Major League Baseball
Cincinnati 7, Milwaukee 5
When: 1:10 PM ET, Saturday, April 15, 2017
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
Temperature: 79°
Umpires: Home - Eric Cooper, 1B - Adrian Johnson, 2B - Gabe Morales, 3B - Gary Cederstrom
Attendance: 31008

CINCINNATI -- Scooter Gennett spent his first four big-league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, so when he delivered an RBI double in the seventh inning on Saturday, the Cincinnati Reds left fielder got an earful from his former teammates.

"Some words I can't repeat," Gennett said, smiling.

Scott Schebler homered and Jesse Winker delivered a two-run double for his first career hit, lifting the Reds to a 7-5 victory over the Brewers on a steamy afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

Eugenio Suarez went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple and Gennett had two RBIs for Cincinnati (8-4), which collected eight extra-base hits while snapping a two-game skid. He was claimed off waivers late in spring training.

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't mean something," Gennett said of having success against his former team. "It's nice to get that win and get us going again."

The Reds overcame the loss of starting pitcher Brandon Finnegan, who left the game after one inning because of a strained left shoulder.

"He had a little bit of sensation in his last start," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It looked good to go (on Saturday). He won't be able to make his next start."

First baseman Eric Thames homered twice for Milwaukee (6-6), giving him four in the series. It was his first career multi-home run game.

"He's really on a good roll right now," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It's fun to watch. We didn't see the topspin fly ball when we were in spring training, but now we're seeing it a lot."

Hernan Perez also homered for the Brewers, who had won four straight.

Finnegan struggled again with his command in the first inning, issuing three walks. Perez made him pay with a two-run double to center, giving Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.

The inning could have been worse for Finnegan if Jonathan Villar wasn't picked off second by Tucker Barnhart.

"They're aggressive on the bases," Price said of the Brewers. "Our middle infielders are looking for those opportunities. It ended up being a great play."

Finnegan was lifted after one inning and 26 pitches because of an injury and the bullpen took over.

Reds right-hander Robert Stephenson struck out five over his three innings. Raisel Iglesias (1-0) allowed a run over two frames to earn the victory. Michael Lorenzen gave up a walk in the ninth but earned his first save of the season.

Cincinnati rallied in the second behind Schebler, who capped an 11-pitch at-bat with his third home run of the season -- a solo shot to right field.

Zack Cozart tripled home the tying run and then scored on a groundout to give the Reds a 3-2 lead. Thames tied the score with his third home run in as many games.

The Reds had the go-ahead run in scoring position in the fourth and fifth innings, but Davies pitched out of the jams.

"He made big pitches to get out of innings," Counsell said. "But he was close to 100 pitches by the fifth inning. He had to work to get there. I do think he's on the right track."

Milwaukee got five innings out of its starter, right-hander Zach Davies, who was charged with three earned runs over his 96 pitches.

Perez put the Brewers ahead 4-3 with a solo homer leading off the sixth, but not until a two-minute, 29-second replay review determined the ball reached the seats before caroming back on to the field.

Cincinnati answered when Suarez tripled off Carlos Torres and scored the tying run in the sixth on Gennett's single.

Winker's bloop single skipped past Ryan Braun in left field, driving in two runs to put the Reds ahead 6-4. It was his first career hit and RBIs.

"We're all enjoying seeing these young kids get their first opportunities," Price said. "He gave us a good at-bat. Those two runs obviously were important to us, and a big memory for him."

Torres (0-1) was charged with three earned runs in one inning to take the loss.

Cincinnati's bullpen, meanwhile, held the Brewers' offense at bay.

"The versatility of all the guys down there is huge," said Drew Storen, who covered 1 1/3 innings. "It's a great group and we're off to a great start."

NOTES: Milwaukee 1B Eric Thames is the first player with five home runs in his first 10 games with the Brewers. ... Reds SS Zack Cozart extended his season-opening hitting streak to 10 games with a second-inning triple. ... Reds C Devin Mesoraco is expected to catch back-to-back nine-inning games then another nine-inning game next week before being evaluated for a possible return. ... Brewers C Andrew Susac (trapezius tightness) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Milwaukee   Cincinnati
Zach Davies Player Brandon Finnegan
No Decision W/L No Decision
5.0 IP 1.0
4 Strikeouts 1
5 Hits 1
5.40 ERA 18.00
Hitting
Milwaukee   Cincinnati
Hernan Perez Player Zack Cozart
3 Hits 2
3 RBI 1
1 HR 0
7 TB 4
.750 Avg .667
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Milwaukee 7 3 18 .219 13 12 5 6 0 0
Cincinnati 11 1 23 .333 18 5 7 5 0 0