CINCINNATI (AP) — Willy Adames and Hunter Renfroe both homered for the second straight day, rookie Jason Alexander earned his first career win and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 on Saturday.
Jace Peterson drove in two runs with a sixth-inning double on a chopper over the head of leaping first baseman Mike Moustakas, and Milwaukee won a second straight game for the first time this month.
“It’s been a while,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell. “We played good baseball today. That’s what you have to do to win in this league. We earned a win.”
The roller-coaster Reds have lost three straight after a three-game winning streak, which followed a four-game slide.
Alexander (1-0) aallowed eight hits and three runs, two earned, with one walk and two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
“I thought, in the first three innings, he was really good,” Counsell said. “He was getting some strange swings. Part of his success is he doesn’t strike a lot guys out.”
Miguel Sánchez inherited runners on first and third with two outs and got pinch-hitter TJ Friedl to pop out. Trevor Kelly pitched a hitless 1 2/3 innings before Hoby Milner got the final four outs.
Adames gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead with a two-run home run in their three-run third inning, his team-high 13th homer this season.
Graham Ashcraft struggled for the second straight after dominating his first four outings. Milwaukee got to Ashcraft (3-1) for eight hits and six runs with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings.
“I thought Ashcraft was pretty good,” Reds manager David Bell said. “That’s a good lineup. He gave us a chance to win the game. There were a couple pitches. He’s not going to be perfect, but he’s been really good since he’s been here. He is very…