CINCINNATI _ Two long droughts came to an end for the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night, and they nearly coincided with each other.
For the first time since May 29, right-hander Jimmy Nelson recorded a victory. It was two days earlier that the Brewers scored at least nine runs in a game, beating Cincinnati, 9-5.
This time, it was much easier as the Brewers scored nine runs before the third inning was done and cruised to a 9-1 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
The early offensive outburst was a welcome sight for a club that struggled to score runs in recent weeks. But no more than the seven shutout innings turned in by Nelson, his longest outing since the aforementioned May 29 start against the Reds.
In snapping a seven-start winless streak, Nelson (6-7, 3.39 ERA) scattered six hits and allowed only two walks while logging seven strikeouts.
The Brewers wasted no time jumping on Reds lefty John Lamb, scoring four runs in the first inning. Jonathan Villar got it started with a single to center and Hernan Perez followed with a home run to left, getting into a 0-1 fastball while Lamb paid extra attention to Villar.
After Ryan Braun dumped a single into shallow right, Jonathan Lucroy struck out, but Chris Carter lined an opposite-field double into the right-field corner to score Braun from first. With two down, Will Middlebrooks blooped a hit into right to send home Carter and make it 4-0.
Lamb pitched an uneventful second inning but never recorded an out in the third while facing five hitters. After Braun led off with a single, Lucroy blasted a home run to left, his 12th of the season.
On the pitch before Lucroy homered, Reds manager Bryan Price argued long and hard that he swung and missed on what umpire Quinn Wolcott ruled a foul tip. Wolcott did not agree but it was not the last he would hear about it.
Walks to Carter and Middlebrooks sandwiched around a single by Scooter Gennett loaded the bases and spelled the end for Lamb. After summoning reliever Keyvius Sampson, Price resumed his argument with Wolcott over the foul tip and would not leave until ejected.
After Sampson struck out Ramon Flores, Nelson feigned a bunt and drew back his bat and chopped a ball over first baseman Joey Votto for a two-run single. Villar followed with his third hit in three innings, an RBI single to center that put the Brewers on top, 9-0.
The Brewers sent 11 batters to the plate during that rally. Lamb was charged with nine runs in two-plus innings, bumping his earned run average from 5.29 to 6.43.
Given that early nine-run lead, it was up to Nelson to stop the Reds from getting back in the game, and he did so. He stranded two runners in the first inning, two in the third and two more in the sixth, making pitches when he had to make them to keep runs off the board.
Cincinnati finally pushed a run across in the eighth inning against reliever Jacob Barnes. Votto, who collected four of his team's hits, led off with a double and later scored when Adam Duvall grounded into a force at second.
The Reds threatened to do more damage in the ninth off Jhan Marinez when they put the first two runners aboard and later loaded the bases with two down. But Marinez struck out Votto to end the game and keep things from getting interesting.
