MILWAUKEE
The Milwauee Brewers鈥 final regular-season meeting with the Cincinnati Reds was one for the Brewers to forget.
Brett Anderson was forced from the game in the fifth with right hip discomfort, and the offense did nothing over six innings against Sonny Gray in a 5-1 loss at American Family Field on Thursday afternoon.
A Luis Ur铆as home run in the sixth accounted for Milwaukee鈥檚 lone tally, as the Brewers had their lead in the Central Division trimmed to 8陆 games with a seven-game road trip upcoming that concludes with four at the National League-leading San Francisco Giants.
鈥淭his is the team in second place,鈥 said manager Craig Counsell, whose team has nevertheless won five consecutive series. 鈥淲e added another game to the lead (by winning two of three games in the series). That鈥檚, I think, successful.
鈥淚t would have been a nice one to get today, but they pitched well and got a big homer. They鈥檙e a good team and they did enough today.鈥
Cincinnati got to Anderson for a quick run in the first when Jonathan India singled to lead off, advanced on a walk and a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Joey Votto.
Anderson faced the minimum over the next three innings鈥攖hanks in large part to 5-4-3 double-play grounders in both the second and third鈥攂efore things unraveled on him in the fourth.
Eugenio Su谩rez and Tyler Naquin started with singles, with Naquin tapping an infield squibber that Anderson tried in vain to runn down. He came up gingerly, and after a short consultation with Counsell and an athletic trainer, he was removed in favor of Hunter Strickland.
Strickland opened by striking out Jose Barrero and getting Gray to foul out, but India followed with a three-run homer into the Cincinnati bullpen in right-center to give the Reds a 4-0 lead.
Anderson鈥檚 day consisted of four hits allowed, three runs (earned) and two walks with three strikeouts over 70 pitches. He dropped to 4-8 on the season.
鈥淛ust kind of tweaked my leg-hamstring-hip-groin area just being a non-athlete,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of frustrating-slash-embarrassing. But it is what it is.鈥
The left-hander has been on the injured list twice previously this season (right hamstring and right knee) and also was forced from his start on Aug. 8 against the Giants due to cramping in his left calf.
Anderson termed himself as 鈥渄ay to day.鈥
鈥淵eah, usually when I have an injury I give it 110% and break a bone or blow out an elbow or blow out my back or something,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hese have just been knick-knack, kind of annoying things.
鈥淔谤耻蝉迟谤补迟颈苍驳.鈥
The Reds added to their lead when Nick Castellanos greeted Brent Suter with a leadoff homer in the sixth, his second in as many days against a member of Milwaukee鈥檚 bullpen.
Gray was 0-1 with a 5.27 earned-run average in three starts against the Brewers coming in鈥攁ll Reds losses鈥攂ut looked much more like the version of himself from previous seasons who had typically dominated Milwaukee.
He allowed only a single and two walks over the first five innings before an Omar Narv谩ez double, a Christian Yelich walk and an Avisa铆l Garc铆a single loaded the bases with two outs to bring up Rowdy Tellez.
Tellez tapped out to Votto at first, however, allowing Gray to escape with six scoreless innings to his credit.
鈥淪onny Gray is a good pitcher,鈥 Counsell said. 鈥淗is breaking ball was good today. I thought his two-seam fastball to lefties had a lot of movement and he landed his breaking ball enough, and then threw it down in the zone with two strikes.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he does. That鈥檚 why he鈥檚 tough on left-handed hitters.鈥
Tony Santillan replaced Gray, and on the right-hander鈥檚 second offering Ur铆as homered to left-center to break up the shutout.
Walks to Jace Peterson and Pablo Reyes put two on with one out for Kolten Wong, and Reds manager David Bell brought on left-hander Justin Wilson鈥攚ho promptly induced an inning-ending, 6-3 double play.
The game ended on a controversial note, as Peterson was doubled off second on a line drive to shortstop after umpire Chad Fairchild ruled Peterson was out of the basepath.
Counsell came out to argue鈥攄elaying the Reds鈥 handshake line鈥攂ut to no avail.
鈥淗e said he left the baseline. I don鈥檛 think he did leave the baseline,鈥 said Counsell. 鈥淗e went to the inside of the base, the first-base side of the base, is all Jace did. He鈥檚 allowed to do that. That鈥檚 not leaving the baseline.
鈥淗e is allowed to not just run into a tag. He saw it as he left the baseline.鈥
With a victory, Milwaukee could have gone up 10陆 games in the Central, which would have tied the franchise mark for largest divisional lead (Sept. 5, 2011).
The Brewers finished the season with a 10-9 record against the Reds.