Brewers defeat Reds 5-1 behind Adrian Houser and pair of home runs

Box Score

Adrian Houser logged his longest start since 2021, Andruw Monasterio hit his first big-league home run, and Victor Caratini also went deep as the Brewers secured a series win over the Reds with a 5-1 victory on Sunday.

Monasterio kicked off the scoring with his three-run blast in the top of the first inning. He would leave the game after the third inning as a precaution after Will Benson’s hand struck him in the face on a pickoff attempt at second base.

The Brewers expanded their lead to 5-0 with a two-run fifth inning. Caratini hit a 429-foot solo shot. After Joey Wiemer singled and Christian Yelich walked, Owen Miller plated Wiemer on a bloop single to center field.

That was enough run support for Houser, whose only blemish was a solo home run by Jake Fraley in the bottom of the seventh.

Houser worked seven innings, allowed one run, struck out two, and walked none. It was his longest start since his complete game shutout against the Cardinals on September 4, 2021.

Tasked with pitching at the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, Houser leaned more heavily on his sinker than his previous outings and induced 12 ground balls.

Elvis Peguero and Peter Strzelecki each worked a perfect inning out of the bullpen to secure the win.

With today’s win, the Brewers secured their first series win on the road since sweeping the Mariners in Seattle on April 19.

The Brewers will go for the sweep as the wrap-around series concludes tomorrow night.

Julio Teheran will make his third start of the season. The Reds pushed Hunter Greene’s start back one day and will instead promote left-hander Andrew Abbott for his big-league debut. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CT.