Game 9: Reds 12, Brewers 4

The Reds blew open a close game with big innings in the sixth, seventh and eigth to down the Brewers 12-4 Tuesday night.

Cincinnati struck first with two in the second on a Hatteberg sac fly with men on second and third. Phillips tagged and scored, and Corey Hart's throw went into the stands, allowing Adam Dunn to score as well.

Milwaukee made it 2-1 on a 4th inning Ryan Braun solo shot, one of few major miscues by starter Josh Fogg, who pitched much better. His stuff was the same but he seemed to have a far better feel for locating it than he did in his first start. Someone with his kind of stuff is always going to be walking a tightrope with little margin for error, but he was really good tonight, going 5 innings and allowing three runs, one earned.

Milwaukee briefly took the lead in the fifth on a Brandon Phillips error with the bases loaded on what likely would have ended the inning. He pulled up a little early on a grounder right to him, and it went right through his legs into right. The play was a disappointing lapse for him on a night when things generally went right for the Reds, unlike Tuesday.

Cincinnati retook the lead for good in the sixth on a Dunn sac fly and RBI singles from Keppinger and Valentin to make it 5-3. The Reds added two more in the seventh with Adam Dunn's two-run dinger that deflected off center fielder Gabe Gross's glove, went over the fence, and caromed back onto the field. Fortunately the umpires ruled correctly and it was 7-3.

From there it was just piling on. Seth McClung had what could charitably be considered a bad night, going two innings, allowing five runs, all earned along with five hits, three walks and a no-doubt dinger to CP23, his fourth of the season. He faced 14 batters and threw 65 pitches in two innings. Yikes!

A REAL FIND?
Mike Lincoln again looked great in two innings of one-hit baseball. He's starting to look like a revelation in the bullpen. With Lincoln, Burton, Weathers and Cordero all looking very dependable, this pen is really shaping up. It is still really early, but I like what I see. Kent Mercker was fine in garbage time tonight as well. I thought the two scrap-heap pickups making the pen had "disaster" written all over it, but it's worked out so far. Granted, it's so early it's hard to make sweeping judgments, but so far, so good.

THE BATS
Griffey continues to quietly swing the bat well. He's making good contact despite his one homer of the year, and he was 2-4 with an RBI and three runs scored tonight. Dunn continued to show signs of breaking out, homering and driving in three. Keppinger, too, had a hit and a pair of RBI, one coming on a sac fly. Brandon Phillips was 2-5. Overall, the bats were alive and well, as the twelve runs on the board would indicate.

COMING UP
The win moves the Reds to 5-4 on the year, while the Brewers fall to 6-2. The rubber game of the series pits Reds ace Aaron Harang against Carlos Villanueva for the Brew Crew.

Game time is 1:05 PM eastern, 10:05 AM here in paradise. Peace.