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Bad Brew: Milwaukee hopes to hold off elimination against Reds

Sep 24, 2014 - 2:52 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Milwaukee Brewers only have themselves to blame for folding like a lawn chair down the stretch.

Another loss by the Brewers or a win for the San Francisco Giants would eliminate Milwaukee from postseason contention.

The Brewers have no choice but to win out and receive some help along the way, and will try to even a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday at Great American Ball Park. The Brewers, who are five games behind the Giants for the second wild card spot, dropped a 3-1 decision Tuesday night and were shut down by Reds starter Johnny Cueto.

Cueto struck out seven, walked one and allowed four hits over eight innings of one-run ball for his 19th win (19-9). Aroldis Chapman struck out three Brewers in the home ninth for his 34th save.

Mike Fiers was reached for two runs and four hits, including back-to-back homers from Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco in the first inning, over five innings to absorb the loss.

Carlos Gomez homered in the sixth inning for Milwaukee, which ended August with eight losses in 10 tries and fell to 7-14 this month.

"We're trying to get this thing done and win some games and every night it just feels like that same thing," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said.

Kyle Lohse has the duty of keeping the Brewers' faint playoff hopes afloat when he takes the mound Wednesday. Lohse is 12-9 with a 3.71 earned run average and has a 1-5 record in his past six decisions (9 starts). He did not figure into the decision of a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Thursday and pitched very well, giving up only a run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Lohse has an 8-6 record in 18 road assignments and will face Cincinnati for the 20th time in his career. He is 6-5 with a 2.90 ERA lifetime against the Reds and 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA in four meetings with them this season.

The Reds have won two in a row since losing six straight. Frazier and Mesoraco set the wheels in motion early and Jason Bourgeois added an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth. Mesoraco leads all catchers in homers and RBI.

Cueto, of course, was dominant on the mound and is 12 strikeouts shy of 1,000 in his career. He is trying to become the first Reds pitcher to win 20 games since Danny Jackson in 1988 (23-8). The last Cincinnati right-hander to post 20 or more wins in a season was Sammy Ellis in 1965 (22-10).

"That's our ace out there," Mesoraco said of Cueto. "When he's out there we feel like we can win."

Daniel Corcino hopes to be an ace one day and the rookie gets the nod for Cincinnati Wednesday night. Corcino is 0-1 with a 4.40 earned run average in four games (2 starts) and lost his previous outing last Wednesday in a 3-1 setback to the Chicago Cubs.

Corcino lasted 5 2/3 innings and was touched for two runs and three hits. The right-hander faced Milwaukee in a 3-2 defeat at Miller Park on Sept. 12 and did not factor in the outcome, as he pitched a career-high six innings and surrendered two runs and two hits. Corcino was a September callup.

The Reds hold a slight 9-8 edge in the season series with the Brewers and are 6-2 against them at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati has won 13 of the last 20 games against Milwaukee at home.