“Sal’s better than that,” Riggleman said. “He faced 25 hitters in five innings. That’s just not going to cut it. He’s thrown better than that lately, and tonight he was a little bit all over the place.”
» PHOTOS: Reds vs. Brewers
The Brewers left eight runners on base against Romano.
“Besides the home run I gave up (to Keon Broxton),” Romano said, “I didn’t really give up the big hit, which I’ve had problems with in the past, letting the game get out of hand. But when you leave the game down 2-0 with the offense we have, we have a pretty good shot to win. It wasn’t like that tonight. It happens.”
Pitcher power: Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen hit his second pinch-hit home run of the week to get the Reds on the board in the sixth. He cut the Brewers' lead to 2-1 with a line drive into the stands in left.
Lorenzen also hit a home run June 24 against the Chicago Cubs. He now has four career home runs.
Relievers struggle: Lorenzen pitched three innings of relief after entering the game as a pinch hitter. He allowed one run on no hits and two walks.
The Reds trailed 3-1 in the ninth. Then relievers Kyle Crockett and Jackson Stephens combined to allow five runs on five hits. Only one of the runs was earned.
Hometown hero: Joey Votto met with members of the Etobicoke Rangers 16-under team Thursday. Votto is from Etobicoke, Ont. Earlier this month, Votto won the 2017 Lou Marsh Award as Canada's Athlete of the Year.
Bailey update: Homer Bailey, who has been on the disabled list since June 2 with right knee inflammation, made his third rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Thursday. He allowed three earned runs on six hits in seven innings.
» MORE ON REDS: Riggleman on bench-clearing incidents | Reds advise fans to stay cool
“Talking to (Louisville pitching coach) Jeff Fassero today, he said it’s moving in the right direction,” Riggleman said. “He’s going to start again in five days. Hopefully, it continues to move in that direction because they say the velocity was good. The velocity got better the deeper he got into the game. The fastball command is not where he wants it to be but better than what it’s been, so all the signs were positive.”
Series finale: Matt Harvey (3-5, 3.28 ERA) starts for the Reds in a 1:10 p.m. Sunday game against the Brewers' Freddy Peralta (3-0, 1.59). It will be Harvey's 10th start with the Reds. He has allowed three earned runs in 12 2/3 innings in his last two starts and won both games.
Looking ahead: The Reds begin a three-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox on MOnday. It will be the White Sox's first visit to Cincinnati since 2009. The White Sox lead the interleague series 16-4 and have won 10 of 12 games in Cincinnati.
About the Author
