Brewers finally cooled off Sunday after clinching
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MILWAUKEE
The Brewers’ Joey Ortiz watches his two-run homer in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in Milwaukee. (AP photo)
After allowing 47 runs over a three-game stretch, Reds pitchers kept the best team in the majors -- who clinched a playoff berth on Friday night and played their regulars on Sunday -- mostly in check to salvage the series finale and avoid a winless six-game road trip.
The Brewers, who scored 33 runs in the first two games of the series, jumped in front 2-0 in the second on Joey Ortiz’s ninth home run of the season, a 408-foot shot off Chase Burns.
Robert Gasser, making his 18th start of the season, limited the Reds for five innings. He departed after surrendering a leadoff single to Elly De La Cruz in the sixth. Antonio Senzatela came on and gave up a single to Sal Stewart before being tagged by Suárez for a three-run homer that gave Cincinnati a 3-2 lead.
Jake Bauers led off the seventh with his 26th homer of the season to tie it.
Stephenson’s sacrifice fly in the eighth put the Reds in front 4-3.
Brandon Williamson (4-4) gave up one run and two hits in four innings of relief. Emilio Pagán pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his 23rd save in 26 tries.
Burns gave up two hits and two runs in three innings while throwing 56 pitches. It marked the second consecutive game in which he was lifted after three innings as the team works to manage the 23-year-old right-handers remaining workload.
Up next
Brewers: Milwaukee starts RHP Jacob Misiorowski (14-5, 1.95) on Tuesday night at Pittsburgh.