Reds 10, Brewers 4: Lowly Cincinnati has no problem snapping eight-game losing streak

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By any and every statistical measure, the Cincinnati Reds arrived at Miller Park on Monday as the worst team in the majors thus far in 2018.

The Reds had a 2-13 record and had lost eight in a row, including a four-game sweep at home by the St. Louis Cardinals. They ranked 29th in offense among the 30 clubs with only 44 runs scored and last in pitching by a substantial margin with a 5.83 earned run average.

Cincinnati starting pitcher Luis Castillo entered the game with a 7.31 ERA over his first three starts. Four of the eight position players in the Reds’ lineup had batting averages below .200.

And none of that mattered. 

ANALYSIS:Brewers' ragged start at home gets worse with loss to lowly Reds

BOX SCORE:Reds 10, Brewers 4

NOTES:Brewers put catcher Manny Pina on DL, call up Jacob Nottingham

PODCAST:Injuries, the Josh Hader experience, fielding woes, etc.

MLB:Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics

Castillo again dominated Milwaukee’s hitters until the game was out of reach, and the Reds’ offense pounded the Brewers with 14 hits in an ugly – for the home team – 10-4 romp at Miller Park.

It was the third career start for Castillo against the Brewers and he was cruising as he did in the first two (1.98 ERA) until an unlikely four-run rally in the seventh. Brewers relief pitcher Jorge Lopez, making his 2018 debut, triggered the outburst with a two-run double on a 0-2 pitch for his first hit in the majors.

After playing a string of series against expected contenders, the Brewers returned home with an 8-8 record and series looming against two last-place teams – Cincinnati and Miami. But the home stand got off to a giant thud with their worst game of the season by far.

The Brewers dropped to 2-6 at home and have been outscored, 48-20, in those games.

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

A PAIR OF FIRSTS: Catcher Jacob Nottingham made his big-league debut in the seventh inning and drew a walk in his first at-bat. Reliever Jorge Lopez, making his first 2018 appearance, batted because the team needed him to cover more innings, and he ripped a two-run double for his first hit in the majors. And on an 0-2 pitch from Castillo, who then exited the game with a disbelieving look on his face.

ONE ROUGH INNING FOR SUTER: Brewers starter Brent Suter had one bad inning out of the five he pitched. The Reds scored three runs in the second, with the big blow a two-run single with two outs by leadoff hitter Billy Hamilton, who was hitting .170 with three RBI. Hamilton was 1 for 8 with five strikeouts against Suter entering that at-bat.

DRAKE GETS POUNDED: Reliever Oliver Drake entered the game with a 1.13 ERA but exited with a 7.00 ERA after getting pounded for six hits and six runs in the sixth inning as the Reds sent 10 hitters to the plate. The barrage included four doubles as well as a two-out, run-scoring single by Castillo after an intentional walk to No. 8 hitter Phil Gosselin.

DEPTH BEING TESTED: The Brewers think they have the best depth they’ve had in years, beyond the 25-man roster, but it has been tested by a series of injuries of varying degrees. Ryan Braun (lower back stiffness) and Eric Thames (groin strain) were out of the starting lineup, Manny Piña (calf strain) went on the disabled list and Christian Yelich (oblique strain) remained on the DL.

"We've lost some significant pieces," manager Craig Counsell said before the game. "I do think we're constructed to handle that but you want your guys out there. We are 8-8.

“It’s been a strange 2 ½ weeks. The injuries have been more than we expected or even planned for, when you acquire depth. You’ve got to get through those segments and tough part of your schedule until you’ve got everybody clicking and playing well.”

COMFORTS OF HOME: After being fortunate to get in all three games during a blustery weekend in New York, the Brewers were happy to return to climate-controlled Miller Park (tailgating fans, not so much). With postponements piling up across the majors due to bad weather, Counsell noted how fortunate the Brewers were to have none thus far.

“I know we’re five games ahead of some teams (in games played), which is remarkable,” he said. “It would be a little bit daunting, knowing we had five games to make up. That’s challenging for some of those teams.”

RECORD

This year: 8-9.

Last year: 9-8.

ATTENDANCE

Monday: 28,677

This year: 274,185 (34,273 avg.)

Last year: 247,899 (30,899 avg.)

COMING UP

Tuesday: Brewers vs. Reds, 6:40 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Junior Guerra (1-0, 1.69) vs. Cincinnati RHP Sal Romano (0-1, 5.87). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: FM-94.5.