Bruce paces Reds' 13-7 win over Brewers

CINCINNATI -- There are streaky hitters, then there's Jay Bruce. Right now, the Cincinnati Reds' outfielder is in a good one.

On Saturday, Bruce went 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and two RBI to lead the Reds' 14-hit outburst in a wild 13-7 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers before 41,678 fans at Great American Ball Park.

Bruce hit his third homer in the second inning and doubled twice during a seven-run third inning by the Reds. Bruce has hit in four straight games and nine of his past 10.

"Like I've been saying, it's a long season," Bruce said. "Right now I'm getting good pitches to hit, and I'm not missing them. Today was the kind of game you hope for."

Jean Segura went 4-for-5 with a double and homer for Milwaukee, and Norichika Aoki also homered. Milwaukee (15-19) had 11 hits on Saturday but was unable to cash in on several scoring opportunities, going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Cincinnati (21-16) went 8-for-14 with runners in scoring position and collected six extra-base hits. "They say hitting is contagious," Bruce said.

But the mood was quite different at Mat Latos' locker. Latos (4-0) earned the victory despite allowing seven runs, six earned, and nine hits in six innings.

"I got the crap kicked out of me today," Latos said. "Give the 'W' to the offense. That's who deserved it. I got away from myself today."

Latos joined the Reds' hit parade by going 2-for-3 with two RBI. But, he was having none of it. "I couldn't care less how many hits I had," Latos said.

Brewers starter Hiram Burgos (1-1) couldn't escape defeat after giving up 12 runs, 10 earned, in just three innings. He allowed 11 hits and walked three.

"We tried to save our bullpen," Burgos said. "It was the worst outing of my career. The good thing about baseball is you have another game tomorrow."

Four Brewers relievers combined to allow just one run on three hits over the final five innings.

In his previous three starts, Latos had been 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA, having allowed just three earned runs in 18 innings. But the Brewers roughed him up Saturday.

Segura hit an opposite-field home run on a 1-0 pitch from Latos in the first inning, putting the Brewers ahead 1-0. Later in the inning, Aramis Ramirez doubled off the left-field wall, driving home Ryan Braun with Milwaukee's second run.

Bruce launched a 1-1 pitch from Burgos 437 feet to right-center field, making the score 2-1 in the second. From there, things unraveled quickly for the Brewers.

Todd Frazier reached on a bunt single. Then Braun dropped Xavier Paul's routine fly, putting runners at second and third. Devin Mesoraco walked, loading the bases with nobody out.

Latos' RBI single tied the score 2-2. Shin-Soo Choo's bases-loaded walk, Zack Cozart's sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout by Joey Votto put Cincinnati ahead 5-2.

"It got out of hand," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "The fly ball to Brauny and a couple of ground balls that found holes extended the inning. Those things happen when things aren't going well."

Milwaukee scored twice in the third, on an RBI double by Braun and RBI single by Ramirez.

But Cincinnati erupted for seven runs in the bottom half, including an RBI double by Bruce, who had two doubles, a homer and two RBI in his first three at-bats.

Frazier, Mesoraco and Choo contributed RBI doubles in the third, putting the Reds ahead 12-4.

"You could tell early on it was going to be one of those offensive days," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "It was fun to see them swing the bats like that."

Gomez's two-run single in the fifth made the score 12-6. Aoki hit a solo homer off Latos in the sixth, his fourth homer this season, but Milwaukee couldn't get closer.

NOTES: Following Saturday's game, Milwaukee placed LHP Tom Gorzelanny on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 8, with left shoulder tendinitis. The team recalled RHP Mike Friers from Single-A Brevard County. ... Aoki struck out for the first time in 37 plate appearances when he fanned in his first at-bat. ... In the third inning, Bruce became the first Reds player to collect two hits in an inning since Drew Stubbs on April 25, 2011, at Milwaukee, and he became the first Red to double twice in an inning since Sean Casey on Aug. 7, 1998, vs. the Brewers. ... Cincinnati scored 11 or more runs for the fifth time this season. ... Burgos became just the fourth Milwaukee pitcher to allow 12 runs. The last to do it was Randy Wolf, on July 21, 2010, vs. Pittsburgh. ... It was managerial victory No. 1,602 for Baker, tying him with Hall of Famer Fred Clarke for 17th place all-time.