Brewers: Kyle Lohse’s rotation spot in jeopardy
By Phil Watson
Sunday brought another bad outing, another Milwaukee Brewers loss and another discussion about the future of Kyle Lohse in the starting rotation.
Lohse was rocked by the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park Sunday, allowing four runs on nine hits in just 4.1 innings as the Cubs completed their first four-game sweep in Milwaukee since 2008 with a 4-3 win.
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The Brewers (44-62) have dropped five in a row while the Cubs (57-47) pulled into a tie with the San Francisco Giants for the second wild-card spot in the National League.
“He was in a lot of trouble all day,” manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com of Lohse. “There was trouble pretty much every inning and it was big trouble. He struggled [Sunday] and we need better from him.”
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The 36-year-old leads the majors with 13 losses and 87 earned runs allowed and no National League pitcher has surrendered more than his 152 hits.
Lohse (5-13) has a 6.31 ERA, a 1.468 WHIP and has coughed up 25 home runs in 22 starts.
“They just hit a lot of balls down, off the end of the bat,” Lohse said. “Maybe I could’ve pitched in a little more, but that’s really the style I’ve been going. You just keep trying to make good pitches. You figure law of averages will even out, where a couple of them go at people instead of finding holes.”
As for Lohse’s next start, Counsell made that sound like it is far from a sure thing.
“We have to discuss that in the next few days,” Counsell said.
Lohse gave up single runs in the first, second and fourth innings before he was finally chased in the fifth.
Anthony Rizzo had an RBI groundout in the first after Lohse gave up a leadoff single and hit the second batter.
Addison Russell homered to center field with two outs in the second inning, his seventh of the season, for the Cubs.
Aug 2, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber (12) breaks up a double play attempt by Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jean Segura (9) in the first inning at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Brewers got a run back in the bottom of the inning.
Elian Herrera and Shane Peterson hit back-to-back one-out singles off lefty Clayton Richard (2-0) and both runners moved up on a wild pitch before Hernan Perez drove in a run with a groundout.
Richard had an RBI double in the fourth that put Chicago up 3-1 and in the fifth, Lohse was chased after an RBI single by Kris Bryant, who was hurt sliding into second base as he advanced on the throw home.
Aug 2, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) slides safely into 2nd base before tag by Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jean Segura (9) in the fifth inning at Miller Park. Bryant was injured on the play and had to leave the game. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee tried to rally in the ninth against Cubs closer Hector Rondon. Ryan Braun led off with a single and Adam Lind’s base hit put runners on the corners with no one out.
After a strikeout by Khris Davis, Herrera grounded into a force play as Braun scored to make it a 4-2 game.
Herrera moved up to second without a throw and then went to third when shortstop Starlin Castro botched Peterson’s ground ball.
Perez singled to left to make it 4-3 with the tying run at second base.
Aug 2, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Hernan Perez (14) drives in a run with a base hit in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park. The Cubs beat the Brewers 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
That brought Logan Schafer to the plate to hit for Francisco Rodriguez, who had worked the top of the ninth. Schafer hit the ball hard, but right at center fielder Dexter Fowler to end it.
Braun was 3-for-4 and Lind finished 2-for-4 as the Brewers had eight hits.
The bullpen kept the Brewers in the game, with right-hander Tyler Thornburg working 1.2 scoreless frames with a walk and two strikeouts. Neal Cotts, Jeremy Jeffress and Francisco Rodriguez each worked 1-2-3 innings to close it out, with Jeffress and Rodriguez each notching two strikeouts.
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The Brewers open a three-game set with the San Diego Padres at Miller Park on Monday at 7:10 p.m. Wily Peralta (2-5, 3.90 ERA) is scheduled for Milwaukee against right-hander Tyson Ross (7-8, 3.38).
Peralta won his only career start against the Padres last season, allowing three runs, two earned, in 6.1 innings on six hits, with a walk and six strikeouts.
In his last outing—his first since missing more than two months with a strained oblique—Peralta got the victory, working six-plus innings and allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in a 5-2 win at San Francisco on Tuesday—Milwaukee’s last win at this point.
Ross is 2-1 in three career starts against the Brewers with a 3.44 ERA and 1.145 WHIP in 18.1 innings, fanning 15. He split two starts against the Crew in 2014.
Ross worked five innings, allowing a run on two hits with four walks and five strikeouts in his last start, a 7-3 win over the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday.
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