MILWAUKEE -- Drastic measures weren't needed for the Reds to snap out of an offensive funk and losing streak.
¡°We¡¯re going to maybe have a human sacrifice, but nobody volunteered," manager Terry Francona joked pregame when asked if anything could lighten the club's mood.
Every Cincinnati hitter except Jeimer Candelario notched at least one hit. Candelario contributed a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning.
¡°All of us together, working good at-bats, sticking to our approach, jumping on a pitcher, doing damage on fastballs and hard stuff," Friedl said. "I think all around, it was an incredible team effort. Everybody was putting good at-bats together, and we just kind of rode off one another.¡±
If Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer didn't know better, he might have thought run support happens like this all the time. In Singer's previous start of seven scoreless innings on Monday vs. the Rangers, Reds hitters scored 14 runs during a 14-3 rout.
Three straight 1-0 losses followed, including the series opener Thursday vs. Milwaukee. A 35-inning scoreless streak -- the longest for the franchise since 1946 -- ended in the seventh inning on Friday.
Cincinnati's 14-hit night on Saturday equaled the combined hit total of the previous four games.
¡°The offense was incredible tonight," Singer said. "It was nice to pitch with a lot of runs. It was really fun to watch them break out. And hopefully it gets them a lot of confidence for them down the road, for tomorrow, too.¡±
Against Brewers starter Elvin Rodriguez in the top of the first inning, Gavin Lux¡¯s two-out RBI single brought home Elly De La Cruz from first base for a 1-0 lead. With two outs in the top of the second, Blake Dunn lifted a first pitch for a solo homer to left-center field. Two batters later, Friedl pulled an 0-1 pitch toward the right-field corner for a two-run homer.
Like several others in a Reds' lineup that has lost key hitters to injuries, like Tyler Stephenson and Austin Hays, Friedl was due. He entered the night batting .207.
¡°The past couple of days, the swing felt like it¡¯s been close, not exactly there," said Friedl, who was the designated hitter rather than at his usual center field. "So I came early today, put some work in the cage and tweaking some things and just going out there trying to play free and loose, not trying to think about what I¡¯m working on.¡±
Leading off the third inning, Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a booming homer to center field. Encarnacion-Strand, who hit three balls hard on Friday, snapped an 0-for-18 skid with the drive that traveled a Statcast-projected 451 feet.
¡°He hit that ball about as far as you can. That was impressive," Francona said. "He doesn¡¯t have to try -- he¡¯s got that kind of power. If he just barrels it up, he¡¯s going to run into some home runs.¡±
Jose Trevino's two-run homer to left-center field three batters later made it a 7-0 game.
Things got messy for the Reds with a couple of mistakes proving costly and got Milwaukee back into the game. Following his fourth-inning single with one out, Friedl lost track of how many outs there were and ran to third base on a Santiago Espinal's flyout to right field. It turned into an inning-ending double play.
Francona spoke with Friedl about the gaffe.
¡°Just not thinking," Friedl said. "I told him that will never happen again. It¡¯s inexcusable. That¡¯s as simple as that.¡±
Singer encountered trouble in the fifth inning with five straight batters reaching. With the bases loaded, Jake Fraley's three-run error overrunning Sal Frelick's single to right field helped make it a 7-5 game.
Cincinnati pulled away with three more runs in the seventh inning, with Friedl providing another spark. Following a Trevino leadoff walk, Friedl successfully pushed a bunt to the right side of the infield and reached with a single. Two batters later, De La Cruz sent a two-run single through the middle.
Knowing the season was still young kept Friedl optimistic during the offensive drought.
"It¡¯s a long, long season," he said. "We know there¡¯s going to be highs and lows throughout the whole season. As long as you don¡¯t get too low on your lows or too high on your highs and just kind of go with it, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±