Hamilton, Simon star as Reds beat Brewers in series opener

Unstoppable speed met an immovable object Friday night at Great American Ball Park.

Alfredo Simon did what opposing teams have tried to do all season — slow Billy Hamilton to a crawl — by trotting around the bases in slow motion ahead of Hamilton after Hamilton’s fifth home run of the season. The blast gave the Reds a 2-0 lead in the third inning but only because Hamilton managed to restrain himself by not passing Simon on the basepaths.

Hamilton’s home run set the tone in the opener of a key three-game series as the Reds beat the first-place Brewers 4-2 in front of an Fourth of July crowd of 42,120, the fifth sellout of the season.

“It’s about the slowest I’ve ever ran,” Hamilton said. “Pitchers have their own ways. You don’t even want him to run hard. He’s pitching a great game. He could have walked around the bases for all I care. I would have walked, too.”

Simon (11-3, 2.78 ERA) allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings to bolster his resume for the All-Star Game. He has been the winning pitcher in five of his last six starts. He’s now tied for the National League lead in wins with the Dodgers’ Zack Greinke and the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright.

“That’s really big for me,” he said. “I’ve never won 11 games before. I’m just trying to do my job. I’m happy right now. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Cincinnati (44-41) trimmed Milwaukee’s lead in the National League Central to six games. It’s the closest the Reds have been to first place since they were 5½ back May 24.

“I played for Dusty (Baker) for a long time, and he used to say some games are two-game games,” said Reds first baseman Joey Votto before the game. “What he meant was, if there’s a team in front of you, you’d be able to make a full game up within that game. I guess we’ve got a weekend series of two-game games. I’m excited. Hopefully, we play them tough, get out to an early lead and hang onto it.”

That’s what happened Friday. The Reds added insurance runs in the fourth and fifth on RBI doubles by Skip Schumaker and Votto.

Despite the three-game sweep at the hands of the Padres earlier in the week, the Reds have won nine of their last 13 games. They improved to 6-2 against the Brewers (51-36), who still own the best record in the National League.

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