It concluded a doubleheader sweep after the Brewers won the afternoon game, 5-4, in 10 innings.
Rhett Lowder, making his major league debut, learned a valuable lesson. On days when the Reds often leave their bats in cold storage, the pitcher can’t give up even one run.
That’s what Lowder did. He gave up one run and two hits over four innings and left with a 1-0 deficit. So when his new team couldn’t score, couldn’t reach third base, could only reach second base twice, he ended up with a loss next to his name.
Lowder, the Reds’ No. 1 draft pick last year, began his professional career early this season at Class A Dayton and quickly rushed through the system.
He made five appearances in Dayton, 16 at Class AA Chattanooga and one at Class AAA Louisville. In his last three games he was 3-0 with a 0.51 earned run average, earning his advancement to the majors.
He walked the first two Brewers, then retired the next three. He gave up a one-out single to Andruw Montesario in the second, but retired the next two.
He issued a leadoff walk to Brice Turang in the third and he stole second, but Lowder coaxed a fly ball and struck out the next two.
The Brewers scored on him in the fourth when he issued his fourth walk to Garrett Mitchell. He scored on a deflected infield hit by Sal Frelick. But he struck out two more and finished with four walks and six strikeouts.
He needed 77 pitches to cover the four innings and his night was over.
“It was a dream come true, everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” said Lowder during his post-game interview room session.
Of his two game-opening walks, the ultra-confident Lowder said, “I wasn’t really worried about it. I felt like I was making good pitches. I jut had to keep doing what I was doing and it would come back my way. It was huge getting out of that first inning.
“Those were a little more walks than usual, but I just dug deep and it helped me to have some sticky situations. After I worked out of that first inning, it felt good. Obviously, there is still some stuff I need to clean up.”
Lowder said he wasn’t nervous on the mound.
“It’s tough leading up to the game, getting called up yesterday then sitting around during the first game of a doubleheader,” he said. “That was the harder part on the nerves.
“Once I sat down and got the lineup and went about my preparation ... honestly, I was more calm than I thought I would be.”
After Lowder departed, Sam Moll pitched a scoreless fifth inning. Carson Spiers took over in the sixth and his first pitch landed in the left field seats, a home run by Mitchell and it was 2-0.
In the seventh Spiers gave up a single to Blake Perkins and with two outs Rhys Hoskins homered to push it to 4-0.
That’s where it stood when Milwaukee came to bat in the ninth against Yasver Zulueta. When he gave up a walk, two singles and a home run to Willy Adames, it was 8-0.
To save his bullpen, manager David Bell once again turned to back-up catcher to finish the game on the mound. In three previous assignments, Maile hadn’t given up a hit.
But the jar was turned up and all the olives spilled out — four straight hits, including another home by William Contreras. Maile’s first pitch on the inning to Mitchell was a triple. His second pitch was a double and then it got really nasty.
At one point, nine straight Brewers reached base en route to 10 runs. The inning included two home runs, a triple, three doubles, a walk and a sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile the Reds could do nothing against Milwaukee starter Dayton Hall, who seems only to be able to pitch sharply against the Reds. He appeared Aug. 11 against the Reds and gave up one run and four hits and struck out nine in 4 2/3 innings.
In two other appearances, he gave up five runs and eight hits to Baltimore in 3 1/3 innings and four runs and five hits to St. Louis in 3 2/3 innings.
He was dispatched to the minors. Teams are permitted to add a 27th player for doubleheaders and he was the guy. And he held the Reds to no runs and four hits over seven innings, the most innings he has pitched in one game professionally, including the minors.
While giving up 17 home runs over their last five games, the Reds have lost 12 of their last 16, falling a season’s worst 15 1/2 games behind division-leading Milwaukee.
And they’ve lost 36 of the last 49 games against the Brewers, 18 of 24 the last two seasons.
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