Field Level Media
Aug 25, 2021
Brandon Woodruff threw six scoreless innings for his first victory in almost two months and Avisail Garcia doubled in a run and made two key defensive plays to lead the host Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.
The victory extended Milwaukee's lead in the National League Central to 9 1/2 games over second-place Cincinnati. The Brewers took the series opener 7-4 on Tuesday and now have won four in a row.
Garcia's RBI double put Milwaukee up 1-0 in the fourth inning. Garcia threw a runner out at second in the sixth and robbed pinch hitter Max Schrock of a home run in the eighth with a leaping grab at the top of the wall in right.
Woodruff (8-7) allowed four hits while striking out 10 and walking none for his first victory in nine starts since his last win on June 29. It was the fourth time this season that he has struck out at least 10.
Brad Boxberger and Devin Williams each followed with a perfect inning. Jake Cousins allowed Nick Castellano's 23rd homer in the ninth but struck out the other three batters he faced.
Reds starter Luis Castillo (7-13) was almost as effective, allowing two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking two.
Held to two walks through three innings, the Brewers broke through in the fourth when Christian Yelich doubled to open and Garcia followed with an RBI double into the gap in left-center.
Milwaukee made it 2-0 in the seventh on Jace Peterson's RBI ground-rule double to left-center.
The Brewers manufactured two runs in the eighth on two walks, an error, a wild pitch, an infield single and an RBI groundout.
After a leadoff single by Kyle Farmer in the second, Woodruff struck out nine of the next 13 hitters before Tyler Naquin's one-out single in the sixth.
Castellanos punched a liner into right and was trying for a double but was thrown out at second on Garcia's perfect throw from the right field corner. Joey Votto flied to left, stranding Naquin at third.
The Reds had runners on second and third with one out in the first, but Woodruff got Votto on a called third strike and Mike Moustakas on a tapper to first.
--Field Level Media