MILWAUKEE -- No one is more disappointed about Jesse Winker’s production for the Brewers than Winker himself, but on Monday, he found a way to contribute in a new role off the bench. 

Blake Perkins took a four-pitch walk before Winker’s pinch-hit single pushed the winning run into scoring position for Christian Yelich’s walk-off single, giving the Brewers a 3-2 win over the Reds at American Family Field on a night Milwaukee’s pitching and defense shined once again, but the offense mostly floundered.

No matter. With Joey Wiemer’s home-run-saving catch in the first inning and Sal Frelick’s first career home run in the sixth, the Brewers beat the Reds for the ninth time in 11 tries this season and moved 1 1/2 games ahead in the National League Central standings on a night Milwaukee was 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position and came up empty with a runner at third base and fewer than two outs in four different innings. As Yelich dug in against Reds All-Star closer Alexis Díaz, Brewers hitters had come up empty in 14 consecutive at-bats with runners in scoring position.

A bouncer through the right side of the infield changed everything. 

“Baseball’s tough,” said Yelich after his first walk-off hit since September 2019. “There’s a lot of tough moments, and you’ve just got to keep battling. Every day is a new day. You never know when it’s going to turn. 

“[Winker] has done a really good job. He’s stayed really positive all year and works really hard. It’s great to see him have success in that moment, and hopefully that gets him started, and he can build on that.”

“I’m not going to come in here and pout or mope or not be a good dude,” Winker said. “Honestly, it’s been extremely fun for me to be here and be a part of this team. I wish I could be doing more to help, but there’s still a lot of ball left, and I want to be ready for it.” 

The Brewers acquired Winker and infielder Abraham Toro from the Mariners in the winter for cash and second baseman Kolten Wong, and for two of those players, it’s been a rough year. Among the 289 players who had more than 190 or more plate appearances going into Monday night Wong (.208) and Winker (.248) had baseball’s two lowest slugging percentages -- though Wong boosted his with a pinch-hit, go-ahead home run in the ninth inning for the Mariners in Minnesota.

For Winker, it’s a continuation of a power outage that began last season as he dealt with neck and knee injuries. Winker and the Brewers hoped that a pair of surgeries, plus a change of scenery, would unlock the player who never produced an OPS below .830 in parts of five seasons with the Reds from 2017-21. 

It has not, at least not yet. Winker did have one stint on the IL this season for a neck issue, but he refused to blame his health for his lack of production. 

“Man, I hate making excuses,” Winker said Monday afternoon. “I’m not hurt like I was last year, but I think I underestimated how hard it would be coming back from two surgeries. I really think I underestimated that. 

“But it’s too late for that. It’s too late to second guess. I’ve played like [crap]. It’s that simple. We could say it’s the surgeries, we could say it’s this or it’s that. Is there some truth to those things? Sure. But at the end of the day, if I can walk, it’s my job to walk in here and be able to help the team win. That’s how I look at it.”

His challenge is that the chances to do that are growing sparse. With catcher William Contreras swinging a hot bat (.357/.387/.529 this month), he’s been the DH on days he is not behind the plate. Manager Craig Counsell also intends to use Yelich as the DH more often in the weeks ahead to keep his regular left fielder fresh amid a resurgent season. Yelich is hitting .342 (54-for-158) with seven homers, 30 RBIs and 32 runs scored over his past 40 games. 

"At this point, truthfully, we’ve just got to go with the guys who we think can produce more. We’re at that point of the season, for me," Counsell before Monday’s game.

Winker has had success off the bench, going 5-for-12 with two walks as a pinch-hitter. Counsell and bench coach Pat Murphy informed him recently that he’d have a more limited role. 

“Managing a baseball team is probably the hardest thing to do in sports,” Winker said Friday afternoon. “I’ve always said it, when you’re in charge of a group of people, you have to think of the collective, not just one person. I’m ready for whatever. 

“Obviously, you want to play every day. I’m still a competitor. But I’m not here to write the lineup, I’m here when my number is called to be ready, and I feel like I’ve done a really good job of staying ready. I’m excited to help our team win.”