Jimmy Nelson fell behind early, then settled in and pitched into the 8th inning, helping the Milwaukee Brewers knock off the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 at Miller Park. It’s the 5th win of the season for Nelson and the Brewers captured 2 of 3 in the series.
Jay Bruce led off the second inning with a home run to tie the game 1-1. The Reds then loaded the bases with nobody out, but Nelson limited the damage to one more run, getting a double play ground out from Tucker Barnhart and an inning ending ground out from Brandon Finnegan.
Nelson allowed six hits, two earned runs and two walks while striking out five. He saw his record improve to 5-3.
Jonathan Villar and Jonathan Lucroy combined to reach base seven times for the Brewers, driving in four runs and scoring three times.
Villar reached base four times with two singles and two walks. Lucroy singled and tripled, driving in three runs. He has driven in three runs in three straight games, joining Robin Yount as the only Brewers to do so.
Villar has reached base in 43 of 48 games this season, seeing his average raise to .345 since moving into the leadoff spot.
Blaine Boyer allowed two runs in the ninth before closing out his fourth career save.
Junior Guerra pitches for the Brewers today when they open a series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park.
AUDIO: Craig Counsell says Jimmy Nelson took a step forward :17
AUDIO: Jimmy Nelson on his outing :14
