79) against lefties in 2015. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto is batting a team-best .309 this season and has been a .385 hitter with a .568 on-base percentage since the All-Star break, the best marks in baseball during that stretch. He has played in all but two of Cincinnati's 130 games this season. ... Through the first 13 meetings this season, the Brewers lead the season series against the Reds 7-6. They will play six more times -- three each in Cincinnati and Milwaukee.