Matt McLain’s home run in the seventh inning broke a tie and the host Cincinnati Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 on Saturday night.
The game featured a rain delay of almost two-and-a-half hours with two out in the bottom of the fourth.
Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson also homered for the Reds (68-74), who have won three of their last four.
William Contreras homered for the Brewers (88-55), who had won three of their previous four.
Tony Santillan (3-4) got the win despite giving up a run in his only inning and Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth for his 21st save. He escaped a bases- loaded, one out jam.
Aaron Ashby (13-3), who gave up McLain’s home run, was the loser.
Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott gave up two runs (one earned) and three hits in four innings without a walk and fanned five.
Brewers starter Dustin May allowed two runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings, did not walk a batter and struck out five.
Both were replaced after the delay.
McLain hit his solo shot leading off the bottom of the seventh inning. He lined Ashby’s 1-1 sinker to the opposite field and into the right field stands for his 15th home run.
Eugenio Suarez scored from second on Grant Anderson’s wild pitch in the eighth to make it 5-3.
Jackson Chourio’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh had tied it 3-3 for the Brewers.
Stephenson’s towering homer leading off the sixth gave Cincinnati a 3-2 lead. He powered JoJo Romero’s 3-1 sinker deep into the left field stands for his 15th homer.
Jose Trevino’s run-scoring single in the fourth tied the contest 2-2 for the Reds just after the restart following the rain delay.
Luis Lara’s RBI groundout in the third put Milwaukee up 2-1.
De La Cruz’s 22nd home run in the bottom of the first inning tied the game 1-1 for the Reds.
Contreras’ two-out solo homer in the top of the first, his 14th, gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead.
