Reds rally after Brewers' scary collision
MILWAUKEE -- A trio of two-out bloops gave the Reds three eighth-inning runs and a 9-7 win on Saturday over the Brewers, who are riding an eight-game losing streak and find themselves suddenly riddled with injuries -- the latest two on a scary, game-changing collision in that eighth frame.
Brewers outfielder Domingo Santana homered and set a career high with five RBIs, including a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning that gave Milwaukee a 7-6 lead. It didn't last long. Against Brewers reliever Tyler Cravy, Jason Bourgeois, Skip Schumaker and Brandon Phillips each dropped soft hits barely out of the reach of a defender, Schumaker's double tying the game and Phillips' two-run single providing the 9-7 lead.
Schumaker's hit cost the Brewers more than the lead. Third baseman Elian Herrera and left fielder Shane Peterson collided hard on the play and both left the game, Herrera on an ambulance cart. Postgame X-rays revealed Herrera had a deep right thigh bruise but no broken bones. Peterson, who had just entered the game for an injured Khris Davis, suffered a bruised right knee, plus lacerations on his right forearm from Herrera's cleats.
• Herrera avoids major injury on nasty spill
"I think all in all, we're pretty fortunate," Peterson said.
Video: Shane Peterson discusses collision with Elian Herrera
"I think we had our glove on six or seven balls tonight, we just, for whatever reason, couldn't keep it in the glove," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "That inning, you just kind of throw your hands up."
Joey Votto and Todd Frazier homered for the Reds, who are guaranteed to leave Milwaukee on Sunday night in fourth place in the National League Central. They passed the Brewers in the standings with a victory in Friday's series opener.
Video: CIN@MIL: Chapman retires Ashley, notches 32nd save
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Blooping away: The Reds certainly didn't hit the ball hard off Cravy during their decisive three-run eighth inning. Eugenio Suarez led off with an infield single off the glove of Herrera at third base. With two outs, Bourgeois kept the inning alive with a bloop single to right, just out of second baseman Scooter Gennett's reach. Schumaker followed with a bloop double to left that caused the collision, tying the game at 7-7. After Votto was intentionally walked, Phillips flared a two-run single over Gennett's head to give the Reds the lead.
"In that eighth inning, so much of it was putting the ball in play," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We kind of hit some soft faders out into the outfield and Brandon put one out there to drive in two runs."
Video: CIN@MIL: Phillips breaks tie with two-run single
Good deal: Acquired in the July 30 trade that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to the Astros, Santana has six home runs (five of which, including Saturday's against Reds reliever Tony Cingrani, have gone to the opposite field) and 16 RBIs since a promotion to the Brewers on Aug. 21. Compare that to Gomez, who has a .234 average, four home runs and 13 RBIs with the Astros and is currently sidelined by a rib cage strain. More >
Video: CIN@MIL: Santana goes 3-for-5 with five RBIs in loss
Welcome back: After serving a one-game suspension Friday, it didn't take Votto long to make his presence felt in his return to the Cincinnati lineup. Votto doubled off Brewers starter Taylor Jungmann in his first at-bat and put the Reds in front, 3-2, with a two-run home run to dead center field in the third inning. The home run was Votto's 28th, leaving him two shy of the second 30-double, 30-homer season of his career.
"Jungmann is one of the more impressive young pitchers I've seen in awhile," Price said. "For Joey to get us that home run, it kind of inspired everyone because that kid has given us a lot of trouble this year."
Video: CIN@MIL: Votto puts Reds ahead with two-run shot
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Long time coming: Logan Schafer, a onetime Brewers outfield prospect who has never quite seized the opportunity in the big leagues, provided a 4-3 lead with his solo homer in the fourth inning. It was Schafer's first home run in the big leagues since Sept. 10, 2013, in St. Louis, and his first at Miller Park since Aug. 21 of that season. Schafer had gone 235 homerless at-bats before taking Reds starter Josh Smith deep.
Video: CIN@MIL: Schafer connects for solo homer in 4th
QUOTABLE
"I've just been very, very pleased with the way our guys have been playing, especially since we rolled over August and got into September. Most of the teams we are playing are in the postseason hunt and are pushing and pushing. Our guys are pushing back. I'm very proud of that." -- Price
"Obviously, playoffs have been out of the picture for a while, but you still have a lot of things to play for individually, plus pride for our team to go out there and finish as strong as we can." -- Peterson, on the Brewers' losing streak
Video: CIN@MIL: Counsell on injuries in loss to Reds
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
By hitting his 35th home run of the season, Frazier joined Frank Robinson (1962) as the only Reds batters with 40 doubles and 35 home runs in a season. More >
Video: CIN@MIL: Frazier narrows deficit with two-run homer
UPON REVIEW
Reds manager Bryan Price successfully challenged a play at second base in the sixth inning. With one out and pinch-hitter Luis Sardinas at the plate, Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado attempted to take second base on a ball in the dirt. Second-base umpire D.J. Reyburn initially ruled Suarez missed the tag, a call overturned by replay in just 28 seconds.
Video: CIN@MIL: Maldonado caught stealing after review
WHAT'S NEXT
Reds: Anthony DeSclafani takes the ball for the series finale Sunday (2:10 p.m. ET) against the Brewers. The 25-year-old is coming off consecutive strong starts, including striking out a career-high 10 batters and allowing just one run against the Cardinals on Sept. 12.
Brewers: Right fielder Ryan Braun could remain sidelined when the series concludes Sunday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. CT with Ariel Pena on the mound for Milwaukee. Braun missed another start Saturday with a stiff back, an issue he and the Brewers are trying to manage over the final two weeks of the season.
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