Brewers' ragged start at home only gets worse with lop-sided loss to lowly Cincinnati

Of all the concerns Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell had entering the season, mounting something resembling a respectable offense was not one of them. 

"We haven't swung the bats well here, which was kind of down on the list of things you worry about," Counsell said Monday night after his club absorbed a 10-4 beating by woeful Cincinnati at Miller Park.

"We just haven't swung the bats well here. Hopefully, we're starting getting a little healthier here the next couple of days and we'll get some guys back and start swinging the bats well."

In their first eight games at home, the Brewers have scored 20 runs, a putrid average of 2.5 per game. They've been shut out three times and outscored by 28 runs, an alarming run differential.

THE GAME:5 Takeaways | Box score

NOTES:Manny Pina placed on DL, Brewers call up Jacob Nottingham for MLB debut

PODCAST:Injuries, Josh Hader and 'The Sandlot' video

MLB:Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics

No huge red flags went up over the opening 2-5 home stand against the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, despite the three blankings, because those clubs are considered contenders. To get whipped by the lowly Reds was a different matter, however.

Cincinnati staggered into town with a 2-13 record, including eight consecutive losses. The Reds' offense was terrible, with an average of 2.93 runs per game, and the pitching was even worse, with a horrendous 5.83 earned run average.

But that didn't stop the Brewers from surrendering 14 hits and 10 runs, while doing nothing with the bats outside of an unlikely four-run rally in the seventh. For the third time in three starts against Milwaukee, Reds righty Luis Castillo was completely dominant until the game was far out of reach.

Castillo throws hard but that's not what bedevils the Brewers' hitters. There are lots of hard throwers in the league. What makes Castillo a nightmare for them is a change-up that he uses to put away hitters with two strikes, and which has been impossible for them to lay off.

"We've got to do a better job against him," Counsell said. "Especially the first time through the order, he got through us pretty quickly. He has been tough on us, for sure.

"The change-up is his best pitch. It's paired with big velocity. That's why velocity is so valuable. The difference is he throws it to right-handed hitters a lot, which you don't see a lot (from right-handed pitchers). It makes him a little unique. He's got good fade on it and he gets swing and miss on it below the (strike) zone."

Castillo also had one of the key at-bats of the game. With two outs, two strikes and one run across in the sixth, he smacked an RBI single to right field off reliever Oliver Drake that triggered a six-run outburst. 

"Ollie had a chance to get out of that inning but couldn't finish the inning," Counsell said. "You give up a hit to the pitcher, it's obviously a big spot. It was 4-0 at that point and certainly still a ball game. The rest of the inning, he couldn't make a pitch to get out of it."

At the time, it didn't appear that big a deal because Castillo was virtually unhittable and a 9-0 lead seemed like overkill. It became important later when Castillo somehow allowed a two-run, two-out double to Brewers reliever Jorge Lopez on an 0-2 pitch that paved the way for a four-run rally.

It was one of those go-figure moments in a game. Castillo walked Jacob Nottingham, making his major-league debut, then allowed the big hit by Lopez, who was hitless in two career at-bats in the majors.

Baseball is weird that way. Lopez was batting only because Counsell needed more innings out of him in a lop-sided game to save the rest of the bullpen. Lopez accomplished that mission, pitching the final three frames after waiting five days to pitch since being called up from Class AAA Colorado Springs.

"He did a fabulous job; really, three important innings," Counsell said. "I don't know how to explain (the two-run double). He did his job in covering for the bullpen."

It was one of those out-of-whack games. Brewers starter Brent Suter had just one hiccup over his five-inning outing, but it was a big one — a three-run rally by the Reds in the second. Then came the Drake meltdown and the unexpected exit of Castillo in the seventh.

As for the poor showing thus far at home, Suter said, "I don't really have an explanation for it. We'll get the wins here for the home fans. It's just a matter of time and adjustments. 

"It does seem like we've been struggling here at home, so time to turn that around tomorrow."