Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio homered and Brandon Sproat pitched effectively into the sixth inning to pace the Milwaukee Brewers to a 7-2 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.
Milwaukee, which entered with a 5 1/2-game lead in the National League Central, has won six straight against the Reds, including all five games this season. The Brewers are 50-19 in their last 69 games against Cincinnati.
Bauers and Sal Frelick each had three hits to pace the Brewers 14-hit attack.
Milwaukee gained control with four runs in the fourth off Rhett Lowder (3-6), opening the inning with five consecutive singles en route to a 5-1 lead.
William Contreras, Bauers and Garrett Mitchell each singled to load the bases with no outs. Frelick followed with an RBI single to left, and Joey Ortiz delivered a two-run single to right to put Milwaukee up 4-1.
Christian Yelich walked with one out to reload the bases and Chourio singled in another run.
Bauers led off the fifth inning with his team-leading 15th homer to make it 6-1.
Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart opened the sixth with consecutive doubles to cut the lead to 6-2.
Chourio added a solo homer, his 12th, in the eighth off Julian Garcia.
Sproat (3-4) allowed two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two in a 106-pitch outing.
Lowder was tagged for six runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one.
Stewart, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, staked the Reds to a 1-0 lead with a one-out solo homer in the first, lining a 1-0 pitch 382 feet to right.
The Brewers tied it in the second when Bauers singled with one out, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Mitchell’s single to right, beating the throw home with a headfirst slide.
