Kyle Lohse Blanks Cincinnati Reds

There were no runs to be found on the home side, as Kyle Lohse and the Milwaukee Brewers, blanked the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Tuesday night.

A two-hit complete game shutout from the Brewers’ ace kept the Reds away from the elusive three-game winning streak that a team that is a dozen games below .500 severely covets.

The Bats:

Unless you’re name is Jack Hannahan, you did not get a hit for the Reds on Wednesday night. One was a solid line drive to lead off the bottom of the third inning, while the other was a bloop shot with two outs in the fifth that dropped in between centerfielder Carlos Gomez and shortstop Jean Segura. Coming into the game, Hannahan was just 1-for-5 in his career off Lohse, before ultimately ending the night 2-for-3.

It was not so much what Billy Hamilton did with the bat, as much as it was with the glove that made tremors. Those tremors are not only hypothetical media ones for a team that has 73 wins, but also real ones that are more than likely putting pressure on his medulla oblongata as we speak.

In defense of his pitcher, Hamilton scaled the wall in the top of the third to rob Milwaukee’s juiced slugger, Ryan Braun, of a home run by going up and over the wall to take it away. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Billy isn’t very tall, he smashed his face off the pad that indicates the yellow line, which apparently blocks off a steel rod. Hamilton would stay in the game for his next at-bat, but would leave in the top of the fifth with a mild concussion, which may ultimately end his season.

Neither Todd Frazier nor Devin Mesoraco would land any significant blows in their personal race to finish the season with higher stats in the three major batting categories (batting average, home runs and RBI). Mesoraco still barely holds the lead in BA and RBI, but Frazier seems to have locked up home runs, leading by three with just four games to play.

The Arms:

Backed by the defense early on, things were going smoothly for Daniel Corcino. Where he got into trouble was when he negated his defense and committed the cardinal sin: too many walks.

Milwaukee would get on the board in the top of the fourth on a RBI single from Rickie Weeks, who would finish the night 2-for-3 with a walk, as he smashed a line drive off the scoreboard in left field before being gunned down at second on a strong throw from left fielder Jason Bourgeois.

The wheels fell off for Corcino in the fifth, and quickly. Walking back-to-back batters in Jean Segura and Kyle Lohse (the latter of whom was attempting to give himself up with a sacrifice bunt) proved deadly as Carlos Gomez would bang a RBI double off the left field wall for the Brewers’ second run. After a walk to Ryan Braun, the night would be over for Corcino, who would not even make it through five.

There would be no additional runs tacked on as J.J. Hoover came through in the clutch retiring both Jonathan Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez with the bases loaded in the fifth. It would be a solid outing for Hoover who has not had many of those in 2014, as he even rolled up a double play in his usually disastrous second inning to keep the game close.

Much like Corcino early on, Pedro Villarreal did himself no favors with walks, as he too would have to escape a bases loaded jam against Ramirez. Getting him to bounce out to third, the Reds would stay two runs behind as they stretched in Cincinnati.

It all fell completely apart in the eighth inning as Ryan Dennick attempted to get more than just a single out. In fact, he would face six batters—three of which would score. Walking the first two batters of the inning, Jean Segura’s two-run double would get them in, followed by Segura himself scoring on Kyle Lohse’s sacrifice fly.

Sam LeCure would come on to work a scoreless top of the ninth.

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The key to this late season inconsequential contest was pure and simple, walks. Brewers’ starter Kyle Lohse had zero, while Reds pitching combined for 10. A truly outstanding number, three of the five runs Milwaukee would score on Wednesday came from the base on balls.

Now, there will be a rubber match. While the Reds will be seeing a familiar face in Yovani Gallardo, the same cannot be said for the Brewers who will be getting a peak at David Holmberg. It will be the veteran against the rookie as the Redlegs play their final weekday afternoon game of the season at 12:35 p.m. on Thursday.