KANSAS CITY – A Cincinnati Reds lineup that had scored at least six runs in five consecutive games got held in check by left-hander Noah Cameron and the Kansas City Royals bullpen in the Wednesday finale of a series the Reds already had clinched.

But if they looked quiet for most of a 3-2 loss, the Reds did not go gentle into the night at Kauffman Stadium.

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When home plate umpire Carlos Torres called out struggling Reds hitter Matt McLain on what looked like a low pitch leading off the ninth, pitcher Nick Martinez had enough to say about it from the dugout to get tossed by Torres.

And then manager Terry Francona charged from the dugout to make his four-letter case and earn the 52nd ejection of his career.

“I just wanted to know who he threw out,” Francona said. “It was a little bit of everything.”

The Reds also are awaiting a followup examination of cleanup hitter Austin Hays, who left the game after fouling a ball off his left foot in the sixth inning.

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X-rays were inconclusive, Francona said, so Hays has been scheduled to have an MRI on the foot Thursday morning during the team’s scheduled off day, ahead of another weekend series against the division-leading Chicago Cubs.

“You could tell he was hurting,” Francona said.

Hays already has spent two stints on the injured list this season because of a left calf strain and a left hamstring strain. He’s hitting .303 with six home runs in 31 games this season.

In his second start back from a groin injury Wednesday, ace Hunter Greene needed 88 pitches to navigate traffic in all five innings of his start, 24 of those pitches spent on the first four batters of the game.

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He took a drive off his right calf in the fourth inning that caromed to the first-base line but said it didn’t affect his pitching the rest of his start and expected to be fine when he makes his next start, at home next week against the Brewers.

“They made him work. I didn’t think he had his best command,” Francona said. “I think it’s a little bit expected on his second start back. Now he’ll get an extra day this time, and starting with his next outing we can kind of take the gloves off and let him be who he is and not worry about the pitch count so much. I think he’ll be OK.”

He struck out three, walked one and gave up two runs on seven hits, including a Drew Waters single that scored Garcia from first in the fourth after that ball off Greene’s calf.

Diving second baseman McLain got a glove on Waters sharp grounder, slowing it and sending it to shallow right-center a long run for both outfielders.

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“And their runner and their third-base coach did a very good job,” Francona said.

Former Reds second baseman Jonathan India, the Royals leadoff man who went to Kansas City in the Brady Singer trade in November, reached base three times against his old pals, including a pair of singles off Greene.

Spencer Steer drove in both Reds runs with two-out singles in the sixth and eighth.

The Reds trailed 2-1 in the seventh until rookie Luis Mey took over and threw eight of his first nine pitches of the inning for balls, then threw a wild pitch that put the runners at second and third. That set the stage for Witt’s sacrifice fly to right for what proved the difference in the game.

“It’s a hard way to pitch and not give up runs,” Francona said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds lineup quieted in loss to Kansas City Royals