Nevertheless, the Reds remained in first place by one game in the National League Central and will take their All-Star rest with 50 victories, the first time they’ve won that many by the break since 2014. At the All-Star break last season the Reds were 34-57, 15 games out of first place and entrenched in last place.
Milwaukee’s leadoff batter in the first inning, Christian Yelich, lifted a fly ball that left fielder Spencer Steer misjudged. It plopped to earth for a double. Winker, batting fourth with a .197 batting average and one home run, drove a two-out run-scoring single to right, and that was it.
They could have called the game right then.
The Reds had won seven straight road series, but lost this one 2-1, enabling the Brewers to take their All-Star rest one game behind the Reds.
It was a frustrating afternoon for the usually potent Reds offense. They struck out 14 times. They were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, stranding six. The last 11 batters made out.
They were not opportunists on this day they usually are.
Like Yelich, Kevin Newman led the Reds first with a double, but Miley retired the next three, the last one on a line drive to second base by Elly De La Cruz with Newman on third.
Miley retired nine straight until the Reds got another leadoff double, this one by Matt McLain in the fourth.
That really riled up Miley. He struck out the next three, Jonathan India, De La Cruz on three pitches and Steer on three pitches.
Miley suffered a temporary lapse in the fifth when he walked three batters, his only three walks. He issued the first to Joey Votto on a leadoff 3-and-2 pitch.
But Brewers third baseman Brian Anderson made a terrific backhanded stop on Nick Senzel and turned it into a 5-4-3 double play. Miley walked Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl, but once again he bowed his back and struck out Newman on three pitches.
India and De La Cruz punched back-to-back one-out singles in the sixth, and guess what Miley did? He struck out Steer and Votto grounded out sharply to shortstop.
That ended Miley’s day of escapes — six innings, no runs, four hits, three walks and eight strikeouts, matching his season-high in whiffs.
The last nine Reds went down harmlessly the last three innings against three Milwaukee bullpenners.
Elvis Peguero pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with two strikeouts, Joel Payamps pitched a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts and closer Devin Williams recorded his 20th save with a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts. He finished with a flourish, striking out Votto as six of the last nine Reds were strikeout victims.
Ben Lively came off the injured list after 2½ weeks and did some solid pitching.
After Winker’s single plated the only run, Lively walked Owen Miller on a full count to put two on, but he retired Raimel Tapia on a fly to center.
Lively retired seven straight after Miller’s walk before issuing a leadoff four-pitch walk to Winker in the fourth. Lively then did his Wade Miley impersonation by getting Miller on a fly to right, then striking out Tapia and Anderson.
When he gave up a two-out single to Miller in the sixth, Reds manager David Bell went to the bullpen and brought in Alex Young to face Tapia. He drove one to left that pinned Steer to the wall, but he caught it.
For his 5 2/3 innings, Lively gave up one run, four hits, walked two and struck out five.
The Reds’ bullpen was not as efficient as Milwaukee’s, but kept the Brewers off the scoreboard — scoreless appearances by Young, Derek Law and Ian Gibaut.
Gibaut enacted an escape act in the eighth when he gave up a single to William Contreras and a double to Willy Adames, putting runners on third and second with no outs.
Winker popped to shallow left, and the third baseman, De La Cruz, made a wide receiver over-the-shoulder catch with his back to the infield.
Bell ordered an intentional walk to Miller, filling the bases with one out. It worked as precisely as Bell planned it. Blake Perkins hit into a 4-3 double play.
But the Reds couldn’t solve Milwaukee’s pitching mystery and fell to 20-16 in one-run games. The Brewers are 16-7 in one-run affairs.
Not only did the Reds get blanked, but they didn’t hit a home run, ending their club record streak at 22 straight games with at least one homer.
The perplexing thing for the Reds is that they are 2-5 this season against the Brewers and Milwaukee comes calling to Great American Ball Park for three games after the All-Star break.
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