CINCINNATI _ The Milwaukee Brewers suffered a pair of losses Wednesday night.
Not only did they drop a 4-3 decision to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, they also lost starting pitcher Chase Anderson after just one inning due to injury.
Anderson suffered a strained left oblique during his at-bat in the top of the second inning, leaving the Brewers to turn to reliever Paolo Espino and likely needing another starting pitcher moving forward assuming the injury lands the right-hander on the disabled list.
The Brewers caught no breaks early on in this one.
What was shaping up to be a big second inning for the Brewers fizzled thanks to some deft glove work by Reds right fielder Scott Schebler.
After Travis Shaw singled to lead off, Hernan Perez walked. Shaw tagged and moved to third on a flyout by Keon Broxton to bring up Stephen Vogt, who was in the starting lineup for the first time behind the plate.
Vogt lifted a long fly ball to right that Schebler tracked, timed perfectly and pulled back from over the wall with a leaping grab. Shaw tagged and scored to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead, but it was an opportunity missed to break the game open against inexperienced Reds starter Luis Castillo, who was making just his second major-league start.
Two batters later, Anderson came to the plate and struck out swinging. He walked off the field holding his left side and had to be replaced by Espino, who'd pitched a total of 4 2/3 innings in two appearances since being recalled from Class AAA Colorado Springs on June 13.
Ryan Duvall greeted Espino with a homer to straightaway center five pitches in. Ryan Braun matched him with a two-out, solo shot to right-center in the third that knotted the score at 1.
It was Braun's first homer since April 28 and the 23rd of his career at Great American Ball Park, tying Lance Berkman for the most ever by a visiting player.
Espino recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the third before walking Billy Hamilton, a free pass he wound up regretting after former Brewer Scooter Gennett followed by bouncing a homer off the top of the wall in right.
Castillo handcuffed the Brewers from there, departing after 5 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
Josh Hader tossed a pair of scoreless innings behind Espino and Oliver Drake didn't allow a run in the seventh. Their performances were big after Shaw hit a two-out laser beam over the wall in right-center off Tony Cingrani to tie it at 3 in the eighth.
Corey Knebel came in to pitch the bottom half and immediately got himself into trouble by walking Hamilton. Knebel followed up by striking out Gennett looking, giving him his 39th consecutive appearance with at least one punchout.
That tied the major-league record set by Bruce Sutter in 1977. But Hamilton stole second during the at-bat and, after Joey Votto was walked intentionally, grabbed third without a throw from Vogt.
Duvall followed with an infield single, and the Reds were once again ahead at 4-3.
Milwaukee got runners on the corners with one out in the ninth against Raisel Iglesias, but Cincinnati used a double play to end it when pinch-hitter Jesus Aguilar struck out and Orlando Arcia was thrown out trying to steal second.
