Brewers show pop with special pink bats

CINCINNATI — Ryan Braun moved into a tie for second on the list of home run-hitting opponents at Great American Ball Park, but he only had to face one Reds pitcher. Hernan Perez had to contend with two.

Both of those Brewers home runs in Sunday’s 5-4 win were hit with pink bats, continuing Major League Baseball’s tradition of raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research on Mother’s Day. Perez’s was odd, in that his at-bat began against Reds starter John Lamb and ended against reliever Steve Delabar after Lamb left the game with a sprained left thumb.

“That was crazy,” Perez said. “I was thinking he was hurt, because during the warmup, he was throwing the ball everywhere. I was expecting that.”

But Perez said he had never experienced an at-bat in which the pitcher left with an injury. He stayed loose by taking swings and watching carefully as Delabar warmed up, then fouled off two pitches before connecting for a home run that cut Milwaukee’s deficit to 4-2.

After the game, Perez revealed his secret: He was using one of backup catcher Martin Maldonado’s pink bats. Last year on Mother’s Day, Maldonado delivered a walk-off hit with a similar piece of lumber.

“It’s nice for our moms,” Perez said, mentioning his mother, Cristine. “Always, when …

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