MILWAUKEE — Todd Walker, the guy with the game-winning hit for the Reds, rated Thursday's come-from-behind, 2-1, 11-inning victory over the Milwaukee Brewers No.1.

Aaron Boone makes a lunging stop as Barry Larkin backs up the play. | ZOOM |

        “That's the best victory of the year for us,” Walker decided. “For us to pull it out was pretty incredible. We've been on a special roll so far.”

        You might be inclined to say: “Wake up, Todd, it was the Brewers!” But you have to consider the way the Reds won this one:

        • They were down to three outs against Ben Sheets when Sean Casey, who had hit only one previous home run this year, hit one out to right-center to tie it 1-1.

        • The Brewers would have won in regulation if not for an amazing 7-6-2 putout of Raul Casanova in the fifth inning.

        “That's the game right there,” Casey said. “Because I don't think we get two runs off Ben Sheets.”

Corky Miller is hit by a pitch in the 10th inning. | ZOOM |

        The victory was the Reds' fourth straight over the Brewers and completed their first four-game sweep since 1999. It was their seventh straight win over Milwaukee in the season series. The Reds are 10 games over .500 (25-15) for the first time since the end of the 1999 season and have a five-game lead over second-place St. Louis in the NL Central.

        The Reds head next to St.Louis for a four-game seriesstarting today against the NL Central favorites.

        While the series there seems much larger than the series in Milwaukee, the Reds who remember 1999 know a win is a win is a win.

        “In '99, we missed the playoffs by one game,” Scott Williamson said. “If we had won one more here (in Milwaukee), we would have made the playoffs. Every game is a big one.”

        Thursday's was certainly one of the best.

        Sheets, the Brewers' ace-in-waiting, was on from the start. The Reds had only two hits and advanced only two runners to second against him through eight innings.

        Reds starter Chris Reitsma matched Sheets well. The Brewers had only two hits and no threats until the fifth. Former Red Alex Ochoa led off the fifth with a double. He advanced to third on Jose Hernandez's groundout. The Reds then walked Casanova to get to Sheets.

Corky Miller blocks Raul Casanova from the plate in the fifth inning. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        Reitsma hung a breaking ball to Sheets, who lofted it into left field. It went to the wall, but Adam Dunn quickly retrieved it. He made a strong throw to Larkin.

        “Lark made a great relay,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “He barely touched the ball.”

        Casanova already was around third when Larkin got the ball. Corky Miller, meanwhile, was standing in front of home plate as though he were waiting for a bus. The idea was to make Casanova think a throw wasn't coming.

        “Hollywood's going to call you for the act,” Danny Graves said.

        “If there's a shadow of a doubt,” Miller said, “he might slow up a step. All I've got to do is catch the ball. That was easy. It was a great throw by Lark.”

        Casanova slid head-first into Miller's shin guards and was out easily. Casanova hyperextended his elbow on the play.

        “We've been talking all year about how you have to make plays like those to win the close games,” Boone said.

        Boone was confident that if the Reds could tie it, they could win it.

        “Then it's their bullpen against ours,” Boone said.

Jason LaRue and Danny Graves celebrate their four-game sweep. | ZOOM |

        He got his wish from Casey. Sheets' 113th pitch wasn't awful, just up a bit, which, come to think of it, is awful at 0-2.

        “I was able to get on top of it,” Casey said.

        It was the first home run Sheets has given up at Miller Park this year.

        The Reds bullpen was as advertised. Williamson (two innings) and Gabe White (one inning) shut down the Brewers long enough for the Reds to rally. Austin Kearns doubled with two out in the 11th. Dunn was intentionally walked. Mike DeJean then walked Aaron Boone to load the bases. That brought up Walker, who had four hits Wednesday but was 0-for-4 Thursday at that point. “I know (DeJean) pretty well,” Walker said. “He had just walked Aaron on four pitches. I figured he'd try to throw a fastball for a strike.”

        He did. Walker lashed it into right for a single. Kearns scored. Dunn got hung between third and home to end the inning.

        But the mistake didn't cost the Reds. Graves handled the 11th singlehandedly — he got all three outs on balls hit back to him. The bullpen pitched 14 2/3 innings in the series and allowed no runs on six hits.

        A lot of the Reds' success is because of what they've done to the dregs of the NL. They are 12-1 against the last-place teams in the NL (Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Colorado) and 13-14 against the rest of the league.

        The four games in St.Louis promise to be tougher than the four here. But no bigger, Bob Boone said.

        “I don't think it's pivotal,” Boone said. “Pivotal comes in September. ... Picking up a game like this can be just as big.”

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