The Cincinnati Reds still can’t seem to solve the Milwaukee Brewers. Consequently, the Reds’ deficit in the standings continued to grow on Monday.
The Reds dropped their series opener to the Brewers, 3-2, at Great American Ball Park. A crowd of 18,711 attended as Cincinnati’s bats were kept off the scoreboard for the final eight innings of the contest.
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The Reds will need to take the next two games from Milwaukee or Cincinnati will suffer a 12th consecutive series loss to the Brewers.
The defeat dropped the Reds back a half-game in National League Central standings, where the division-leading Chicago Cubs‘ lead over Cincinnati swelled to nine games.
Cincinnati (29-32) on Monday started a six-game homestand against the Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Brewers series also concludes a key stretch of 12 of 15 games against NL Central opposition, and the Reds are so far 5-8 in that period.
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The Brewers’ victory increased their winning streak to eight games and improved their record to 33-28.
With 101 games still to play, Reds catcher Jose Trevino said Monday the clubhouse still had reasons to be optimistic.
“I think you just keep playing and stay the course playing your kind of baseball,” Trevino said. “I still feel like we haven’t played a full our-style, our-identity kind of baseball. We haven’t put a crazy run together yet. It’s coming soon.”
Brewers Christian Yelich (22) celebrates a third-inning home run June 2 at Great American Ball Park. Yelich’s home run gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead and it held up for the victory.
The Reds started Monday’s tilt in promising fashion, posting two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The lead could have been more, though, and that proved consequential. After T.J. Friedl scored from second base on Elly De La Cruz’s single, and De La Cruz later scored on a surprise bunt play executed by Spencer Steer, the Reds had runners on second and third with one out. Neither runner would score.
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“First inning − we did some good things to get second and third with one out and they had the infield in,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “That was a big chance for us.”
Brewers starting pitcher Aaron Civale was also about to settle into the game, and Milwaukee was going to respond.
In the top of the second inning, Cincinnati starting pitcher Brady Singer walked Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz with the bases loaded to drive in Sal Frelick. Brice Turang’s sacrifice fly ended up a double play by Cincinnati to end the at-bat, but Andruw Monasterio crossed home plate on the play to tie the game at two.
In the third inning, Christian Yelich tagged a 417-foot blast of a home run on a full count with two outs. The drive to straightaway center field appeared to come within feet of clearing the batter’s eye.
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“Obviously, I’d like to have that one back,” Singer said. “That pitch was just trying not to get another walk there, trying to stay in the zone and throw him a pitch I can get him out on… I just need to attack hitters more.”
Singer’s record dropped to 6-4. He tossed five innings and allowed four hits, three earned runs, three walks and four strikeouts.
Civale (1-1) stretched his outing 5 1/3 innings, allowing only the first-inning runs. Trevor Megill closed out the contest for the visitors.
“Civale, you know, he doesn’t break the radar gun but he spins it so well,” Francona said. “There’s life to his fastball, and there’s not many pitches that are straight.”
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The Reds on Tuesday (7:10 p.m.) will send Hunter Greene (4-3, 2.63 ERA) to start against the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta (5-3, 2.77 ERA).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Reds dropped their series-opener vs. the Milwaukee Brewers