Jonathan Lucroy’s Two Home Runs Power Brewers over Reds

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy hit two home runs, including a walk off in the bottom of the ninth, to give the Brewers a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Milwaukee on July 22nd.  The victory gave the Brewers a 1 ½ game lead over the idle St. Louis Cardinals.  The Pittsburgh Pirates kept pace at 2 ½ back after beating the Dodgers, and the Reds dropped to 4 ½ back in the tight National League Central race.  Here’s Lucroy’s game winner:

Lucroy is turning into one of baseball’s top catchers. He displayed his talents at the All Star Game, where he started at catcher for the National League in place of the injured Yadier Molina.  Lucroy was 2 for 2 at the plate, both doubles, and he drove in two runs.  Lucroy is a workhorse, appearing in 93 of the Brewers 101 games so far this season, including a few starts at first base or DH in interleague games to keep his bat in the lineup.  Despite a recent mini slump before the Reds game, Lucroy is hitting .310 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs.  He’s also second in the National League in doubles with 33, and is on a pace to break the Brewers’ franchise record in that category.