Jose Peraza Jump Starts Reds And Finishes Brewers

Jose Peraza started the game with a double that he was told was a home run  by the umpire.  Then finished the Brewers off with a grand slam that buried the Milwaukee Brewers 8-2 to earn a split of the four-game series.

The Reds are now 8-3 played against teams that started the game in first place.

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"We know we can play with these guys (division leaders).  We've got to go through those guys and win our share," Jim Riggleman said.

The Reds jumped on rookie Milwaukee Brewers' starter Freddy Peralta, who made his Major League debut on Mother's Day, May 13.  Peralta was 3-0 and the Brewers won all four of his starts.

Peraza doubled off the warning track in left center.  The ball bounced into the Brewers' bullpen for a ground rule double but Peraza thought it went out on the fly and started to circle the bases, only to be sent back.  Tucker Barnhart walked.  Joey Votto doubled to score Peraza.  Eugenio Suarez singled home Barnhart, his league leading 61st run batted in on the season.  Scott Schebler singled to plate Votto with the third run.  Still with no one out Peralta walked Adam Duvall to load the bases with still no one out.  Peralta recovered by striking out Alex Blandino, Reds' starter Matt Harvey and Billy Hamilton to end the inning.

"I just tried to hit the ball. When I hit the ball in the sky, I say wow.  It's a home run.  Every body is happy," Peraza said.  "The first ball was a double.  The umpire said it was a homer but I say no it was a double."


Matt Harvey in his 10th start for the Reds, retired the first 12 batters he faced.  Travis Shaw broke the spell with a solid single against the shift to lead off the fifth inning.  Harvey retired the next three batters.

Peralta settled in after the second inning.  It was the sixth straight inning going back to Saturday in which the Reds put at least two runners on base.  Barnhart singled and Votto walked but Suarez hit into double play.  Peralta retired nine more batters in a row.

"We were concerned and anxious to see Peralta," Riggleman said. "We made him work in that first inning.  That was a gutsy performance after throwing 40 pitches in the first inning."

Rain descended on the ballpark at the start of the sixth inning.  Harvey got the first two out but Brad Miller singled for the second hit.  The umpires stopped the game.

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"It was very disappointing the rain came when it did," Riggleman said. " Matt was outstanding.  He seems to get better each time out.  Today was his best with velocity, fastball command and a good slider."

The rain delayed Eric Thames at bat 54 minutes but it was not against Harvey, who was one out short of a quality start.   David Hernandez got Thames to fly to shallow center.

Harvey pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball with two hits and six strikeouts.  He did not walk a batter.

"It was one of those when you come in and try to do as much as you can," Harvey said.  "You come in and put a heat pack on but once it creeps up to an hour.  That's the best I've felt in a long time.  I could smell the CG coming or at least getting deep in the game. I was pretty much in control the whole time but I'm happy about the outing and another Reds' win."

Aaron Wilkerson took over in the sixth for Milwaukee.  Wilkerson, who was never drafted but made the journey to the Major Leagues through Independent League baseball, was called up on Sunday morning from Colorado Springs.

Wilkerson hit Duvall with a pitch with one out. Blandino flared a single to right with Duvall alertly heading to third.  Jesse Winker pinch hit for Hernandez and delivered a run scoring single.  Billy Hamilton topped a ball to third and easily beat Shaw's throw to load the bases.  Peraza delivered the Reds' ninth grand slam of the season, tying the club record set in 2002.  It was Peraza's fifth home run of the season.

Jared Hughes pitched a scoreless seventh.  Jackson Stephens pitched a perfect eighth.

Jose Iglesias needed to pitch an inning to stay sharp.  He walked Thames, who took a rare 0-for-3 against a team, he's hit 14 home runs off of in 22 games.  Iglesias gave up Ryan Braun's 10th home run which broke the shutout.  Iglesias got the last three batters to seal the game in a non-save situation.

Votto passed Frank Robinson for ninth place on the franchise all-time hit list with 1,674.