Brewers' Davies dazzles with seven scoreless innings in loss to Reds
CINCINNATI -- Jonathan Lucroy slipped on his shirt, turned around and looked seriously at waiting reporters.
"Let's get this over with," Milwaukee's All-Star catcher said.
Lucroy knew he'd be asked about his passed ball that allowed Billy Hamilton to dash home with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 1-0 win over the Brewers.
The speedy Hamilton drew a two-out walk from Tyler Thornburgh (3-3). Left-hander Will Smith relieved and walked Joey Votto.
Hamilton stole third with Jay Bruce hitting, setting up the game-winning play. The curveball glanced off Lucroy's glove as Bruce swung and missed and rolled away to the left. The ball didn't even get to the dirt track near the visitors' dugout, still far enough away for Hamilton to easily score.
It was originally scored as a wild pitch, then changed to a passed ball.
"The pitchers deserve better," Lucroy said. "(Milwaukee starter Zach) Davies deserved better. That can't happen. That's minor league stuff right there. I should've caught it. If it's in the air and I get a glove on it, I've got to catch it."
Smith considered the curve particularly tough to handle.
"I just kind of yanked it away," Smith said. "You know Lucroy is an unbelievable catcher. It happens. That's what speed does. It makes you freak out."
Manager Craig Counsell admitted that the Brewers were conceding third base to Hamilton.
"More bad things can happen trying to throw him out than letting him steal third," Counsell said.
Tony Cingrani (2-2) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.
Davies and Cincinnati starter Dan Straily each pitched seven impressive innings.
Straily, who was 1-4 over his last five starts, gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four. He set down nine straight batters in one stretch and didn't allow a runner to reach second base until the sixth, when Jonathan Villar led off with a walk and stole his major league-leading 33rd base.
Villar went to third on catcher Tucker Barnhart's throwing error, but Lucroy grounded out to end the threat.
Davies, recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs before the game, allowed four hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Four of his strikeouts were called and he coaxed four comebacks, only one hit sharply.
"That's a really good example of knowing when I'm locating and mixing it up," he said. "I know it's going right when they're taking pitches and not getting good swings on balls."
The Reds got two hits on his first three pitches, putting runners at first and third, but Davies escaped.
Milwaukee put runners at first and second with two outs in the eighth against Michael Lorenzen, but Ryan Braun grounded out.
Reds rookie Jose Peraza was caught stealing second by Lucroy with one out in the second inning. Peraza was 13 for 13 in his brief career going into the game, including 10 for 10 this season.
Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez went 1 for 3, leaving him 4 for 32 (.125) since his seven-game hitting streak was snapped on July 3 at Miami.
Villar went 0 for 3 to see his hitting streak snapped at seven games, his fourth streak of that length this season. Seven games is his season high.
Reds pitching was able to keep Braun in the ballpark for the entire three-game series, a rare luxury. The Milwaukee left fielder went into the series with 32 homers against Cincinnati, more than against any other team, and 19 at Great American Ball Park, more than at any other location.
Brewers: OF Hernan Perez didn't play, but manager Craig Counsell said he was available off the bench a day after leaving with a sore left foot, the result of a foul tip.
Reds: RHP Caleb Cotham, who's been on the disabled list since May 31 with right shoulder inflammation, reported no problems after throwing 13 pitches, nine for strikes, in one inning of a rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola on Saturday.
Brewers: After a day off Monday, Milwaukee plays the first of 16 second-half games against the Pirates. RHP Chase Anderson (4-10) is the Brewers' scheduled starter in the opener of a three-game series in Pittsburgh.
Reds: Atlanta comes to town for a three-game series between the teams with the worst records in the majors. LHP Brandon Finnegan (4-7) is Cincinnati's scheduled starter in Monday's opener.
