Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Brewers inch closer to a playoff berth with win over Reds
NATIONAL LEAGUE BREWERS 4, REDS 2
CINCINNATI — Ryan Braun added to his impressive total of homers at Great American Ball Park, and the Brewers moved one win away from clinching a wild-card berth Tuesday night, beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 for their fifth straight victory.
“To do it here tomorrow would be incredible,” said Brent Suter (4-0 ), who attended Ken Griffey Jr.’s high school in Cincinnati. “I’m hoping for it.”
Just like last season, when Milwaukee put on a late rush to take the NL Central title, the Brewers have closed in on a playoff spot with a September flourish. They’ve won 16 of 18, positioning themselves for one of the NL wild cards along with Washington.
“They’ve recognized what’s at stake,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I think the common theme in both cases is we were chasing something, and that’s lent some urgency to everything we’ve done. And I think our players have responded really well to that sense of urgency.”
A win at Great American tonight or another Cubs loss in Pittsburgh would give Milwaukee a second straight playoff appearance.
With 2018 National League MVP Christian Yelich sidelined by a broken right kneecap, the Brewers have turned to their deep bullpen and different combinations of hitting stars each night. Milwaukee has the best record in the majors in September at 18-4.
“I’ve seen glimpses of it being there, but it all started to fall into place for us,” said Adrian Houser, who worked the first four innings.
Braun connected for his 21st homer off Sonny Gray (11-8), making the final start of his All-Star season. Braun’s 27 homers at Great American his most in any road ballpark, and his 44 career against Cincinnati are his highest total against any team.
Braun has been a solid contributor lately, going 9 for 21 in his last seven games. He also singled off Gray, who went five innings and fanned six to top 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career.
Yasmani Grandal’s double tied it at 2 in the third, and Keston Hiura put the Brewers ahead to stay with a sacrifice fly.
Houser gave up a broken-bat RBI double by Aristides Aquino and a run-scoring single by Tucker Barnhart in the first inning. The Reds lead the majors with 128 runs and 125 RBIs in the first inning.
Suter allowed three hits in three innings. Josh Hader allowed a pair of hits in the ninth before fanning Kyle Farmer on a slider for his 36th save in 42 chances.