Stop digging and start scoring. That is the only way the Reds can climb out of their early-season offensive hole. That first step upward finally happened on Friday.

In his first start with the Brewers, lefty Tyler Alexander carved up the Reds in a 12-pitch first inning in which he struck out two. After TJ Friedl hit a warning-track flyout to open the game, Alexander got Spencer Steer to swing through a cutter and capped the inning off with a three-pitch punch out of Elly De La Cruz.

The Cincinnati Reds ended a 35-inning scoreless streak on Friday night when Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to drive in TJ Friedl in a 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.