Starter Micah Owings pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed five earned runs and eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts. By the time Owings retired a stretch of nine in a row and 10 of 11 batters, the damage was already done.

Owings (3-6) fell into a 2-0 hole rather quick. In the Milwaukee first, after a J.J. Hardy walk and Ryan Braun single with one out, Mike Cameron and Mat Gamel hit back-to-back RBI singles. In the second inning, Hardy's sacrifice fly to center field scored Jason Kendall.

In the top of the third, Cincinnati took advantage of Cameron's error on a dropped ball on Jerry Hairston Jr.'s drive to left-center field when Jay Bruce blooped an RBI single into center field. Otherwise, it was often a long afternoon against Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo, who struck out nine over 5 1/3 innings.

Following Prince Fielder's leadoff walk in the bottom of the third, Cameron sent a two-run home run over the left-field fence for a 5-1 Brewers lead.

In the top of the fifth, Brandon Phillips narrowed the gap slightly with a solo homer to left field off Gallardo (5-2). It was Phillips' ninth homer of the season and his second since returning to the lineup Saturday after fractu