Pitching on three days' rest, Trevor Bauer struck out 12 over eight innings, and the Cincinnati Reds homered three more times to take two of three from the visiting Milwaukee Brewers with Wednesday night's 6-1 victory.

Bauer (5-4, 1.73 ERA), an NL Cy Young Award candidate, was brilliant, allowing just Orlando Arcia's fourth-inning RBI double, three other hits and just one walk over 104 pitches to help the Reds (29-28) continue their push to the postseason. Joey Votto hit a two-run homer in the first, Jesse Winker deposited a solo shot in the fourth and Eugenio Suarez's three-run blast in the fifth essentially put the game away for Cincinnati.

All 14 Reds' runs in this series came on seven homers. Bauer, meanwhile, could possibly pitch again Sunday if the Reds still need to clinch a postseason berth.

Both Cincinnati and Milwaukee (27-28) are in the hunt for a playoff spot in the National League during the final week of the regular season.

Brewers starter Adrian Houser (1-6, 5.40 ERA) was charged with four runs -- three earned -- and five hits while striking out five with a walk. Avisail Garcia, meanwhile, had three of Milwaukee's five hits on the night.

During Milwaukee's 3-2 win on Tuesday, Cincinnati opened the scoring with Nick Castellanos' two-run homer in the first. On Wednesday, it was Votto's two-run, opposite field shot that put the hosts up 2-0.

Winker followed by smoking a line drive just over the right-field wall in the fourth inning for his 12th homer to make it 3-0. Milwaukee, though, got a run back in the fifth with Arcia's two-out, RBI double off the left-center field wall.

Suarez, however, essentially secured the game for the Reds with his three-run blast to left field. Suarez has hit five of his 15 home runs this season against the Brewers and posted 11 RBIs.

--Field Level Media