CINCINNATI -- Christian Yelich didn’t make any more home run history, but he still found a way to help the Brewers hand a lead to lights-out lefty Josh Hader.

That’s been a good formula for the Brewers dating to last season, and they did it again Monday in a 4-3 win in front of frozen fans at Great American Ball Park. Yelich, bidding to become the first Major Leaguer in history to homer in each of his first five games, was hitless before he extended the ninth inning with a two-out double, setting up Ryan Braun’s go-ahead double and Hader’s third save in as many chances.

The victory was the Brewers’ fourth in five games, and their second straight decided in the ninth inning.

“You’ve got to find a way to win. You’ve got to will it, almost,” said Yelich. “We like our chances if we can get the ball to ‘Brother’ with a lead.”

The 2018 National League MVP (Yelich) and NL reliever of the year (Hader) have been driving the bus for the Brewers -- to borrow one of manager Craig Counsell’s favorite phrases -- once again. Yelich saw his home run streak come to an end, but even after a relatively pedestrian 1-for-5 night he leads the National League with six extra-base hits to go with a 1.800 OPS. And Hader, despite allowing his first baserunner when Curt Casali doubled leading off the bottom of the ninth, is perfect in save opportunities over four scoreless innings while firing 46 pitches -- all fastballs.

“We were saying we just have to find a way to scratch one out. How we’re going to do it, I don’t know,” said Yelich. “But figure it out.”

The Brewers took a 3-0 lead in the first inning of Tanner Roark’s Reds debut, but didn’t score again until the ninth, giving Cincinnati an opening to make it a ballgame against Zach Davies. Yasiel Puig delivered a two-run double for his first Reds hit in the fifth inning, and Derek Dietrich drove in another run in the sixth for a 3-3 tie that stood into the ninth, when Yelich sparked Milwaukee against Reds closer Raisel Iglesias.

“It doesn’t have to be a home run,” said Davies of Yelich. “He’s clutch. He comes up in the big moments and nobody worries.”

The rest of Yelich’s night was quiet. He struck out amid Milwaukee’s first-inning rally that included Jesus Aguilar’s two-run single, then flied out in the second inning and grounded out to first base in the fourth and seventh.

“I think it was the first time we saw his timing off at all, all year,” Braun said. “For him to still come up clutch right there with the game on the line [in the ninth] was obviously huge for us, to give me an opportunity to hit right there.”

Braun delivered his go-ahead hit three pitches later when Iglesias grooved a fastball after falling into a 2-0 count.

“In key situations like that, those are the guys we put our bets on,” said Hader.

The hitters would say the same about Hader, who saw his first sign of trouble this season when Casali led off with a double. Hader retired Scott Schebler, Joey Votto and Puig with another serving of all fastballs. Hader has yet to throw a single offspeed pitch this season.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anybody what’s coming,” Hader said.

Minus the warmth provided by the Miller Park dome and the adrenaline from the home fans, Hader’s fastball was down a few ticks Monday to a 93.5 mph average and a 94.6 mph max, according to Statcast. He topped out at 98.1 mph in each of his first two outings on Thursday and Saturday against St. Louis.

“I guess the body doesn’t work as well when it’s a little colder than normal,” Hader said. “For me, it’s not really about what the radar says. It’s about the execution of the pitch. The main thing was executing the fastball and throwing it in the [right] spots.”

Said Braun: “What he does is so unique. There aren’t many people who could ever get away with that. The fastball is so special and so unique.”

The teams have another cold night ahead when the series continues Tuesday.

“You can’t use the elements as an excuse,” Yelich said. “Both teams are in them. If you’re thinking about those things, then you’re thinking about the wrong things.”