CINCINNATI — Just when it looked like the Milwaukee Brewers couldn’t lose, they did.
Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Austin Hays hit a walk-off single to left field with bases loaded in the 10th inning for a 3-2 Reds victory, snapping the Brewers’ 14-game winning streak and handing them their first loss since July 30.
For three games this weekend, the team with the fewest mistakes won. On Sunday, for the first time, that team was the Reds.
After the Brewers came back from a seven-run deficit on Friday and avoided a loss Saturday with the help of an Elly De La Cruz error on what would’ve been a game-ending double play, the Brewers were unable to come up with yet another comeback. The Brewers had come from behind in eight of their victories during their winning streak.
The Brewers (78-45) entered the ninth inning down 1-0, but William Contreras hit a two-run home run off of Reds closer Emilio Pagán to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead. However, an error by shortstop Brice Turang to start the ninth allowed the Reds to force extra innings, thanks to a Jose Trevino single that scored Will Benson.
Milwaukee tried to bunt over ghost runner Andrew Vaughn to start the 10th inning, but Blake Perkins’ attempt didn’t travel far beyond home plate, allowing Trevino to pounce on it and throw out Vaughn at third base. Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft got a popup and a line drive out to end the inning.
Spencer Steer started the bottom of the 10th with a successful sacrifice bunt, which was followed by two intentional walks. Hays saw an 81 mph sweeper and drove it down the third-base line, and Milwaukee’s streak was no longer.
The Reds were the first on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Hays led off with a double and moved to third on Noelvi Marte’s single. Trevino’s long drive to right was caught by a leaping Brandon Lockridge in right field, but it easily scored a tagging Hays for the game’s first run.
The lefty pitching duel lived up to expectations, with Reds All-Star starter Andrew Abbott throwing seven shutout innings. Abbott allowed just four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Jose Quintana allowed just one run over 6 1/3 innings on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Abbott’s ERA fell to 2.28 on the season, and Quintana lowered his to 3.32.
After his go-ahead homer in the top of the ninth, Contreras did a nice job framing in the bottom of the inning for Grant Anderson. Contreras fooled home-plate umpire Mike Eastabrook on two strikes to Ke’Bryan Hayes, a 2-1 called strike that was low and outside, and a called third strike that was just off the plate for the second out of the inning. After a walk to Matt McLain to load the bases, Anderson got an infield popup by leadoff man TJ Friedl to send the game to extras for the second day in a row.
By ending the Brewers’ streak, the Reds (65-60) were able to extend their streak of not being swept in 40 series this season.
(Photo of Christian Yelich: Katie Stratman / Imagn Images)