Milwaukee Brewers bats break out with BP jerseys, still lose 7th straight
By Phil Watson
Two players in the lineup as injury replacements helped spark the Milwaukee Brewers to their best offensive night of the young season Tuesday night, as Martin Maldonado and Elian Herrera each homered while the Crew put 10 runs and 12 hits on the board.
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In response, the pitching staff turned in its worst outing of the season and the Brewers lost their seventh game in a row, extending their franchise-worst start to 2-12 with a 16-10 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park.
It was almost fitting that on the night the NFL schedules were released, the Brewers and Reds would put up a football-like final score. But Milwaukee could have used one more touchdown.
Right-hander Mike Fiers became the first pitcher in the majors in almost four years to serve up two grand slams in one game and the bullpen gave up eight runs in five innings of work, although five of the 16 runs allowed were unearned.
That was because Jason Rogers, making his first career start at third base, made two costly throwing errors.
The Brewers tried to shake things up to break out of an offensive funk that saw them enter the game hitting just 208/.257/.297 through the first 13 games, wearing their batting practice jerseys as their game jerseys on Tuesday.
It helped—the Crew banged out season-highs of 12 hits and 10 runs and got the two homers—running their season total to six.
But faster than they could score ‘em, the pitchers were giving ‘em up.
Jay Bruce hit a grand slam in the top of the third off Fiers to put Cincinnati (7-7) up 4-0, but Milwaukee responded in a big way in the bottom of the frame against Reds’ right-hander Jason Marquis (1-1).
Logan Schafer, starting in center field, led off with a single and Maldonado followed by lining his first homer of the season—his first hit of the year, as well—to left-center to cut the deficit in half.
After Fiers struck out, Jean Segura doubled to center and Herrera lined a double to right to make it a 4-3 game. Ryan Braun lined a base hit to center that scored Herrera, but Braun was thrown out at second trying to advance.
The Reds came right back in the fourth, this time with Todd Frazier belting a bases-loaded jack to left-center off Fiers (0-3), who gave up eight runs—four earned—in four innings on six hits and three walks, striking out four.
“For us to score 10 there and not even be close to winning … ” Fiers told MLB.com. “I don’t even know how to explain it. Things haven’t been going our way. Things definitely haven’t been going my way. I need to be better. I don’t know what else to say.”
Fiers’ ERA through three starts is a rugged 6.75. The last pitcher to cough up two grand slams in the same game was Daniel Schlereth of the Detroit Tigers on June 28, 2011.
Rogers’ first throwing error led to all four Cincinnati runs in the third being unearned; Brandon Phillips’ grounder would have been the final out of the inning before Bruce made it to the plate.
The Reds piled on against right-hander Tyler Thornburg in the fifth.
Apr 21, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Elian Herrera (3) hits a grand slam home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Brayan Pena had an RBI single and Cozart cracked a two-run homer to left-center to push Cincinnati’s lead to 11-3.
Segura led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, but was erased on a force play. Braun’s single to left advanced Herrera to third before Adam Lind hit a fly ball to center deep enough to score Herrera to cut the deficit to 11-4.
Joey Votto homered for the second straight night to lead off the top of the sixth and Marlon Byrd later hit a sacrifice fly to push the Reds’ lead to 13-4.
Thornburg worked an ugly two innings, allowing five runs—four earned—on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts, exploding his ERA to 5.59.
The Brewers, though, struck back for five runs in the bottom of the sixth against relievers J.J. Hoover and Burke Badenhop.
Apr 21, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers (50) reacts after giving up a grand slam home run during the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Hoover got himself into trouble by walking Schafer and Maldonado before Aramis Ramirez, batting for Thornburg, singled home Schafer. Segura walked to load the bases and Badenhop—the former Brewer—was summoned from the bullpen.
His second pitch to Herrera was a splitter than didn’t really split and Herrera turned on it, yanking it down the line in right field for his first homer as a Brewer and just the second of his career.
His only other career homer came on July 5, 2012, when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a solo shot off Wade Miley of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“Obviously we’ll put him back out there at second [on Wednesday],” manager Ron Roenicke told MLB.com of Herrera. “He was hot in spring training, he was hot when he got to Triple-A and he swung it well [Tuesday}. We’ll continue to do that and see where we go from there.”
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The Reds added three more runs in the seventh. Cozart greeted left-hander Neal Cotts with his third home run in two games and after putting two runners on with a walk and a single, Phillips drove in both with a single off right-hander Jeremy Jeffress.
Cotts was charged with three runs on two hits and a walk while retiring one batter, with his ERA climbing to 6.00. Jeffress allowed a walk and a hit while fanning one in two-thirds of an inning. Jonathan Broxton struck out one in a 1-2-3 eighth and Michael Blazek worked a perfect ninth.
Herrera was 2-for-5 with three runs and five RBI in his first big-league appearance since last Sept. 28. Segura was 2-for-4, while Braun and Rogers each went 2-for-5.
The Brewers raised their team batting average nine points with the outburst, up to .217.
Jimmy Nelson (1-1, 1.50 ERA) takes the ball Wednesday in the third of four games against the Reds, while Cincinnati counters with right-hander Johnny Cueto (0-2, 2.14). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.