Reds Ambush Brewers Behind Burns’ Gem and Trevino’s Thunder

The Cincinnati Reds came to Milwaukee on Thursday and reminded the Brewers why you can’t leave mistakes hanging over the middle of the plate. Behind a masterful Chase Burns start and a Jose Trevino display of power that left no doubt, the Reds walloped the Brewers 7-2 at American Family Field, handing Jacob Misiorowski and company their second consecutive defeat in this series.

The Early Onslaught

Sal Stewart set the tone immediately, launching a solo shot to right-center in the first inning to give Cincinnati an early 1-0 lead. But the real gut-punch came in the fourth when the Reds’ bats woke up with a vengeance. After Noelvi Marte’s run-scoring single pushed the margin to 2-0, Trevino stepped into the box and made Misiorowski pay dearly, driving a three-run homer into left field that put the visitors up 5-0. Just like that, the game was over in essence. Misiorowski struck out 10 batters on the evening, which would look impressive on a stat sheet if he hadn’t surrendered a homer and then gotten chased after five innings of work.

That’s the problem with Misiorowski’s outing. Yes, the strikeouts are sexy. Yes, they’ll show up in the box score and folks will wonder why he took the loss. But when you give up five hits and a three-run bomb in four innings, the Ks become window dressing. Milwaukee’s hitters looked completely overmatched against Burns, who cruised through six innings with just four hits and two earned runs while striking out four. The Brewers couldn’t generate anything resembling consistent offensive pressure until it was far too late.

Milwaukee’s Hollow Heroics

Garrett Mitchell hit a solo shot in the fifth and Brice Turang added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 5-2, but those were mere consolation prizes. The Brewers had opportunities to chip away earlier in the game but couldn’t capitalize. By the time they got their runs on the board, the Reds had already opened up an insurmountable lead and were simply playing out the string.

TJ Friedl continued his hot streak, homering in the seventh and adding another run-scoring hit in the eighth to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 7-2. The Reds added one final exclamation point in the eighth when Matt McLain scampered home on Friedl’s line drive single, putting the nail firmly in the coffin.

Cincinnati’s pitching staff deserves credit for shutting down what’s supposed to be a competitive Milwaukee lineup. Burns was efficient and effective, working six innings without surrendering a walk and keeping the Brewers’ best hitters off balance throughout the evening. The Reds’ bullpen took care of business from there with Brock Burke sealing the victory.

This game was a microcosm of baseball’s brutal efficiency. One team came with their lineup clicking and their starter on point. The other made a few mistakes early and never recovered. For the Brewers, it’s a stark reminder that in this sport, execution matters, and Thursday night, the Reds simply executed better in every facet. Milwaukee will need to regroup fast or this series could get away from them in a hurry.