Reds 6, Brewers 3
CINCINNATI -- Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips homered and Michael Lorenzen earned his first victory since being recalled from Triple-A as the Cincinnati Reds avoided a four-game sweep with a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Lorenzen (4-8) allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings for Cincinnati (56-79).
Ryan Braun hit his 25th home run for Milwaukee (60-76) which had its six-game winning streak snapped. The Brewers finished the season series 9-6 against the Reds, including 6-3 in Cincinnati.
Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson easily retired the first two batters of the game. He then walked Votto and allowed a pair of singles.
Votto scored when Bruce legged out an infield hit, putting Cincinnati ahead 1-0.
The Reds increased their lead to 3-0 in the third when Phillips launched his 11th home run, a two-run shot to left on a 2-1 pitch from Nelson.
Lorenzen was pitch-efficient except for the fifth inning when he had to pitch out of a jam. Through five, he threw 68 pitches and allowed just four hits.
Bruce provided some cushion for the rookie right-hander with a two-run homer, his 20th of the season and 999th career hit, making the score 5-0.
Nelson (11-11) allowed five earned runs and nine hits including two homers in five innings.
Those two runs became more crucial when Lorenzen allowed four hits and a pair of runs in the sixth, one on center fielder Shane Peterson's RBI single.
Milwaukee got within two runs in the eighth when Braun crushed a 1-1 pitch from J.J. Hoover to right-center, making the score 5-3. Braun went 2-for-4.
Hoover allowed homers in each of his past three appearances.
The Reds added an insurance run in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman came on in the ninth to record his 28th save.
NOTES: Reds RF Jay Bruce now is one homer shy of Eric Davis for eighth place on the club's all-time list. ... Milwaukee reinstated RHP Tyler Cravy from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. He'd been on the DL since August 19 with a right elbow injury. ... Cincinnati still is undecided about its starter for Wednesday's game against the Pirates. Among the options are RHP Keyvius Sampson, the losing pitcher in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, and Triple-A LHP Brandon Finnegan who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the Johnny Cueto trade. ... Reds C Ramon Cabrera made his first career start on Sunday. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto extended his hitting streak to nine games with a sixth-inning single.