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Weeks' homer lifts Brewers over Reds

Apr 27, 2011 - 4:13 AM Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Rickie Weeks hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-2 victory over Cincinnati to even their three-game series.

Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun also belted solo homers for the Brewers, who held Cincinnati to just two hits while bouncing back from a 9-5 loss in the series opener on Monday.

Marco Estrada made another good start for the injured Zack Greinke, giving up two runs, two hits and three walks and striking out five in seven innings.

"He was outstanding," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. "Great changeup, located his fastball well ... He had an outstanding game."

Kameron Loe (2-1) earned the win in a hitless eighth inning and John Axford pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save.

Braun homered in his second at-bat -- reaching base for the 23rd straight game to start the season and tying the team record set by Robin Yount in 1983.

Weeks and Yuniesky Betancourt led Milwaukee with two hits apiece.

Brandon Phillips belted a two-run homer for the Reds, who fell to 3-7 in their last 10 games. Their six-game winning streak against Milwaukee was snapped.

The Brewers activated All-Star rightfielder Corey Hart from the disabled list for the first time this season. Hart, who had missed Milwaukee's first 22 games with a left oblique strain, pinch-hit for Estrada in the seventh and grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Greinke, trying to come back from a rib injury, is scheduled to make one more minor league start before he returns to the Milwaukee rotation, leaving Estrada's future up in the air.

"We have some decisions to make," said Roenicke.

Weeks led off the eighth inning with his sixth homer of the season, lining a 1-0 pitch from Logan Ondrusek (2-2) over the wall in left-center field for the eventual game-winning run.

Ondrusek was in for Reds starter Mike Leake, who was trying to pick up his second win since being arrested at a Macy's last week on a misdemeanor theft charge. Leake pitched well, giving up two runs on seven hits in his seven innings, striking out six and walking none.

Fielder and Braun both homered off Leake. Fielder went opposite field on a 1-0 pitch in the second inning, just clearing the left field wall to give Milwaukee the early lead.

"I just left it up in the zone," said Leake.

After Phillips reached down for a two-run blast off Estrada in the top of the fourth, Braun hit his ninth homer of the season to one of the deepest parts of the stadium in right-center field.

Game Notes

Milwaukee activated Hart and also placed first baseman Erick Almonte on Major League Baseball's new seven-day disabled list designated for players suffering from head injuries. Almonte sustained a concussion during batting practice on Tuesday when he was struck in the face by a thrown ball...How good was Estrada? Said Axford: "In the bullpen, every pitch we were yelling, 'Filthy!'"