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Suppan, Fielder help Brewers edge Reds

Sep 16, 2007 - 3:27 AM MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers turned to Jeff Suppan and Prince Fielder to keep their playoff hopes strong.

Suppan pitched 6 1/3 effective innings and Fielder broke the club record with his 46th homer as the Brewers posted a 5-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Rookie Ryan Braun, Geoff Jenkins and Damian Miller also drove in runs for Milwaukee (75-72), which cut its deficit to one game behind the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs (77-71). Chicago split a day-night doubleheader vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.

Suppan (10-11) allowed three runs, seven hits and two walks to earn just his second win since June 22. The righthander was 0-4 in 12 starts before earning a win on September 2 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"Tonight was a great team win for us," Suppan said. "We got some timely hitting and our bullpen did a great job tonight."

Suppan allowed only a run-scoring single to Joey Votto in the second and an RBI double to Norris Hopper in the seventh before being replaced by Brian Shouse later in the inning.

After Shouse retired one batter, Scott Linebrink gave up a run-scoring single to Brandon Phillips to cut Cincinnati's deficit to 4-3. However, Ray King entered and struck out Adam Dunn with a runner on to end the threat.

"We had to do just about everything we could to win that game tonight," Brewers manager Ned Yost said.

Derrick Turnbow recorded two outs in the eighth before being replaced by Francisco Cordero with runners on first and second. Cordero struck out Hopper to end the frame before striking out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his 42nd save of the season.

Cordero had no problems entering the contest in the eighth instead of his customary ninth inning appearance.

"We're trying to win and go to the playoffs so as long as I'm healthy, I'll be ready to go in the eighth," Cordero said. "With all the moves and the fans getting into it, it was really an exciting game."

The Brewers were leading 2-1 in the bottom of third when Fielder led off by belting a 1-2 pitch from Reds starter Kirk Saarloos over the right field wall for a new club record. The blast breaks the club's all-time record which he shared with Richie Sexson (2001, 2003) and Gorman Thomas in 1979.

"It's weird but pretty cool at the same time," said Fielder of being at the top of the franchise homer list. "That it was able to actually help us win made it even more special."

Milwaukee scored the first two runs of the game on an RBI groundout by Braun followed by a run-scoring single by Jenkins later in the first to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

Miller added an RBI single in the fifth to increase Milwaukee's lead to 4-1 and J.J. Hardy homered in the eighth.

In his first start since May 27, Saarloos (1-5) got the loss for the Reds, giving up three runs and six hits in four innings.

"I thought Kirk pitched pretty well out there, we just didn't have our hitting shoes on tonight," Reds manager Pete Mackanin said. "We need to get our offense back on track tomorrow."