Major League Baseball

Francisco homers, Brewers beat Reds 6-0

Published Jun. 16, 2013 12:07 a.m. ET

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Juan Francisco drove in three runs with a sacrifice fly and homer in a ballpark where he's had some big moments, and Yovani Gallardo pitched six innings on Saturday, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

It was a rare win in Cincinnati for the Brewers, who have dropped 11 of their last 14 games at Great American Ball Park.

Logan Schafer had three hits off Homer Bailey (4-5), his second straight three-hit game. Schafer is filling in for Ryan Braun, who went on the 15-day disabled list with an injured right thumb after the series opener Friday.

Gallardo (6-6) gave up three hits and a pair of walks in his second straight impressive start. The right-hander threw eight shutout innings, allowing only four hits, during a 6-1 win at Miami on Monday.

Three relievers completed a seven-hitter for Milwaukee's first shutout. The Brewers were the only team in the majors without one. They came into the game with the worst combined earned run average in the NL, giving up more runs and homers than any other club.

After going 6-22 in May, the injury-depleted Brewers are 8-6 in June, winning six of their last eight games.

For the second time this season, the Reds couldn't overcome a homer by Francisco, who played for them from 2009-11. He hit the second-longest homer in ballpark history during his final season in Cincinnati, a 502-foot shot. He returned with the Braves this season and had a breakthrough - his first career grand slam off reliever J.J. Hoover during a 7-2 win on May 8.

The Brewers got him for a minor league pitcher on June 3, and he'd struggled until getting back to Cincinnati. Francisco was in an 0-for-15 slump when he had a pinch-hit single in Cincinnati's 4-3, 10-inning win on Friday night.

He hit a sacrifice fly and two-run homer that smacked off the bottom of the left-field foul pole on Saturday, giving the Brewers a 4-0 lead. It was only his third hit in 25 at-bats as a Brewer. With that, Francisco has one of the longest and one of the shortest homers at Great American.

Bailey gave up eight hits in seven innings and threw a wild pitch that let in a run, leaving him 1-6 career against Milwaukee.

Schafer, taking over in left field for Braun, had three hits for the second straight game. His two-run double in the sixth made it 6-0.

NOTES: It was Reds manager Dusty Baker's 64th birthday. ... The Brewers called up OF Caleb Gindl from Triple-A Nashville to replace Braun. He pinch-hit and struck out. Gindl is the sixth Brewer to make his big league debut this season. ... The Reds put RH reliever Jonathan Broxton on the 15-day DL, a day after swelling was detected in his right elbow. RH Pedro Villarreal was called up. ... Gallardo picked Joey Votto off first base in the first inning. ... The Brewers expect LH Chris Narveson, on the DL with a sprained finger, to return next week. ... The Reds plan to activate RH Johnny Cueto off the 15-day DL to start the series finale on Sunday against Milwaukee's Wily Peralta.

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Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay

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