MILWAUKEE -- Brewers catcher Jason Kendall had surgery to improve his vision last winter, and third baseman Bill Hall is on deck.

"The first day of the offseason, LASIK will be happening for me," Hall said.

Near the end of Spring Training, Hall started wearing contact lenses again after a three-year hiatus. He has 20/15 vision with corrective lenses. Without them, he's not so sure, but he knows he had to squint to see the baseball.

That means Hall hit 35 home runs in 2006 without being able to see.

"Now, when I take my contacts out at night I'm like, 'Why did I ever not wear them?'" Hall said.

When Brewers players underwent their Spring Training physicals, a doctor suggested that Hall, who has astigmatism, give contacts a try. He's had some trouble with them drying out, which is why Hall stepped out of the batter's box several times Tuesday during a seventh-inning at-bat against Reds starter Johnny Cueto.

When he finally stepped in the box, Hall delivered a go-ahead home run. He is a .313 (75-for-240) hitter lifetime against the Reds, and his 16 homers and 45 RBIs are by far his most against any opponent since he entered the Majors in 2002.

"When you squint, you narrow your vision," Hall said. "Now, with my contacts in, I can be as wide-eyed as possible and everything is very sharp."

If only he had worn them last season, when Hall struggled to a .254 average and only 14 home runs. He already has three homers this season.

"Maybe that was my problem last year," Hall said.

Hall and the Brewers continue a three-game series against the National League Central rival Reds on Wednesday night. The Brewers rallied in the 10th inning of Tuesday's series opener for their fourth straight win, and at 6-1 own the best record in the National League.

No one is celebrating just yet. Last year, the Brewers got off to the best start in the Majors at 24-10.

"Then everything kind of fell apart in the middle of the season," shortstop J.J. Hardy said. "I'm pretty sure we all learned from that and hopefully we can keep this going the whole season."

The Brewers' starter for Game 2 of the series is right-hander Dave Bush, the only Milwaukee starter with a loss this season. Bush has an 8.64 ERA in seven career starts against the Reds, but did pitch a four-hit shutout against them at Miller Park in April 2006.

Over his two seasons as a Brewer, Bush has been decidedly better at home (17-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 33 games). A solid outing Tuesday would help Bush avoid being the odd man out when right-hander Yovani Gallardo returns from the disabled list, which could happen as early as next week.

Pitching matchup
MIL: RHP Dave Bush (0-1, 10.13 ERA)
Uncharacteristic control issues plagued the right-hander in the team's Thursday game at Chicago, with five walks and a hit batsman contributing greatly to a six-run allowance over 5 1/3 innings. In his career, Bush allows only one walk per 4.5 innings, so the outing was potentially just a blip on the radar in the blustery Wrigley Field conditions.

CIN: RHP Josh Fogg (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
In a lackluster debut for the Reds on Friday vs. the Phillies, Fogg allowed six earned runs and five hits over four innings with three walks and three strikeouts. The right-hander lacked command all night and started 11 of his first 15 batters with a 1-0 count. Bad location led to a pair of home runs being hit against him. In 15 career starts vs. Milwaukee, Fogg is 6-4 with a 3.74 ERA. In 91 1/3 innings, he's allowed 12 home runs.

Tidbits
Right fielder Corey Hart will participate in an online chat Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. CT. Fans must register with brewers.com before submitting questions. ... Outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr. took early batting practice and did some running in the outfield Tuesday but remained sidelined by a strained left hamstring. The Brewers are hoping to avoid placing Gwynn on the disabled list. ... The Brewers are 3-0 in one-run games this season. ... Manager Ned Yost admitted he was tempted to start Gabe Kapler on Tuesday because of Kapler's inspired start, but he went with left-handed hitter Gabe Gross instead against Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto. Kapler, who will start against left-handers, batted .438 in his first six games, including a pair of home runs. ... Left-hander Randy Choate visited Dr. Don Sheridan in Phoenix on Monday because he was still feeling tenderness in his broken left hand. Sheridan recommended two more weeks of rest.

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Up next
• Thursday: Reds (Aaron Harang, 0-1, 2.77) at Brewers (Carlos Villanueva, 1-0, 3.38), 12:05 p.m. CT
• Friday: Brewers (Manny Parra, 1-0, 3.38) at Mets (Nelson Figueroa, 0-0, 9.00), 6:10 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Brewers (Ben Sheets, 1-0, 0.00) at Mets (Johan Santana, 1-1, 1.93), 12:10 p.m. CT