W: Yovani Gallardo (10-8)
L: Bronson Arroyo (7-7)
SV: John Axford (18)
HR: Aramis Ramirez (14), Corey Hart (21), Martin Maldonado (6), Zack Cozart (12)
MVP: Gallardo (.357 WPA)
LVP: Carlos Gomez (-.123 WPA)
Fangraphs Win Expectancy Chart
Jean Segura might have been the name bandied about in pregame chatter, but this game was all about Yovani Gallardo. Gallardo turned in a solid outing, giving up just one run on a Cozart dinger over seven innings. As with most Gallardo starts, he issued a fair number of walks (3) and hits (6), but limited the damage with some timely ground balls and some help from his outfield defense. Gallardo struck out just four on the night.
As for Segura, he did not add much batting eighth in his first start for the Brewers. His first at bat ended in a strikeout on three offspeed pitches. Segura would see only five more pitches the entire game: he made outs on the first pitches of his second and third attempts, and struck out swinging on three pitches on the fourth.
Through five innings it looked like a pitchers' duel, but the Brewers struck Arroyo hard in the sixth. Ramirez, Hart, and Maldonado all hit round-trippers in that inning, with a Rickie Weeks single sandwiched in there. Those four runs and a Gallardo RBI single in the fifth gave the Brewers a 5-0 lead heading into the seventh. Maldonado was a major thorn in Cincinnati's side tonight; his home run chased Arroyo from the game, and he knocked in another run in the eighth on a ground rule double. Speaking of doubles, Aramis Ramirez also hit one and now leads the National League in that category.
Of course, no lead is ever safe with this bullpen. Gallardo lasted seven strong, but the trouble started in the eighth with Francisco Rodriguez. You can pretty much count on K-Rod loading the bases at this point, and tonight was no exception. Two hits and a walk later and K-Rod was pulled for Axford, who notched his first multi-inning save of the 2012 season. Axford tallied a single strikeout in his 1.2 innings of work, his 58th of the year.