 began the day six games back of the first-place Cubs in the NL Central. Chicago played at St. Louis and was one win short of clinching the division crown.With starter Zach Davies lasting just four innings, Josh Hader (2-3) earned the win by striking out six and allowing two runs over 2 2/3 innings of relief.Joey Votto singled with one out in the ninth off Brewers closer Corey Knebel, and pinch-runner Philip Ervin stole second. Knebel recovered to earn his 38th save by striking out Scooter Gennett and getting Eugenio Suarez to fly out to right field.Santana connected off rookie Deck McGuire (0-1) in the first. Stephen Vogt and Orlando Arcia hit consecutive doubles to make it 4-0.Scott Schebler pulled the Reds to 4-2 with a two-run homer off Davies in the second, but a throwing error by Gennett at second base allowed two runs to score for the Brewers with two outs in the third.Cincinnati chipped away at the 6-2 deficit, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by Votto in the fifth and adding two more in the seventh on a solo homer by Zack Cozart and an RBI single by Suarez.Vogt hit his third double of the game and scored on a sacrifice fly by Hernan Perez in the seventh to put the Brewers up 7-5.The Reds got that run back in the eighth when pinch-hitter Jesse Winker homered off Anthony Swarzak.TRAINER'S ROOMReds: RHP Drew Storen had Tommy John surgery in Cincinnati. He is expected to miss the entire 2018 season.Brewers: C Manny Pina was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game after injuring his left thumb on a play at the plate Thursday against the Cubs. It is uncertain if Pina will be able to return before the end of the regular season.UP NEXTReds: RHP Homer Bailey (5-9, 6.96 ERA) will start for the fourth time this season against the Brewers on Wednesday. He has a 7.07 ERA in his previous three outings against Milwaukee but did allow just three runs over six innings in a 5-4 win on Sept. 4.Brewers: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-2. 3.76) is slated to make his eighth career start and first against the Reds. He received a no-decision last time out on Sept. 22 after allowing four runs over five innings against the Cubs.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Brewers begin series vs. Reds with eyes on wild card 32m ago• 3 min read MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers got some help from the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs on their day off Monday, but they still have little room for error as they try to chase down a playoff berth for the first time in six years.The Brewers kick off their stretch run Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a three-game series at Miller Park.The Reds stunned the Brewers earlier this month, sweeping a three-game series in Cincinnati by a combined score of 21-8, but revenge isn't the mindset Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell is looking for when the teams meet again this week."I don't think it's about payback," Counsell said. "Obviously, they beat us in three games. We're certainly aware that we have to play well and it's not something we can take lightly."The day off is important for us to get some guys rested. It's an important day, and it's another big series." Perhaps the biggest in what has been a month of big series for the Brewers, who were supposed to be running out the string on another season of rebuilding.Milwaukee's chances of overtaking Chicago for first place in the National League Central all but disappeared over the weekend when the Brewers dropped three of four to the Cubs. Chicago holds a six-game lead on Milwaukee with six to play after beating the St. Louis Cardinals 10-2 on Monday night.The Brewers would have to win out and the Cubs would have to lose their final six games just to force a one-game playoff for the division title.With that scenario unlikely, the focus now is on catching Colorado for the last remaining National League wild-card spot. The Rockies' lead was trimmed to 1 1/2 games over the Brewers when Colorado lost 5-4 to Miami on Monday, but catching up might take a near-perfect finish. The Cardinals are still in the mix, 2 1/2 games behind the Rockies."We just have to win," Counsell said. "We're close enough, to me, where if we take care of our business, there will be a good result." Zach Davies gets the start for Milwaukee in the series opener. He has faced Cincinnati three times this season, going 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA. He held the Reds to two runs (one earned) in 5 2/3 innings during the sweep earlier this month."No matter who we're playing, all of these games matter right now," Davies said, "We just have to play winning baseball now, no matter who it is." He has a 4.50 ERA in three stars since facing Cincinnati. Two of those were seven-inning efforts in which he held the Cubs to three combined runs, sandwiched around a blowup outing against the Marlins, when he allowed six runs in four innings.Like most of his teammates, Davies is pitching in his first-ever playoff race."It's been a fun September already, and now it's going to be a race to the end," Davies said.Cincinnati right-hander Deck McGuire will make his first big league start on Tuesday. A September call-up after going 9-9 with a 2.79 ERA in 28 games (27 starts) for Double-A Pensacola, McGuire has made four relief appearances for the Reds, allowing two hits while striking out four in 5 2/3 scoreless innings."We're certainly aware of the type of season he had in the Southern League," Reds manager Bryan Price said of the 28-year-old Virginia native. "He looks like a capable swing guy -- swing relief, spot starter, or maybe better than that."It is a small sample size, but he is coming off a really nice year in Double-A and coming up and showing his competitiveness and his inherent ability to throw strikes with a full set of pitches. That is attractive. He has opened our eyes."Maybe he is just one of those guys who blooms late." The Reds have won four of their past six meetings with the Brewers, who lead the season series 9-7.
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