Diamondbacks beat Brewers 2-1

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 02: Emmanuel Rivera #15 of the Arizona Diamondbacks scores on a single hit by teammate Jake McCarthy #30 against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Chase Field on September 02, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. All

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Emmanuel Rivera had three hits, Jake McCarthy added the go-ahead RBI single and the Diamondbacks edged the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Friday night.

"He's come in and slugged right away," D-backs third baseman Josh Rojas said of Rivera. "That was a great addition to this team. That was something we needed — we needed another power bat in the lineup."

Milwaukee — which has dropped three of four games — fell to 7 1/2 games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.

The D-backs have won seven of their past eight games. They’ve done their damage against the White Sox, Phillies and Brewers, which are all teams fighting for a playoff spot.

RELATED: Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app

"It’s been a challenging test and I think we’re passing, we’re doing a good job," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "We’re a good baseball team when we do things like we know how to do them."

Rivera had an RBI double in the fifth and added two singles. The 26-year-old struggled to find a consistent role with the Royals but immediately became a key cog in the middle of the D-backs’ order since the trade.

In 21 games since joining Arizona, he's batting .293 with five homers and 13 RBIs.

The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Andrew McCutchen walked with the bases loaded, forcing home Willy Adames. It was the third straight walk from D-backs reliever Kyle Nelson.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

But the D-backs recovered quickly in the bottom of the fifth, tying the game on back-to-back doubles by Christian Walker and Rivera. McCarthy brought Rivera home with a single to give Arizona a 2-1 advantage.

The Brewers left 11 runners on base.

"Today was a strange game," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We got a bunch of base hits, bunch of singles, but didn't really have a ton of guys in scoring position."

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

Arizona's bullpen threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Ian Kennedy worked the ninth for his 10th save in 14 opportunities.

D-backs right-hander Zach Davies was effective, but needed 91 pitches to navigate 4 2/3 innings. He gave up one earned run on six hits and a walk while striking out five.

Brewers left-handed starter Eric Lauer (10-6) gave up two runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out five. Kyle Nelson (2-0) got the win for the D-backs.

It was the first time Davies and Lauer met on the mound since they were traded for each other in a Brewers-Padres swap in 2019.