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 Joey Votto hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and Tony Cingrani pitched solidly into the seventh, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night.
"When it's a close game it usually comes down to a couple of mistakes," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "We didn't get a couple of things done."
All-Star center fielder Carlos Gomez sprained his right knee while making a leaping catch at the center field wall in the fourth inning. He was removed from the game and will undergo an MRI on Friday.
Gomez said team doctors told him the injury didn't appear serious upon initial examination, but he said he had pain in the knee.
Votto's homer was the only earned run allowed by Kyle Lohse (8-8) in seven innings. The right-hander also allowed an unearned run on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts in seven innings to lose for the first time since July 13.
"Didn't have my best stuff, but you don't have that every day and you've just got to go out there and battle," Lohse said.
Lohse pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the first when Ryan Ludwick's soft liner was grabbed by second baseman Jeff Bianchi on the third base side of the infield to end the inning.
Milwaukee then took a 1-0 lead when Davis hit a 3-2 pitch from Cingrani three rows from the top of the left field bleachers in the second. It was Davis' fifth homer in his first 49 at-bats this year.
The Reds tied the score 1-all in the fifth with an unearned run.
Devin Mesoraco hit a bouncer up the middle, and second baseman Jeff Bianchi's throw pulled first baseman Juan Francisco into the runner's path and they collided at the bag.
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Mesoraco landed on top of Francisco as the ball scooted away.
"He was a good cushion," Mesoraco said.
He playfully patted Francisco twice on the side before first base coach Billy Hatcher emphatically told him to sprint to second, reaching on Bianchi's throwing error.
"He was right in the baseline and I had nowhere to go," Mesoraco said. "I thought he caught it, and Hatch said,
'Go ahead! Go ahead!' so I got up and went to second as quick as I could."
Zack Cozart hit the next pitch from Lohse to center for a single. Logan Schafer's one-hop throw beat Mesoraco to the plate by several steps, but catcher Jonathan Lucroy couldn't handle the bounce and he scored to tie the game at 1.
"I think he would have had me, but it was kind of an in-between hop and jumped up on him," Mesocaco said. "We were lucky there."
Votto then led off the sixth with his 18th homer of the year to give the Reds the lead for good.
Cingrani (6-2) allowed only a second-inning home run to Khris Davis. Aroldis Chapman worked the ninth for his 30th save in 34 chances.
The Reds have won five straight and 10 of 13.
Cingrani pitched 6 1-3 innings, scattering four hits and one walks while striking out nine.
NOTES: Gomez is batting .288 with 18 home runs and 55 RBI in 114 games. He was selected to his first All-Star game this season. . The Brewers are 11-25 against left-handed starters. . Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez is hitless in nine at-bats since returning from the DL on Tuesday.
[Associated
Press; By JOE DiGIOVANNI]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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