Cincinnati Reds salvage final game in Milwaukee, beat Brewers 4-3 to avoid sweep

MILWAUKEE (Cincinnati Enquirer ) – The Cincinnati Reds escaped their personal Hell loop at American Family Field with just their second victory in Milwaukee this season, salvaging a 4-3 victory over the Brewers in the finale of a three-game weekend series on Sunday.

The hot-hitting Tyler Stephenson hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth, and after the Brewers tied it back up in the sixth, he walked during the final go-ahead rally in the Reds seventh.

Closer Alexis Diaz finished off a strong performance by the Reds bullpen with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 23rd save of the season.

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The Reds finished their two-city road trip 4-3 despite losing the three-game series to the Brewers. Stephenson was 8-for-25 (.320) with two homers, two doubles and three walks during the trip.

Sunday’s win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Brewers and improved their mark this season against the division leaders to 3-6 with four games left against the Brewers at home, starting Aug. 31. The Reds are still looking for their first series win against the Brewers since 2022.

Reds starter Nick Lodolo pitched into the sixth with the lead Sunday before a one-out walk and double to the left-field gap by William Contreras put the tying run on third.

Right-hander Buck Farmer took over at that point and was greeted by a Willy Adames run-scoring single to left.

Farmer escaped the jam without further damage, and the Reds regained the lead in the top of the seventh.

Santiago Espinal, who singled home the Reds’ first two runs of the game with two outs in the fourth, opened the seventh with a single, took second on broken-bat tapper to the mound and scored two walks later on a sacrifice fly by Spencer Steer.

Lodolo, who missed most of last year with a leg injury and reached his career high in innings for a season on Sunday, has seen his performance wane in recent weeks.

He was lifted after just 79 pitches Sunday. After starting the season 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA in his first 11 starts, he’s 1-2 with a 6.07 ERA in his last eight.

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