Reds edge Brewers on passed ball in ninth
CINCINNATI -- Billy Hamilton scored the winning run from third on a passed ball in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers to conclude a three-game series Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
In the bottom of the ninth, Tyler Thornburg walked Hamilton with two outs. Will Smith came on and walked Joey Votto on six pitches. Hamilton's 24th stolen base put him at third and he raced home when Smith's pitch skipped a few feet away from Jonathan Lucroy.
Thornburg (3-3) took the loss. Tony Cingrani (2-3) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win for Cincinnati.
Reds starter Dan Straily allowed only three hits in seven innings with a walk and four strikeouts on 99 pitches.
Brewers starter Zach Davies, who was recalled from Triple-A prior to the game, retired the final 11 batters he faced. He allowed only four hits and struck out five over his seven frames. Reds batters grounded back to the pitcher four times on Sunday.
Davies began his second stint this season with Milwaukee. Sunday's start was his second this season against the Reds. He allowed two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 9-5 Brewers' win on May 27.
Cincinnati threatened against Davies in each of the first two innings Sunday, but he was able to pitch out of trouble. Despite having the leadoff batter on base the first four innings, the Reds couldn't break through.
Straily, meanwhile, rolled through the first four innings, allowing just two hits and retiring nine straight batters in one stretch.
The closest either team came to scoring through five innings was when Milwaukee's Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a drive to right, which was caught at the wall by Jay Bruce leading off the fifth.
Straily didn't walk a batter until Jonathan Villar earned a free pass to begin the sixth. He retired the next three batters in succession to keep the game scoreless.
Both Davies and Straily pitched to contact throughout Sunday's game with only eight combined strikeouts and one walk into the seventh of a scoreless game.
Milwaukee had runners on first and second in the eighth against Michael Lorenzen but failed to break the deadlock.
NOTES: Cincinnati 2B Jose Peraza was caught stealing in the second inning after beginning his career 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts. ... The Reds optioned struggling LHP John Lamb to Triple-A Louisville and recalled OF Kyle Waldrop. Lamb allowed nine earned runs in two innings on Saturday. ... Reds 2B Brandon Phillips was out of the lineup for the second straight day with a strained calf muscle. ... Brewers RF Hernan Perez was out of the starting lineup on Sunday after leaving Saturday's game with a left foot contusion. X-rays were negative.