Eugenio Suarez Blasts Reds to 4-3 Win Over Brewers, Avoiding Series Sweep

Chase Burns pitched in his second start under his new modified role of pitching just three innings. His outing didn't go as well as his previous game against the Dodgers, where he did not allow a hit and struck out five. He pitched fairly well. Joey Ortiz tagged him for a two-run home run in the second inning, for the only true blemish in his outing. He finished pitching three innings with three walks, five strikeouts, and two hits. His command was not as sharp; only half of his 56 pitches were strikes.

Brandon Williamson pitched mostly excellently in relief of Burns, but after he was given a lead in the top of the sixth, he allowed the Brewers to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. The Brewers put together multiple rallies late, but the Reds found a way to spoil them. Let's talk about everything that happened in the Reds’ 4-3 victory over Milwaukee.

Suarez Homers In Back To Back Games

Sep 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates with designated hitter Eugenio Suarez (28) after a two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Reds' offense had been relatively quiet through the first five innings with just three hits before the top of the sixth. Elly De La Cruz hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners for Eugenio Suarez to start the inning. Prior to Stewart's at-bat, the Brewers went to the bullpen in the form of reliever Antonio Senzatela. Suarez took Senzatela deep to the opposite field at 105 miles per hour off the bat to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.

De La Cruz and Stewart collected back-to-back hits again in the eighth to put runners on the corner. After a Suarez pop-out, Tyler Stephenson lifted a sacrifice fly to bring De La Cruz home from third to give the Reds a 4-3 lead against Brewers reliever Abner Uribe.

Eugenio Suarez is batting .304 over his last seven games, with three home runs and a .429 on-base percentage. His home run was the 349th of his career.

When the Reds took the lead in the sixth, this was their first lead since the first inning on Monday against the Dodgers. De La Cruz extended his on-base streak to 20 games with his single. He's hitting .436 in September and collected his eighth multi-hit game of the month.

Burns, WIlliamson Piggyback Experiment Continues

Sep 13, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns (26) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Burns pitched the first three innings in his new limited role as the season comes to a close, and his innings reach a new lifetime high. Half of his 56 pitches were strikes, but he did strike out five. Brandon Williamson was sharp out of the bullpen in relief of Burns. He did not allow a baserunner through his first three innings in relief, with two strikeouts.

Unfortunately, his second time through the order started off with a leadoff home run from Jake Bauers. He allowed a single to Christian Yelich, but he got a ground-ball double play and a pop-out to escape further damage.

Williamson is doing his best to earn a permanent fixture in either the rotation or as the current role as a hybrid pitcher, similar to Nick Martinez in 2024 and 2025.

Brewers Rallied, But Bullpen Pulls Through

Aug 26, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Emilio Pagan (15) and catcher Jose Trevino (35) celebrate after the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brewers had a nice rally going against Brock Burke in the bottom of the eighth. The first two batters reached on a single and a throwing error, but a line drive back to Burke forced a double play on the lead runner at second. He got out of the inning on a caught stealing attempt. Closer Emilio Pagan pitched in his first save situation since September 6. He earned his 23rd save of the season as the Reds escaped another potential threat in the ninth.

After a terrible showing on Friday, the bullpen pitched fairly well for the rest of the series outside of Graham Ashcraft's 1/3 of an inning on Saturday. The rest of the bullpen did not allow a hit. The bullpen on Sunday allowed just four hits against Milwaukee batters, with Williamson allowing the only run. Pagan had pitched just once since his last save attempt on September 6, but he came in and slammed the door on the Brewers.

Final Homestand of the Season

The Reds return home Monday for a four-game series against the Dodgers. Nick Lodolo will get the start against two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal in the opener of the series. First pitch will be at 6:40. The Reds earn their 70th win of the season, avoid the sweep and earn their first win of the week.

After the Dodgers' series, they face the Cubs over the weekend before going on their final road trip of the season to face the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays.

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