MILWAUKEE _ Nothing ever seems to come easy for the Milwaukee Brewers when the Cincinnati Reds are involved.
The Brewers twice held four-run leads early in the game only to have to hang on for dear life at the end of a 7-6 victory on Tuesday night at Miller Park.
The Reds, who used a huge offensive series earlier in the month to deal Milwaukee a costly three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park, refused to go away in this one. They scored four runs from the fifth through the eighth innings before closer Corey Knebel finally was able to slam the door in the ninth.
Domingo Santana's three-run home run in the first was the big blow for the Brewers, who did their part to keep their postseason hopes alive. The Colorado Rockies, who Milwaukee is chasing for the second wild-card spot, defeated the Miami Marlins, 6-0.
Milwaukee wasted no time getting starter Zach Davies an early lead behind Santana's 29th homer of the season.
Eric Thames doubled to lead off, Neil Walker followed with a walk and then with two outs Santana took rookie Deck McGuire _ making his first major-league start _ out to left.
If Santana reaches 30 homers, the Brewers will have three players with 30 or more in the same season for just the second time in franchise history. Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie and Gorman Thomas all hit 30-plus in 1982, while Thames and Travis Shaw have already reached the mark this year.
Stephen Vogt, up next, legged out a double and he was driven in by an Orlando Arcia single to make it 4-0 and give the Brewers 110 first-inning runs on the year. The team record is 121, set in 1982.
Davies gave two of those runs back quickly in the second, when he plunked Eugenio Suarez in the chest with a pitch to open and Scott Schebler homered to right to cut the deficit in half at 4-2.
The Reds could have gotten even closer after Adam Duvall singled and Tucker Barnhart doubled, but a terrific relay and tag by Vogt at home cut Duvall down.
A major fielding miscue by former Brewer Scooter Gennett led to a couple easy insurance runs in the third. Shaw and Arcia both singled, and with two outs Brett Phillips sent a routine grounder to the right side that Gennett fielded but ultimately threw away with Phillips hustling down the line.
The ball wound up rolling past home plate, allowing both Shaw and Arcia to score to make it 6-2.
Davies's night ended after just four innings, with manager Craig Counsell pulling the plug on him after Billy Hamilton tripled and Zack Cozart walked to start the fifth. He allowed six hits, three runs and two walks without a strikeout, and lasted just four innings for the second time in three starts.
Davies threw 66 pitches in all.
Josh Hader took over, and Joey Votto greeted him with a sacrifice fly to left that made it 6-3. From there, Hader proceeded to strike out six of the next seven before running into trouble against Zack Cozart.
Hader (2-3) got ahead in the count, 0-2, before Cozart battled back to cap a 10-pitch at-bat with a homer to left-center. Votto followed by walking and Gennett singled, chasing Hader after 49 pitches.
Anthony Swarzak came on and was greeted by a bloop single to center by Suarez that pulled Cincinnati to within 6-5.
Vogt's third double of the game to start the bottom of the seventh wound up netting Milwaukee an insurance run, as he eventually came in to score on a two-out sacrifice fly to center by pinch-hitter Hernan Perez.
It would come in handy as Jesse Winker hit a two-out, pinch-hit homer to right off Swarzak that made it 7-6.
The Reds went on to advance the tying run to second base in the ninth against Knebel with one out in the ninth, but he recovered to strike out Gennett and get Suarez to fly out to record his 38th save.
