 MILWAUKEE AP - The Brewers picked an unlikely evening to end their run of slow starts. Justin Smoak homered and drove in three runs as Milwaukee cooled off Trevor Bauer and snapped a four-game skid with a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. Smoaks first-inning RBI single put the Brewers ahead for good. Before Monday, the Brewers had been outscored 37-5 in the opening two innings of games this season. It was really helpful, said Brewers catcher Omar Narvaez, who added a solo shot. You kind of breathe a little bit more when you call the game when youre ahead. Getting an early lead was unusual enough for the Brewers. Doing it against Bauer was even more surprising. Bauer 3-1 began the game with an 0.68 ERA that led the majors. The last time hed faced the Brewers, Bauer had struck out 12 while allowing one run and three hits over six innings in an 8-3 Cincinnati victory on Aug. 7. This time, he fell behind 4-0 in the first four innings. They battled, Bauer said. They put up really good at-bats all night long. Youve really got to give theme credit. It was a lot different game than the first time I faced them. They clearly understood what I was trying to do and fought along with me, and when I made some mistakes, they didnt miss them. They hit a lot of balls hard. This four-game series matches two NL Central rivals trying to bounce back from disappointing starts as the abbreviated season approaches its halfway point. They entered Mondays game with identical 11-15 records, putting them 5 12 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs. The Brewers were opening a 10-game homestand after getting swept over the weekend by the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates. The last three days in Pittsburgh, thats not who we are... 