The Reds’ offense has been the worst in the Majors in the second half, as it ranks last in batting average (.219), hits (451) and on-base percentage (.275). The depths it has reached were on full display during Wednesday night’s 5-0 loss to the Brewers.
One player stood in the way of Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Lohse getting a no-hitter — sub-.200-hitting backup first baseman Jack Hannahan. He had both Reds hits and was the only one to reach base as Lohse did not give up a walk and struck out six.
“It’s weird,” said Lohse, who also finished last season with a two-hit shutout — at Atlanta. “Somehow I have to trick everybody into thinking every start is my last one of the year.”
Hannahan led off the bottom of the third inning with a lined single to center field. With two outs in the fifth, he blooped a single into short center field. It was the 17th time this season the Reds have been shut out and the fifth in September.
“He hit two pretty good pitches, too,” Lohse said of Hannahan. “First one, trying to get the backdoor curveball down in there to the dirt and he just did a good job of staying on it. The other one, I mean, I broke his bat. You can’t do much more about that. I’ll take what I got.”
Meanwhile, the Reds’ pitching staff allowed more than twice as many walks (a season-high 10) than it totaled strikeouts (four).
Reds rookie starter Daniel Corcino lasted only 4 1/3 innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits, and he was fortunate he wasn’t burned more for the four walks he issued.
Corcino kept Milwaukee scoreless for the first three innings, while aided by some fine defense behind him. Shortstop Zack Cozart made a nice diving stop on a Lyle Overbay ground ball and second baseman Brandon Phillips made a fine barehanded catch of Cozart’s flip to force out Rickie Weeks in the second inning — a call the Reds got overturned on a managerial challenge after Weeks was originally ruled safe.
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