Brewers thump Reds 7-0

WP: Junior Guerra (9-3); LP: Tim Adleman 2-4); Save: none (but welcome back Taylor Jungmann!); Home Runs: Mil, Scooter Gennett (12); Domingo Santana (8); Cinc, none

Junior Guerra didn’t have his slider at all; it looped up there the few times he tried it. His splitter mostly was in the dirt in front of home plate, although he did get a strikeout of Adam Duvall in his last inning worked - the sixth. So he mixed his four seam fastball and two seam fastball to work though six baserunners (3 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batter) over those six innings, shutting out the Reds and helping the Brewers take the final Great American Ball Park match-up of Milwaukee and Cincinnati this season.

Juni G mostly coasted at 91-93 mph on those fastballs, but with Jose Peraza on third after a triple and one down in the bottom of the third, he reached back for several 94-96 mph fastballs to strike out Tyler Holt and get the dangerous Joey Votto to ground to Chris Carter unassisted and end the inning.

Corey Knebel gave up a hit and fanned two in his inning of work, Jhan Marinez gave up two hits but no runs in his.

The Brewers had a scare in the bottom of the eighth when Peraza dropped a pop-up into the Bermuda Triangle in left center. Orlando Arcia and Keon Broxton narrowly missed a serious collision; Broxton went up and Arcia down and they brushed together, but nobody was hurt. Ryan Braun picked up the ball and threw out Peraza at second.

The Brewers took advantage of six walks, plating five of them. Carter and Scooter Gennett walked leading off the top of the second, moved up a base on Domingo Santana’s single, and both scored on a hit to left for Manny Pina.

They extended the lead to 4-0 when Carter drew a two-out walk and Gennett golfed a two-strike curveball into the seats in right. Then the Brewer bats went silent for 4.2 innings, getting only one hit in that span.

They picked it back up when Jumbo Diaz walked Braun and Carter with one down in the top of the eighth. Gennett flew out to the warning track down the leftfield line, but Santana launched Diaz’ first pitch fastball into the second deck in left for a three run shot, putting the game away.

Taylor Jungmann made his first appearance on the mound for the Brewers since early this season in the bottom of the ninth and worked a perfect inning with a strikeout. He hadn’t pitched in any game for about two weeks, but looked pretty sharp. His curve ball was especially effective.

Tomorrow night the Brewers (65-81) head to Wrigley Field and try and prevent the Cubs (93-52) from clinching the NL Central. Jimmy Nelson (7-14, 4.42) faces lefty Mike Montgomery (4-5, 2.74) with the Cubs magic number at one. The Crew hopes that the Cardinals’ game in San Francisco will provide that one to clinch, rather than the Brewers-Cubs tilt. Gametime is 7:10. Friday’s game is an afternoon affair, with no FSW broadcast.