Wade Miley allowed one hit over four strong innings, while Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker provided more offensive help as the visiting Cincinnati Reds completed a doubleheader sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers with a 6-0 win in Thursday's nightcap.
After snapping its four-game slide with a 6-1 victory in Game 1 of this twin bill, Cincinnati scored twice in the second, two times in the fifth and twice more in the seventh to complete a 4-6 road trip. It was the first doubleheader at Milwaukee's Miller Park after both clubs mutually agreed to boycott Wednesday's contest in the wake of the unrest and violence following Sunday's police shooting of black 29-year-old Jacob Blake in nearby Kenosha.
Miley, who pitched for the Brewers in 2018, allowed Milwaukee's only hit to Luis Urias and struck out three over four of the seven-inning game. Castellanos and Winker, who went a combined 6-for-6 with three homers and five RBIs in the first game, each had an RBI double in Game 2. Righty Lucas Sims (2-0) pitched two hitless innings of relief to get the win.
Josh Lindblom (1-2) gave up two runs, three hits and a walk with four strikeouts in four innings for the Brewers, who struggled Thursday after winning the first two games of the series.
Cincinnati opened the scoring in the second inning when Kyle Farmer delivered a run-scoring hit and Tucker Barnhart followed with an RBI single — both with two outs — to take a 2-0 lead. Back-to-back RBI doubles from Castellanos and Winker in the fifth put Cincinnati up 4-0.
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After Winker singled in the eighth, Eugenio Suarez put Cincinnati up 6-0 with a two-run homer to left field.
Batting in the No. 8 spot, Farmer had two hits on the night for the Reds, who totaled six runs during their four-game losing streak entering Thursday's action.
Milwaukee catcher Manny Pina exited early in the game with a reported knee issue. Brewers manager Craig Counsell was ejected in the fifth for questioning balls and strikes.
Winker homered twice and Sonny Gray threw five shutout innings as the Reds won Game 1 6-1.
Winker and Castellanos combined to go 6-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs as the Reds broke out after totaling just six runs in their previous four contests. Gray (5-1), meanwhile, allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four in going five of the seven-inning game.
Omar Narvaez homered in the sixth inning for Milwaukee, which won the first two games of the set, on Monday and Tuesday. Teammate Orlando Arcia recorded two hits for the Brewers.
Cincinnati opened the scoring in the second inning via Curt Casali's RBI single off Brewers starter Adrian Houser. The Reds went up 2-0 when Castellanos crushed a shot to center field for his 10th homer of 2020 in the third inning. Winker immediately followed with an opposite-field home run to left for a 3-0 Cincinnati advantage.
Winker did it again in the fifth, this time a two-run homer to left-center field for his eighth of the season. It came off Milwaukee reliever Alex Claudio, but one of those runs was charged to Houser (1-3). The right-hander pitched into the fifth, and allowed four runs and nine hits while fanning three and walking one.
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Winker is 9-for-18 with two homers against Milwaukee this season.
Castellanos added a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to pad Cincinnati's advantage before Narvaez got Milwaukee on the board in the bottom half of the frame.
