Jose Rijo allowed three hits in five innings. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        MILWAUKEE — Coming off Sunday's implosion, it was important for the Reds to play well Monday. They did. The Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 before a crowd of 14,844 at Miller Park.

        It wasn't enough to erase the memory of Sunday's 10-8 disaster in which the Reds blew an 8-0 lead, but it took away a little of the sting.

        The victory improved the Reds to 22-15 and opened their NL Central lead to 3 1/2 games over Pittsburgh.

        Jose Rijo (3-1), pitching on his 37th birthday, rebounded from back-to-back bad starts to throw five innings of shutout ball. Jim Brower, Scott Sullivan and Luis Pineda completed the Reds' second combined shutout of the year. The four pitchers allowed only five hits.

        “I can't think of a better birthday present for myself,” Rijo said. “After (Sunday's) game, I knew how important this was for the team. I tried to win the ballgame for my teammates.”

Sean Casey and Adam Dunn greet Austin Kearns after Kearns homered. | ZOOM |

        The offensive stars were the oldest and youngest Reds, Barry Larkin and Austin Kearns. Kearns hit his fifth homer, a two-run blast in the fifth and drove in another run. Larkin went 3-for-5 and scored three runs. Larkin has a seven-game hitting streak (.480 with eight runs scored).

        The Brewers beat Rijo around pretty well in his last start — five runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. His stuff wasn't much better Monday. He allowed only three hits. But he didn't fool many hitters (a half dozen outs were hard-hit balls) and he struggled with his control (four walks, one strikeout).

        “I made some pitches when I had to,” Rijo said. “I got lucky on a few. I felt better than last time. Not as good as I want to be. But it was good enough to win.”

        Brower followed Rijo. Brower threw two no-hit innings, striking out five. After a horrible April (5.87 ERA), Brower has been one of the Reds' best pitchers in the May (0.93 ERA).

Barry Larkin hits a triple. | ZOOM |

        He was followed by Sullivan. One out into the seventh, Sullivan took a line shot off the bat Richie Sexson off the right arm. The ball bounded all the way into foul territory. Sullivan left the game. X-rays showed no breaks. Sullivan did have a large lump where he was hit. He'll be re-evaluated today.

        Pineda got the last five outs of the game — four on strikeouts. One of his pitches registered 99 mph on the Miller scoreboard.

        “That's a pretty special arm,” Reds manager Bob Boone said.

        The Reds have won four straight from the Brewers. Monday's loss snapped a three-game Milwaukee winning streak.

        The Brewers swept three from the Cubs in Chicago after getting swept in three by the Reds in Cincinnati.

Larkin turns the double play, getting Brewers' Ron Belliard at second and former Red Jeffrey Hammonds at first. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        “We beat them up pretty good,” Boone said. “Then they turned it around.”

        Brewers starter Nick Neugebauer was scratched just before the game. Neugebauer had pain in the back of his shoulder while warming up. It was later diagnosed as a mild rotator cuff strain. Jose Cabrera replaced him.

        It was Cabrera's first big league start.

        Larkin greeted him by lining a single into left. Juan Encarnacion tried to sacrifice Larkin to second.

        Cabrera mishandled the bunt, and the Reds had first and second, no outs. Sean Casey gave the Reds a 1-0 lead, singling Larkin home.

        Encarnacion was thrown out trying to steal third. That broke a string of 12 successful steal attempts by the Reds. It also took a runner out of scoring position with no outs. Kearns followed with a walk. But Adam Dunn struck out and Aaron Boone popped out to end it.

        Larkin led off the third with a drive to center. Alex Sanchez tried to make an-over-the-shoulder catch, but it went off his glove for a triple.

        Larkin scored on Encarnacion's groundout and it was 2-0.

        Rijo wasn't cruising. He left the bases loaded in the second and left runners at first and second in the third. Both innings ended with nice Encarnacion catches.

        Kearns doubled the lead in Reds' fourth. Casey led off with a walk. Kearns tattooed a 1-1 pitch from Cabrera. It hit off the facing of the seats above left-center — an estimated 420 feet from homeplate. It gave him three home runs and six RBI over his last six games.

        “He's been jumping at the ball the last three or four days,” Boone said. “But he puts pretty good swings on them.”

        Rijo walked the first two hitters in the fifth. But got out of it with a groundout and double play ball.

        “He was losing it,” Boone said. “He had me nervous, but he gets out of it. He has a big heart. He just wills his way out of it.”

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