Brewers walk off Reds in battle for NL Central lead

Christian Yelich singled in the winning run off Alexis Diaz in the ninth inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 3-2 walk-off victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Monday night in the opener of the three-game series.

Blake Perkins walked on four pitches to open the ninth off Diaz (3-2), who entered the game to start the inning. Jesse Winker, who entered hitting .194, followed with a pinch-hit single to right.

Yelich then lined a 1-0 pitch to right to score Perkins from second, snapping the Reds five-game winning streak.

Milwaukee, which swept three games at Cincinnati to open the second half, moved 1 1/2 games in front of the Reds in the National League Central.

Rookie Sal Frelick, who was 4-for-6 in his first two games since being called up Saturday from Triple-A Nashville, brought the Brewers even at 2-2 with one out in the sixth with his first career home run, a 384-foot solo shot to right.

Elly De La Cruz put the Reds in front 2-1 in third with his sixth homer of the season off starter Colin Rea. Tyler Stephenson reached on a single to the hole at short to open the inning. After Will Benson was called out on strikes, De La Cruz ripped the first pitch 456 feet to right-center.

The Brewers had runners on the corners in the bottom half of the third but came away empty with a costly base-running blunder. Willy Adames broke for second when Frelick struck out, but the throw to second and back home got William Contreras trying to score from third to end the inning.

Milwaukee took a quick 1-0 lead when Christian Yelich walked to open the first, then stole second before Contreras followed with an RBI single to center.

Joey Wiemer took a home run away from De La Cruz on the opening at-bat of the game with a leaping grab above the wall in center field.