Reds fall to 1-16 in Homer Bailey starts after 5-2 loss to Milwaukee Brewers

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

I’m not exactly sure how Homer Bailey managed to allow only 3 ER in 6 IP against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight, but he did. His velocity was down, his location looked iffy, and the Beers simply didn’t crush some of his mistake pitches the way you’d expect them to.

Of course, they crushed a pair of them, and that was eventually the difference in the game for the Cincinnati Reds on a night when Chase Anderson and Josh Hader had some pretty solid stuff. So it goes, I suppose.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Eugenio Suarez and Phil Ervin, who each clubbed solo homers.

Key Plays

• The Reds played longball against Chase Anderson in the Top of the 2nd, as both Suarez and Ervin clubbed solo homers off the Milwaukee RHP. Towering shots, each of them. Reds led, 2-0.
• Homer finally relented in the Bottom of the 5th, as he hung a curve to Christian Yelich that the Milwaukee OF smacked out over the LF wall for an impressive opposite-field solo shot. Reds led, 2-1.
• Jim Riggleman opted to stick with Homer for the Bottom of the 6th despite the big bats in the Milwaukee order due up for the third time against him - and despite Bailey having diminished stuff and rough location all night - and it burned all parties involved. Jesus Aguilar singled into RF, and that brought Travis Shaw to the plate - who had earlier missed a dinger by about a foot wide of the RF foul pole off Bailey - who didn’t miss this time, hitting a laser into the RF seats for a 2-run blast that gave the Brewers the 3-2 lead.
• Jared Hughes walked Ryan Braun to open the Bottom of the 8th, and as you all know so well, walks will haunt. That was certainly the case after Keon Broxton dumped a ball into the RF corner, as Braun motored all the way around to score after Broxton ended up with an RBI-triple. Broxton then scored on a sac-fly into CF by Manny Pina, and the Reds were behind, 5-2. That, unfortunately, was how things would finish.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Bailey never once topped 93 mph with his fastball, and was missing his spots repeatedly early. How he even was in the game to face Travis Shaw in a 1-run game in the Bottom of the 6th is a bit of a mystery, but who the hell knows with this manager.
• As mentioned earlier, the Reds are now 1-16 in games in which Homer Bailey starts, which the inimitable Jayson Stark alluded to prior to tonight’s game. They’re an even 54-54 this season when literally anyone else starts for them.
• Milwaukee pitching retired 20 consecutive batters entering the Top of the 9th before Mason Williams singled into CF off Jeremy Jeffress. That’s an easy way to lose a game in which you previously held a lead.
• The Reds and Beers will do battle again on Tuesday, with Sal Romano slated to start for Cincinnati. Junior Guerra will go for Milwaukee, with first pitch set for 8:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.