Jay Bruce's homer in 10th inning sends Reds over Brewers 4-3

CINCINNATI — The pitch was low and away. Jay Bruce went with it and watched it sail just far enough to clear the left field wall.

Just what the weary Reds needed.

Bruce homered off Burke Badenhop with one out in the 10th inning on Friday night, rallying Cincinnati to a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in a game full of errors and wasted chances.

It was Cincinnati's second straight extra-inning game. The Reds fell 6-5 in 14 innings at Wrigley Field on Thursday, leaving their bullpen depleted and their lineup still a little numb. The last thing they wanted was another long, long game.

"Obviously, yesterday was pretty disheartening," Bruce said. "We were out there a long time, and I think we had a lot of guys in here who were probably a little tired. That was a big win, regardless."

Bruce connected on a 1-2 pitch from Badenhop (0-3) for his fifth game-ending homer, leaving the Reds 4-7 in extra innings this season.

"I told somebody earlier it never gets old," said Bruce, who has 11 homers. "I hit homers, but walk-offs are completely different. They're a little sweeter, especially this one because of yesterday."

The teams combined for five errors — including a season-high three by Cincinnati. Bronson Arroyo hit Martin Maldonado with the bases loaded to force in a run, and Maldonado homered off him to tie it 3-all in the eighth.

The Brewers put outfielder Ryan Braun on the 15-day disabled list after the game with a sore right thumb.

"This is a move we tried to avoid," manager Ron Roenicke said. "After talking to him, I think this is the right way to go."

The Reds have won 11 of their last 13 against the Brewers at Great American Ball Park, a hitters' haven that hasn't suited Milwaukee. The Brewers stranded eight runners in scoring position on Friday, leaving the bases loaded twice.

The Brewers have gone 7-6 in June following a 6-22 May that left them at the bottom of the NL Central along with the Cubs.

Cincinnati needed a strong start from Arroyo after depleting its bullpen in the 14-inning loss at Wrigley Field on Thursday.

"I knew the bullpen was tired and I needed to go deep into the game," said Arroyo, who went 7 2-3 innings. "Luckily, they swung at a lot of first pitches. I think I only had like 30 pitches after four innings. I felt really good. I felt like I could go four more innings, or at least close it out if we'd gotten three or four more runs on the board."

The Brewers were without Braun for a fourth straight game. He tried to take batting practice before the game but it bothered him too much. The Brewers moved him onto the DL after the game and will make a corresponding move on Saturday.

Braun is batting .304 with nine homers and 36 RBIs.

The Reds scored three times off Kyle Lohse, with two of the runs set up by errors. Shin-Shoo Choo led off the first with a double, advanced and scored from third on Brandon Phillips' high-hop single over shortstop Jean Segura with the infield drawn in.

Todd Frazier singled, stole second, advanced on an error by first baseman Yuniesky Betancourt and scored on Jack Hannahan's sacrifice fly for a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

It was the second straight solid start by Lohse, who has pulled out of a stretch of five losses in seven starts. The Brewers signed Lohse to a three-year, $33 million deal after he went 16-3 for St. Louis last season.