CINCINNATI (AP) — Willy Adames and Hunter Renfroe both homered for the second straight day, rookie Jason Alexander earned his first career win and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 on Saturday.
Jace Peterson drove in two runs with a sixth-inning double on a chopper over the head of leaping first baseman Mike Moustakas, and Milwaukee won a second straight game for the first time this month.
“It’s been a while,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell. “We played good baseball today. That’s what you have to do to win in this league. We earned a win.”
The roller-coaster Reds have lost three straight after a three-game winning streak, which followed a four-game slide.
Alexander (1-0) aallowed eight hits and three runs, two earned, with one walk and two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
“I thought, in the first three innings, he was really good,” Counsell said. “He was getting some strange swings. Part of his success is he doesn’t strike a lot guys out.”
Miguel Sánchez inherited runners on first and third with two outs and got pinch-hitter TJ Friedl to pop out. Trevor Kelly pitched a hitless 1 2/3 innings before Hoby Milner got the final four outs.
Adames gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead with a two-run home run in their three-run third inning, his team-high 13th homer this season.
Graham Ashcraft struggled for the second straight after dominating his first four outings. Milwaukee got to Ashcraft (3-1) for eight hits and six runs with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings.
“I thought Ashcraft was pretty good,” Reds manager David Bell said. “That’s a good lineup. He gave us a chance to win the game. There were a couple pitches. He’s not going to be perfect, but he’s been really good since he’s been here. He is very confident. He is right on track.”
Ashcraft has been knocked around for 17 hits and 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings over his last two starts after limiting opponents to 15 hits and three runs in 23 2/3 innings over his first four appearances.
“I think we might have to go back to making them hit the fastball before we go to the offspeed,” Ashcraft said. “I might be at fault for that.”
Renfroe led off the seventh with a shot over the left field wall against Luis Cessa.
GLOVE SLUMP
Tommy Pham’s first inning throwing error boosted to 10 the number of consecutive games in which the Reds have committed an error, the team’s longest streak since an 11-game stretch from April 7 through April 19, 2000.
RUN SAVERS
Milwaukee left fielder Tyrone Taylor saved a run with a diving, backhanded catch of Brandon Drury’s sinking liner with Aramis Garcia on second and two outs in the third. Third base umpire Marvin Hudson originally ruled no catch, but the Brewers challenged and the call was overturned.
Peterson followed at third base in the next inning with a lunging, backhand, shoetop grab of Garcia’s liner with runners on second and third and one out.
CAIN LET GO
The Brewers designated two-time All-Star Lorenzo Cain for assignment on the day he reached 10 years of major league service. Cain, 36, hit .179 with one home run and nine RBIs over 43 games this season. Waiting until Saturday allowed Cain to be fully vested in the players’ pension program.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Brandon Woodruff (right ankle sprain, Raynaud’s syndrome) was scheduled to throw about 50 pitches in his first rehab appearance for Triple-A Nashville at Memphis on Saturday. … 2B Kolten Wong (right calf) suffered what Counsell described as a “little bit of a setback,” which is likely to keep Wong from being activated as hoped for Monday’s start of a homestand.
Reds: LHP Nick Lodolo (low back strain) was scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches in a rehab start for Triple-A Louisville at Durham on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Adrian Houser (3-7) is 0-5 with a 4.79 ERA over his last seven starts since a 10-5 win over the Reds on May 5 in Milwaukee.
Reds: LHP Mike Minor (1-2) is making his fourth start since coming off the injured list. He is 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA over seven career starts against the Brewers.
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