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Win: Francisco Rodriguez (4-3)
Loss: Sam LeCure (1-2)
HR: Ryan Braun (13), Aramis Ramirez (12), Jonathan Lucroy 2 (10, 11)
Today was a good game if you love home runs. The Brewers scored four runs today, all of which came via the long ball.
The first couple came in the first inning as Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez went back-to-back to give Milwaukee an early 2-0 lead. Braun's blast was his second in four days after not hitting one for most of July. His power has not looked Ryan Braun-esque as he deals with his thumb injury, but his recent performance gives hope he may be on the verge of a big run in the second half. Coming into today, he had been hitting .353/.423/.598 over his last 22 games. A 2-4 night will only help that.
The Reds cut the lead in half in the fourth inning when Billy Hamilton singled, stole second, then came in on a Todd Frazier double. The Brewers got their run back when Jonathan Lucroy homered in the sixth, however.
Through six innings, Jimmy Nelson had been looking spectacular. Up to that point, he had allowed just two hits and a walk. Unfortunately, he gave up two singles, then hit two batters to lead off the sixth, bringing in a run. Brandon Kintzler then took over and gave up a sacrifice fly, but got the team out of the inning tied at three apiece. Nelson's final line wasn't bad: 6 IP with three earned runs on four hits.
Scoring ended for a short time after that, but Sam LeCure didn't get much of a chance to make an impression in the ninth inning. Jonathan Lucroy took LeCure deep on just his third pitch, walking the Brewers off toward victory. It was Lucroy's second home run of the night and 11th of the season. He came into the game hitting .308/.379/.483, then gave the Brewers a victory as they clung to first place in the division. With 61 games left, Lucroy is certainly making his case for the NL MVP.
The Cardinals lost 7-2 today, which means the Brewers now have a 1.5 game lead in the Central.
