Jay Bruce’s Walk-Off Single Moves Reds Six In Front Of Cardinals

Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Jay Bruce's single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored pinch-runner Brandon Phillips, as the National League Central Division-leading Cincinnati Reds edged the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park.

Ryan Hanigan drew a walk off Trevor Hoffman (2-7) to start the 10th and was replaced by Phillips, who did not start at second base due to a wrist injury. After the next two batters were retired, Chris Heisey singled to move Phillips into scoring position. Bruce then served a 1-2 fastball to left that plated Phillips with the winning run.

Bruce finished 3-for-5 with a solo homer, drove in two and scored a pair while Juan Francisco added a pinch-hit solo shot for the Reds, who have won four of five and moved six games ahead of St. Louis in the division. The Cardinals lost to Houston on Monday.

Francisco Cordero (5-4) earned the win for throwing a scoreless top of the 10th. Reds starter Homer Bailey did not figure in the decision after yielding eight hits, four runs and a pair of walks with four strikeouts in six innings.

"I just didn't make pitches when I needed to," Bailey said. "Just one of those days."

Ryan Braun and Casey McGehee each had two hits and an RBI for Milwaukee, which was coming into the series fresh off a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh. Alcides Escobar chipped in with a run-scoring triple.

Randy Wolf got the starting nod for the Brewers and labored through five innings. The left-hander allowed three runs on eight hits with five walks. He also singled, stole a base and scored a run.

"We played great," Brewers manager Ken Macha said. "The intensity was great, the hustle was terrific. The effort was there. We were just a little short in our bullpen because of all the innings we've been using them."

Bruce's leadoff homer to left in the first opened the scoring, but Milwaukee tied it in the second on McGehee's RBI double.

The Brewers put up two more in the third as Wolf started things with a single, stole second -- the first stolen base by a pitcher in franchise history -- went to third on Rickie Weeks' infield base hit and scored on Corey Hart's ground out. Weeks then swiped third and came home on Braun's single for a 3-1 game.

With runners on the corners and two outs in the fourth, Bailey slapped an RBI single through the right side to get the Reds within a run.

Cincinnati evened the game at 3-3 in the fifth on Joey Votto's RBI ground-rule double to left.

Meanwhile, Bailey retired nine in a row, before allowing a two-out walk in the sixth to Lorenzo Cain, who stole second and scored on Escobar's triple to center. Francisco then belted a two-out pinch-hit solo shot that just cleared the right-field wall in the home half to make it 4-4.

The Brewers stranded a leadoff base runner in the eighth and Cincinnati left a man on base in the bottom portion.

After Nick Masset threw a perfect top of the ninth, Zach Braddock took the hill for Milwaukee in the bottom half and served up a one-out single to Chris Valaika. Votto flied out and Scott Rolen walked to move Valaika into scoring position, but pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo struck out swinging to force extra innings.

Game Notes

Valaika got the start in place of Phillips and went 3-5...Cincinnati has now hit nine pinch-hit home runs this season...The Reds have won five of six versus the Brewers this year, including a two-game sweep at home on May 17-18 in the only previous meeting at Cincinnati in 2010...Cincinnati went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12, while Milwaukee finished 5- for-10 with RISP and left six.