CINCINNATI _ Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he didn't think his players were looking past last-place Cincinnati to the big weekend series in Chicago.
If not, how do you explain their flat performance in getting swept three games by the Reds? With a playoff berth at stake, the Brewers were outplayed in every facet of the game, getting outscored, 21-8.
"We didn't play a good series," Counsell said. "The games are on the schedule in front of them. I thought we had good energy every day before the game. I was very pleased with it. It was something I was very aware of. We just didn't hit enough against their pitching."
The final blow Wednesday was a 7-1 loss at Great American Ball Park in which the Brewers put up little fight. Cincinnati rookie right-hander Luis Castillo dominated them for eight innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out 10.
And it was another dismal result for Brewers starter Matt Garza, given the assignment when Counsell opted to move Jimmy Nelson back to the Chicago series. Though both Counsell and Garza said it was mostly bad luck, he allowed six hits, two walks and five runs in 2 2/3 innings, continuing a recent downward trend.
Instead of taking some momentum into the big series against the Cubs, the Brewers likely put themselves in a must-sweep position by losing all three games against Cincinnati. Counsell wanted his three best pitchers _ Nelson, Chase Anderson and Zach Davies _ lined up against Chicago, a good plan if the Brewers won some games from the Reds.
The Brewers fell four games behind the Cubs in the National League Central and three behind Colorado for the second wild-card berth, pending later games involving those clubs. The Brewers have 22 games remaining.
"They outplayed us. We didn't have a good series," Counsell said. "Today, we ran into a really good pitching performance. Throughout the series, we didn't get much going against their starting pitching. That was the big thing."
Despite the Reds' woeful season, they have been a tough matchup for Milwaukee in the second half (2-4) because they can score runs and the Brewers have struggled to do so. After averaging 4.96 runs per game before the break, they have averaged 3.61 since.
The game was decided when the Reds scored five runs in the third inning off Garza. He allowed four consecutive singles with one down, including a grounder he deflected from Eugenio Suarez into right field that might have gone to second baseman Hernan Perez for an inning-ending double play.
"To be honest, I didn't know where Perez was playing," Garza said. "I tried to make a play and it hit off my glove. It probably could have got us out of the inning."
Garza then walked Scott Schebler on a 3-2 curveball to force in a run. When the Brewers were unable to turn two on Jose Peraza's grounder to short and Neil Walker allowed the relay to get away at first base, two more runs scored and Garza was done for the day.
"Matt just had some bad luck, in my opinion," Counsell said. "I don't think Matt had too many pitches where he'd say, 'I wish I had that pitch back.' The walk to Schebler maybe was the only at-bat.
"They had some jam shots, some balls off the end (of the bat). They got two runs on a double play we couldn't turn. I thought he pitched OK, I really did."
Unfortunately, the results continue to be the same for Garza. Over his last six starts, these are his numbers: 24 innings, 37 hits, 27 earned runs (10.13 ERA), 18 walks and 17 strikeouts. Overall, he is 6-9 with a 5.06 ERA this season, the last of his four-year, $50 million deal.
"I don't know what to say. I threw the ball a lot better, I felt," Garza said. "That's baseball. You just keep going, keep staying ready and wait for another shot. This is my worst stretch when we're trying to get to the postseason. This is where I'm at. They just found a lot of holes."
As for the damage the sweep did to the Brewers' chances, Garza said, "It sucks. We know what we're playing for. But we can definitely turn it around. We still have three weeks left. We can definitely get back in this thing. There's no reason to hang our heads about this."
