Cincinnati Reds Blow 5-1 Lead in Loss to Brewers

W: Jeremy Jeffress (5-0)

L: J.J. Hoover (7-1)

SV: Francisco Rodriguez (34)

When your team goes up by four runs after the fifth inning, you have to like your chances of bringing home the win. When your team is 30 games out of first place like the Cincinnati Reds are, however, nothing should come as a surprise.

The Reds jumped on the board first against the Milwaukee Brewers in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, scoring two runs in the second inning. The first came on an RBI single by Eugenio Suarez and a second run scored thanks to a botched double play attempt by the Brewers.

Brandon Phillips‘ first of four hits on the day made it a 3-0 game in the third.

The Brewers got a run back in the top of the fifth, but the Reds would respond with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning to knock starter Matt Garza from the game, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Todd Frazier and another run-scoring single by Suarez.

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The offense had given rookie starter John Lamb plenty of cushion to pick up his first big league win, but he couldn’t get out of the sixth inning (partly due to some terrible defense) and the Reds watched their lead slip away.

Lamb gave up four singles and a double before being pulled with two outs and the game tied at five. Two poorly played balls by Skip Schumaker in left field and another by Jason Bourgeois in center field didn’t help Lamb’s cause.

Sam LeCure relieved Lamb and allowed an inherited run to score as the Brewers took a 6-5 lead. Lamb was charged with six runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out four.

An opportunity to regain the lead presented itself in the seventh, as Joey Votto, Phillips and Frazier loaded the bases with no outs. But Schumaker, who was inexplicably batting ahead of Suarez and Tucker Barnhart in the lineup, grounded into a double play. The twin killing tied the game, but killed the Reds’ rally.

J.J. Hoover then came in to pitch the eighth and gave up a home run on the first pitch he threw to Elian Herrera. The Brewers would tack on another in the ninth off of Collin Balester as the Reds fell to 55-78 and continued to cement themselves in the cellar of the NL Central.

Other Notes:

• Votto, Phillips and Suarez certainly did their part for the Reds, making only two outs between them. Votto singled twice and walked twice, Phillips hit four singles and walked once, and Suarez hit two singles and doubled.
• Adam Duvall made his second plate appearance with the Reds as a pinch hitter in the sixth, striking out. It would make sense for the Reds to give Duvall as much playing time as possible this month to see what they have with him, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen.
• Burke Badenhop also pitched in this one, working around a hit and a walk in a scoreless eighth inning.

Up Next: The Reds will take the field for the second game of their doubleheader with the Brewers at 6:10 p.m. Keyvius Sampson will be on the mound for the Reds, while Wily Peralta will oppose him.

Next: Who will play LF for the Reds in 2016?