Clutch Castellanos delivers 'big' series win

MILWAUKEE -- The first portion of a critical stretch of seven consecutive games against the first-place Brewers belongs to the Reds. Against the team they wanted to play, they had the hitter they wanted batting with the bases loaded in a big situation Sunday.

It was an All-Star vs. All-Star matchup in the top of the ninth inning. Nick Castellanos, who has been Cincinnati's most dependable and clutch hitter all season, knocked a go-ahead, two-out, bases-loaded single that scored two runs against Milwaukee closer Josh Hader. It gave the Reds a 3-1 victory at American Family Field.

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“It’s awesome. Just to come in and win the series against these guys, it was huge. Great momentum going into the break," said catcher Tyler Stephenson, who was 2-for-4 in the game.

After losing the first game on Thursday, the Reds won three in a row against the Brewers to take the series.

Second-place Cincinnati began this seven-game stretch of games with Milwaukee six games back in the National League Central standings and reduced it to a four-game deficit.

Following the break, the two teams will meet for three more games at Great American Ball Park.

"They came in here and took three from us, so it's going to be a big series," Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff said. "Any time you play in-division, it's always big, and they're the ones chasing us right now. We played some close games here."

All four games were decided by two runs or less, and to win two of them, the Reds had to beat Hader in the ninth.

Sunday's top of the ninth began when Hader hit the man who slugged the game-winning home run off him on Saturday night -- Eugenio Suárez -- with his first pitch. Pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer just missed a two-run homer and had to settle for a single off the right-field wall. Suárez had to hold up and only reached second base, but Jonathan India's one-out walk loaded the bases.

Hader struck out Jesse Winker for the second out. On a 1-0 pitch, Castellanos -- the NL's leading hitter -- lined it through the middle to scored Suárez and Farmer. From first base, Castellanos raised his arms towards the third-base visitors’ dugout as teammates could be heard yelling and clapping.

"Of course we want him up at the plate right there," Reds manager David Bell said. "He wants to be at the plate, which is the most important thing. To get to that point, it’s a team effort to get the runners into scoring position to have that opportunity. It made that opportunity possible. Big at-bats. Just guys stepping up all over the place."

Castellanos told Bally Sports Ohio during an on-field interview that he had an extra incentive going into the moment.

“I think that I was the right man in the right spot there," Castellanos said. "It started even before the game. There was some clown on the television talking [bad] about our bullpen. And karma is real. Whoever that is, it’s a good lesson right there.”

The Reds’ bullpen let an inherited runner score when Amir Garrett replaced starter Luis Castillo in the sixth and allowed Jackie Bradley Jr.'s game-tying, two-out RBI single. But the final three innings were airtight as Josh Osich locked down the ninth inning for his first career save.

Besides taking a series from the Brewers this weekend, here are a few reasons for the Reds to feel good heading into the All-Star break:

• Cincinnati has won 13 of its last 19 games.

• Castillo, who walked six but allowed only three hits and a run over his 5 1/3 innings on Sunday, has a 1.97 ERA over his last eight starts. He was 1-8 with a 7.22 ERA in his first 11 starts.

• The Reds’ bullpen, which was ranked last in baseball for much of this season, has a 1.90 ERA in the club’s last 17 games since June 25.

• Overall, the Reds are first in the NL in hitting and third in runs scored and RBIs.

“Our players are stepping up in every way," Bell said. "Guys having fun, enjoying themselves, believing in themselves and having confidence that we can do it. It’s been a pleasure just being around these guys and watching them go about it this way. You couldn’t ask for anymore. It was a great series. We made it a little tough losing the first game. That says a lot when you come back and win the next three.”