Cincinnati Reds Avoid Sweep, Beat Brewers, 6-3

W: Michael Lorenzen (4-8)

L: Jimmy Nelson (11-11)

SV: Aroldis Chapman (28)

The Cincinnati Reds were able to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, winning game three on Sunday to salvage the three-game series.

Offense: Three two-out hits got the Reds on the board in the first before Brandon Phillips hit a two-run homer in the third and Jay Bruce added his own two-run shot in the fifth to make it a 5-0 game. The home runs were cherries on top for Phillips and Bruce, who both had big days. Phillips went 3-for-4 with a walk, while Bruce went 3-for-5 and drove in three. It almost goes without saying, but Joey Votto also reached base four times (one single, three walks).

After the Brewers mounted a mini-comeback to make it 5-3 in the eighth, the Reds loaded the bases with no outs as they threatened to blow the game wide open. Todd Frazier got a run in, but it came at the cost of two outs as he grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

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Starting Pitching: It wasn’t the best of outings for Michael Lorenzen, but it was enough for him to pick up his first win since June 21. The righty kept the Brewers off the board until the sixth inning, where things began to fall apart. Lorenzen allowed a double to Jonathan Lucroy and a single to Ryan Braun to begin the frame. Lucroy scored on a fielder’s choice and two more singles allowed Braun to score to make it 5-2.

That knocked Lorenzen from the game after 5.1 innings. Aside from the two runs, he gave up eight hits and one walk, while only striking out two.

Bullpen: Sam LeCure came on in relief of Lorenzen and, unlike his last two outings, did not allow any inherited runners to score.

Ryan Mattheus pitched a perfect seventh inning, striking out one.

The eighth inning belonged to J.J. Hoover, who again coughed up a solo shot to the first batter he faced in Braun, the third straight outing he’s allowed a home run.

Aroldis Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two en route to his 28th save of the season.

Other Notes:

Ramon Cabrera made his first big league start at catcher, batting eighth. He went 0-for-4, but did reach on an error and score in the ninth.
Ryan LaMarre picked up his second career hit after being double-switched into the game in the eighth, breaking an 0-for-11 spell at the plate.

Up Next: The Pittsburgh Pirates will be in town for a three-game series with the Redlegs. Anthony DeSclafani will start game one on Labor Day, while lefty Jeff Locke will oppose him. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.

Next: Joey Votto's stats put him in elite company

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