MILWAUKEE — Dusty Baker shook up his lineup looking for answers with Scott Rolen on the disabled list. Brandon Phillips took advantage of being back in a familiar spot.

Phillips went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs hitting fourth, Jay Bruce added a two-run homer and the Cincinnati Reds used a six-run third inning Monday to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-5.

“I came through, and I’m glad I did because we really needed those runs,” said Phillips, who has batted cleanup 343 times in his career. “The changes to the lineup really woke us up a bit.”

Baker said he’ll continue shuffling the lineup to look for the right combinations.

“That’s what we’re going to have to do, especially until we get Scotty back,” Baker said of his third baseman. “I’m just glad we got Brandon hot.”

Already ahead 1-0, the Reds sent 11 batters to the plate in the third, holding Chris Narveson (1-1) to his shortest outing in 38 career starts.

Cincinnati had eight hits in the inning one night after managing just four in a 3-0 loss to St. Louis. Bruce homered and Phillips, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Hanigan and Bronson Arroyo (3-2) each drove in a run to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead.

Arroyo pitched effectively into the seventh to snap a two-game losing skid.

“It’s always fun to get that many runs early. It makes it that much easier for you to pitch it (with) less effort,” Arroyo said. “I went out there in some of the middle innings and was just cutting a bunch of balls at 80 miles an hour just to preserve energy.”

Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun continued his torrid stretch with a two-run homer in the ninth.

Phillips was in the fourth spot for the first time this season, and Bruce moved up to second. Everything worked for the Reds, who had been hitting .229 in a 3-8 stretch coming into the series against the Brewers.

“We’re coming together, it’s about that time,” Phillips said. “Good teams are going to go through things like that.”

Even with the slump, the Reds lead the National League in runs (123), home runs (28) and RBIs (119) and powered past the Brewers for the fourth consecutive time this season after a season-opening sweep.

Narveson had thrown 13 scoreless innings in his two home starts at Miller Park, but he brought his road struggles back to Milwaukee by lasting just 2 1/3 innings. In his past three appearances, he’s 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA.

“He didn’t have it,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “Everything was elevated. I don’t want to make excuses, but he was sick yesterday. He was better today, definitely better today. But I know he wasn’t 100 percent. Hopefully that is the reason he was up in the zone, but he was up. Everything he threw was up.”

Milwaukee cut it to 7-1 in the fifth after Jonathan Lucroy doubled and shortstop Paul Janish threw Erick Almonte’s grounder into the Brewers dugout for an error.

Arroyo left with one out in the seventh and runners in scoring position and reliever Logan Ondrusek allowed a sacrifice fly by Carlos Gomez that made it 7-2. Lucroy drove in a run in the eighth against Nick Massett to make it 7-3.

Phillips hit a two-run single with an out in the ninth, and Braun’s homer in the bottom of the inning was the final margin.

“Getting those two runs ended up being a big, big difference because Braun hit that two-run homer and then it would’ve been a two-run game,” Baker said. “It shows you how important every run you score is on the outcome.”

Joey Votto doubled in the third to reach base safely in all 23 games this season. Votto was robbed of another hit in the sixth when center fielder Gomez made a diving catch that included a double somersault.

Braun extended his hitting streak to 10 games after being named NL player of the week earlier Monday and signing a $105 million extension Thursday. He’s reached base safely in all 22 games to start the season, one short of the franchise record to begin a year set by Robin Yount in 1983.

Notes: Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto (right upper arm) is scheduled to make his third rehab start for Triple-A Louisville today. Cueto is 0-2 with a 16.20 ERA in his first two appearances. … Roenicke said All-Star right fielder Corey Hart (oblique) will return either today or Wednesday, depending on a number of factors. Hart will immediately return to starting in right. … Roenicke said he hadn’t seen the Cooper’s hawk that attacked another bird and captivated most of the crowd during the third inning of Sunday’s 4-1 win against the Astros. “Hopefully it flew back out,” he said.

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Chris Narveson had the shortest start of his career on Monday night after going home sick the day before.

Narveson allowed six runs in the third inning after Jay Bruce homered and the Cincinnati Reds beat Milwaukee 9-5.

“I don’t like to make that an excuse,” Narveson said. “I drank a lot of fluid and took some drugs, but it didn’t work too well.”

Already trailing 1-0, Narveson (1-1) didn’t make it out of the third as the Reds sent 11 batters to the plate, his shortest outing in 38 career starts.

“I know he wasn’t 100 percent. Hopefully that is the reason he was up in the zone, but he was up. Everything he threw was up,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “Whatever it is — cold, flu symptoms, that kind of stuff — he wasn’t in question whether he was going to pitch or not.”

Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in the ninth and extended his hitting streak to 10 games after being chosen NL player of the week earlier Monday and signing a $105 million extension on Thursday.

Braun has reached base safely in all 22 games to start the season, one short of the franchise record to begin a year set by Robin Yount in 1983.

But that was about the only highlight for the Brewers, who may lose third baseman Casey McGehee after he ran into Joey Votto for the final out of the game and sprained his left thumb. He’ll be re-evaluated today.

“I don’t really know how it worked out where we ended up running into each other,” McGehee said. “I just got my thumb caught on him and pulled back pretty good, but I think we’ll be all right.”

Milwaukee has dropped all four games to Cincinnati this year and 19 of the last 22.

“We haven’t scored as many runs as they have,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker shook up the lineup, putting Brandon Phillips in the fourth spot for the first time this season and moving Bruce up to second. Everything worked for the Reds, who had been hitting .229 in a 3-8 stretch coming into the series against the Brewers.

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Even with the slump, the Reds lead the National League in runs (123), home runs (28) and RBI (119) and powered past the Brewers for the fourth straight time this season after a season-opening sweep.

Votto doubled in the third to reach base safely in all 23 games this season. Votto was robbed of another hit in the sixth when Gomez, in center field, made a diving catch that included a double somersault.

Narveson had thrown 13 scoreless innings in his two home starts at Miller Park, but he brought his road struggles back to Milwaukee by lasting just 2 1-3 innings. In his last three appearances, he’s 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA.

“You are not always going to be 100 percent, so you have got to be able to go out and compete,” Narveson said. “I wasn’t able to do that today.”

Notes

Reds RHP Johnny Cueto (right upper arm) is scheduled to make his third rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. Cueto is 0-2 with a 16.20 ERA in his first two appearances. … Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said All-Star RF Corey Hart (oblique) will return either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on a number of factors. Hart will immediately return to starting in right. … Roenicke said he hadn’t seen the Cooper’s hawk that attacked another bird and captivated most of the crowd during the third inning of Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Astros. “Hopefully it flew back out,” he said.

Brewers left-hander Chris Narveson had the shortest start of his career on Monday night after going home sick the day before.
Narveson allowed six runs in the third inning after Jay Bruce homered and the Cincinnati Reds beat Milwaukee 9-5.
“I don’t like that to make that an excuse,” Narveson said. “I drank a lot of fluid and took some drugs, but it didn’t work too well.”
Already trailing 1-0, Narveson (1-1) didn’t make it out of the third as the Reds sent 11 batters to the plate, his shortest outing in 38 career starts.
“I know he wasn’t 100 percent. Hopefully that is the reason he was up in the zone, but he was up. Everything he threw was up,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “Whatever it is — cold, flu symptoms, that kind of stuff — he wasn’t in question whether he was going to pitch or not.”
Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in the ninth and extended his hitting streak to 10 games after being chosen NL player of the week earlier Monday and signing a $105 million extension on Thursday.
Braun has reached base safely in all 22 games to start the season, one short of the franchise record to begin a year set by Robin Yount in 1983.
But that was about the only highlight for the Brewers, who may lose third baseman Casey McGehee after he ran into Joey Votto for the final out of the game and sprained his left thumb. He’ll be re-evaluated on Tuesday.
“I don’t really know how it worked out where we ended up running into each other,” McGehee said. “I just got my thumb caught on him and pulled back pretty good, but I think we’ll be all right.”
Milwaukee has dropped all four games to Cincinnati this year and 19 of the last 22.
“We haven’t scored as many runs as they have,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker shook up the lineup, putting Brandon Phillips in the fourth spot for the first time this season and moving Bruce up to second. Everything worked for the Reds, who had been hitting .229 in a 3-8 stretch coming into the series against the Brewers.
Even with the slump, the Reds lead the National League in runs (123), home runs (28) and RBIs (119) and powered past the Brewers for the fourth straight time this season after a season-opening sweep.
Votto doubled in the third to reach base safely in all 23 games this season. Votto was robbed of another hit in the sixth when Gomez, in center field, made a diving catch that included a double somersault.
Narveson had thrown 13 scoreless innings in his two home starts at Miller Park, but he brought his road struggles back to Milwaukee by lasting just 2 1-3 innings. In his last three appearances, he’s 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA.
“You are not always going to be 100 percent, so you have got to be able to go out and compete,” Narveson said. “I wasn’t able to do that today.”
NOTES: Reds RHP Johnny Cueto (right upper arm) is scheduled to make his third rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. Cueto is 0-2 with a 16.20 ERA in his first two appearances. … Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said All-Star RF Corey Hart (oblique) will return either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on a number of factors. Hart will immediately return to starting in right. … Roenicke said he hadn’t seen the Cooper’s hawk that attacked another bird and captivated most of the crowd during the third inning of Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Astros. “Hopefully it flew back out,” he said.

Dusty Baker shook up his lineup looking for answers with Scott Rolen on the disabled list. Brandon Phillips took advantage of being back in a familiar spot.

Phillips went 3 for 4 and drove in three runs hitting fourth, Jay Bruce added a two-run homer and the Cincinnati Reds used a six-run third inning to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-5 on Monday night.

“I came through, and I’m glad I did because we really needed those runs,” said Phillips, who has batted cleanup 343 times in his career. “The changes to the lineup really woke us up a bit.”

Baker said he’ll continue shuffling the lineup to look for the right combinations.

“That’s what we’re going to have to do, especially until we get Scotty back,” Baker said of his third baseman. “I’m just glad we got Brandon hot.”

Already ahead 1-0, the Reds sent 11 batters to the plate in the third, holding Chris Narveson (1-1) to his shortest outing in 38 career starts.

Cincinnati had eight hits in the inning one night after managing just four in a shutout loss to St. Louis. Bruce homered and Phillips, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Hanigan and even Bronson Arroyo (3-2) drove in a run each to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead.

Arroyo pitched effectively into the seventh to snap his two-game losing skid.

“It’s always fun to get that many runs early. It makes it that much easier for you to pitch it (with) less effort,” Arroyo said. “I went out there in some of the middle innings and was just cutting a bunch of balls at 80 miles an hour just to preserve energy.”

Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun continued his torrid stretch with a two-run homer in the ninth.

Phillips was in the fourth spot for the first time this season and Bruce moved up to second. Everything worked for the Reds, who had been hitting .229 in a 3-8 stretch coming into the series against the Brewers.

“We’re coming together, it’s about that time,” Phillips said. “Good teams are going to go through things like that.”

Even with the slump, the Reds lead the National League in runs (123), home runs (28) and RBIs (119) and powered past the Brewers for the fourth straight time this season after a season-opening sweep.

Narveson had thrown 13 scoreless innings in his two home starts at Miller Park, but he brought his road struggles back to Milwaukee by lasting just 2 1-3 innings. In his last three appearances, he’s 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA.

“He didn’t have it,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “Everything was elevated. I don’t want to make excuses, but he was sick yesterday. He was better today, definitely better today. But I know he wasn’t 100 percent. Hopefully that is the reason he was up in the zone, but he was up. Everything he threw was up.”

Milwaukee cut it to 7-1 in the fifth after Jonathan Lucroy doubled and shortstop Paul Janish threw Erick Almonte’s grounder into the Brewers dugout for an error.

Arroyo left with one out in the seventh and runners in scoring position and reliever Logan Ondrusek allowed a sacrifice fly by Carlos Gomez that made it 7-2. Lucroy drove in a run in the eighth off Nick Massett to make it 7-3.

Phillips hit a two-run single with an out in the ninth and Braun’s homer in the bottom of the inning was the final margin.

“Getting those two runs ended up being a big, big difference because Braun hit that two-run homer and then it would’ve been a two-run game,” Baker said. “It shows you how important every run you score is on the outcome.”

Joey Votto doubled in the third to reach base safely in all 23 games this season. Votto was robbed of another hit in the sixth when Gomez, in center field, made a diving catch that included a double somersault.

Braun extended his hitting streak to 10 games after being named NL player of the week earlier Monday and signing a $105 million extension on Thursday. He’s reached base safely in all 22 games to start the season, one short of the franchise record to begin a year set by Robin Yount in 1983.

NOTES: Reds RHP Johnny Cueto (right upper arm) is scheduled to make his third rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. Cueto is 0-2 with a 16.20 ERA in his first two appearances. … Roenicke said All-Star RF Corey Hart (oblique) will return either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on a number of factors. Hart will immediately return to starting in right. … Roenicke said he hadn’t seen the Cooper’s hawk that attacked another bird and captivated most of the crowd during the third inning of Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Astros. “Hopefully it flew back out,” he said.

MILWAUKEE, April 26 (UPI) — Jay Bruce’s homer triggered a six-run third inning Monday that boosted the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-5 victory over Milwaukee.

After Drew Stubbs singled to lead off the frame, Bruce launched a two-run clout to right, giving the Reds a 3-0 lead.

Brandon Phillips, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Hanigan and pitcher Bronson Arroyo all followed with RBI before the inning was over, and Cincinnati went on to post only its seventh win in 18 games.

Phillips finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored while Stubbs added three hits for the Reds.

Arroyo (3-2) allowed one earned run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings, issuing a pair of walks and striking out four.

Brewers starter Chris Narveson (1-1) was lit up for seven runs on eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Ryan Braun cracked his eighth homer, a two-run blast, among his two hits for Milwaukee.