Sep 16, 2007, 2:39 GMT
Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee's Prince Fielder went 2-for-3 and hit his 46th home run of the campaign, setting a new franchise record for most homers in a single season, as the Brewers held off Cincinnati, 5-3, at Miller Park.
J.J. Hardy hit a double and home run for the Brewers, who ended a two-game slide and are one game behind Chicago for first place in the NL Central. The Cubs split a day-night doubleheader with St. Louis on Saturday.
'I think the people of Milwaukee should be proud of having a player like Fielder on their team,' said Brewers manager Ned Yost. 'He is something special.'
Jeff Suppan (10-11) started for Milwaukee and gave up three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Francisco Cordero closed things out for his 42nd save.
Adam Dunn hit a pair of doubles while Norris Hopper went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI for the Reds, who had a four-game win streak snapped.
Cincinnati's Kirk Saarloos (1-5) pitched only four innings, allowing three runs on six hits in just his third start of the season.
The Brewers scored two runs in the first to take an early lead. Rickie Weeks started things with a walk and Gabe Gross followed with a single to put runners on first and third. A fielder's choice by Ryan Braun brought in a run and Fielder followed with a single before Corey Hart reached first on Edwin Encarnacion's fielding error. Geoff Jenkins then plated Braun with a single to make it 2-0.
Joey Votto's run-scoring single in the second got Cincinnati on the board.
Fielder led off the home half of the third with a home run to put Milwaukee up by two runs.
'It was pretty cool,' said Fielder about setting the new record. 'What is more important though is that we won.'
The Brewers then went up 4-1 in the fifth after Damian Miller singled home Fielder, who walked with one out and moved to second on Hart's single.
The Reds made it a one-run contest in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Buck Coats worked a walk and scored on Hopper's double to the gap in right. Later in the frame, Brandon Phillips brought Hopper home with a single to make it 4-3.
In the eighth, Derrick Turnbow issued consecutive walks with two outs, prompting Milwaukee to call upon Cordero, who struck out Hopper to end the threat.
Hardy gave the Brewers some breathing room with a home run in the home half of the eighth and Cordero tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to end the game.
Game Notes
Fielder, who has a career-best 13-game hitting streak, moved past Gorman Thomas (1979) and Richie Sexson (2001 and 2003) to set Milwaukee's new home run record...Milwaukee had 10 hits while Cincinnati finished with eighth...Both clubs stranded 10 runners on base...Attendance was 40,710.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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