CINCINNATI – The Milwaukee Brewers opened National League Central Division play in wild and wacky fashion on Monday night.

They trailed the Cincinnati Reds by eight runs entering the fifth inning before mounting a massive comeback that ultimately fell short.

The result was a 10-8 defeat at Great American Ball Park that was ugly early but made less painful by how well the Brewers swung the bats as the game progressed.

Box score: Reds 10, Brewers 8

Brice Turang and Christian Yelich both homered and every starting position player aside from Willy Adames had at least one hit for an offense that put up 12 runs the previous day in beating the Seattle Mariners.

Aaron Ashby started and had a rough go of it in his first major-league appearance since Oct. 5, 2022, but he couldn't be blamed for it all as the defense committed three errors behind him.

Elly De La Cruz homered twice for the Reds, his first a 450-foot shot to center in the fifth and the second an inside-the-park dash in the seventh.

Milwaukee made things interesting in the ninth, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate with two outs in the form of Rhys Hoskins. He worked a full count but flew out to right to end it.

Elly De La Cruz is something else

Bryan Hudson replaced Joel Payamps, who threw a scoreless seventh. The second batter he faced was De La Cruz, who sent a sinking liner to center that Sal Frelick made an ill-fated diving attempt on and missed.

The ball rolled to the track and De La Cruz came all the way around to score for an inside-the-park homer. It might have been a close play at home, but the relay throw home hit the mound and caromed away.

Christian Yelich makes it a one-run game

William Contreras doubled to open the seventh, then Yelich followed with an opposite-field homer that drew Milwaukee to within 9-8. It came off former Brewer-for-a-minute Justin Wilson, a left-hander.

It was Yelich's fourth homer of the season; he didn't hit his fourth last season until May 4.

Offense makes things interesting

With Reds starter Graham Ashcraft still on the mound in the sixth, Adames saw his bid for his second homer of the season fall just short as Stuart Fairchild robs him with a leaping grab at the wall in right for the first out.

But then the Brewers get a Frelick single, followed by a two-out single by Jackson Chourio, a two-RBI double by Turang and an infield single on which Brice Turang scored when Ashcraft threw the ball away.

And just like that, it was a 9-6 game.

First homer of the year for Turang

Turang, who's been swinging a hot bat so far this season, followed a leadoff walk in the fifth with a two-run homer to straightaway center off Ashcraft to break up the shutout.

Three straight singles after that made it an 8-3 game.

Cincinnati answered right back, however, as De La Cruz belted a 450-foot leadoff homer to center off JB Bukauskas, who replaced Ashby with two outs in the fourth.

Ashby allowed five hits, eight runs (four earned) and two walks with two strikeouts over 82 pitches.

Reds break the game open in the fourth

Consecutive singles to start the bottom of the fourth were followed by a bunt off the bat of Santiago Espinal. Ortiz, charging in, made the play but threw low to Hoskins at first for Milwaukee's third error on the night.

Both runners came in to score and Espinal ended up all the way at third with the ball rolling past Hoskins and down the right-field line. Will Benson followed with a double to right to make it 5-0.

A walk and then a double steal put runners into scoring position and Spencer Steer doubled both in, deepening the deficit to 7-0. Jeimer Candelario, who singled to start the inning, followed with another single and that was all for Ashby as the score ballooned to 8-0.

Shaky defense costs Ashby

Hoskins whiffed on a routine throw by Adames for an error in the first inning, but that miscue didn't cost Ashby or the Brewers.

Another mistake in the second did, however, as Ortiz made a poor throw over to Hoskins with the speedy De La Cruz hustling down the line. He ended up on second, quickly stole third and scored on a groundout.

Then with two outs, Benson homered to right to put Milwaukee into a quick 2-0 hole.

Brewers lineup

1. Oliver Dunn DH

2. William Contreras C

3. Christian Yelich LF

4. Willy Adames SS

5. Sal Frelick CF

6. Rhys Hoskins 1B

7. Jackson Chourio RF

8. Brice Turang 2B

9. Joey Ortiz 3B

Reds lineup

1. Stuart Fairchild RF

2. Spencer Steer LF

3. Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B

4. Jeimer Candelario 3B

5. Tyler Stephenson C

6. Elly De La Cruz SS

7. Santiago Espinal 2B

8. Will Benson RF

9. Bubba Thompson CF

Brewers schedule

Brewers at Reds, 5:40 p.m. Tuesday. Milwaukee RHP Joe Ross (0-0, 0.00) vs. Cincinnati LHP Frankie Montas (2-0, 0.77). Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.

Brewers at Reds, 5:40 p.m. Wednesday. Milwaukee TBA vs. Cincinnati RHP Hunter Greene (0-0, 2.53). Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.

Brewers at Reds, 12:10 p.m. Thursday. Milwaukee RHP Freddy Peralta (1-0, 3.09) vs. Cincinnati RHP Nick Martinez (0-0, 7.20). Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Reds 10, Brewers 8: Offense makes it interesting late