Adam Duvall homers again, but Reds fall to Brewers 7-4 in series finale

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Adam Duvall had quite the series against the Milwaukee Brewers, and on Sunday he capped it with a 2-run homer that served as the biggest offensive talking point on an otherwise disappointing day. It was his 27th of the season, and the ribbies it produced saw him cross over the 80 mark for the season.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Tucker Barnhart, who had 2 hits and a ribbie; Billy Hamilton, who singled, walked, and swiped his 49th base of the season; Jesse Winker, who had 2 hits; Joey Votto, who walked twice and scored; and Robert Stephenson, who fired a pair of scoreless innings in relief in his first appearance after coming off the DL.

Key Plays

• The Brewers jumped on Sal Romano quickly in this one, plating a trio of runs in the Bottom of the 1st. Jonathan Villar walked to begin the inning, and that haunted (of course) when Ryan Braun doubled him in two batters later. Braun then scored on a Neil Walker single (that included a bobble in RF by Winker), and the new Brewer later scored on a ground rule double by Manny Pina. Reds trailed, 3-0.
• A Votto walk led off the Top of the 4th, which dovetailed perfectly with Duvall’s blast a batter later. Reds trailed, 3-2.
• Milwaukee countered with a run of their own in the Bottom of the 4th on a sac fly before Domingo Santana kicked the doors in with a 3-run blast in the Bottom of the 5th, one that put the Reds in a 7-2 hole and effectively ended Romano’s day.
• A Scooter Gennett walk off Matt Garza started Cincinnati’s final rally, and after a Jose Peraza single later moved him to 3B, he scored on a wild pitch to get another Reds run on the board in the Top of the 6th. Peraza took 2B on the play, which set him up to later score on Barnhart’s single into CF. Unfortunately, that’s how the scoring ended, and the Reds fell, 7-4.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• A day after designating Arismendy Alcantara for assignment in order to free up a roster spot for Scott Feldman’s return, the Reds on Sunday activated Robert Stephenson from the 10-day DL in another transaction. Reliever Austin Brice was placed on the 10-day DL with a lat strain in a corresponding move.
• Neil Walker, who was playing in his first game with Milwaukee after being traded there by the New York Mets, went 2 for 4 with a run scored in his debut.
• The Reds will head slightly south on Sunday night, stopping off in Chicago where on Monday they’ll begin a four game series in Wrigley against the Cubs. Asher Wojciechowski will get the start in the first game of the series for Cincinnati, and he’ll be opposed by trade deadline pickup Jose Quintana. First pitch is set for 8:05 PM ET.
• Tunes.