Kyle Lohse Struggles Early, Crew Can’t Come Back in Loss

Sep 6, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Oscar Taveras (18) is greeted by second baseman Kolten Wong (16) after hitting a 2-run home run in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Brewers snapped their nine-game losing streak on Friday and looked to start a winning streak on Saturday in game three of their four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It would be a tall order for the Brewers with Kyle Lohse (12-8, 3.68 ERA) takes on Lance Lynn (14-8, 2.85 ERA), who has been stellar since the All Star break.

Lohse came into his first September start looking to turn around his luck from a bad August. Lohse went 1-3 in August with an ERA over 7. Lynn on the other hand, hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since June.

Unfortunately for the Brewers both pitchers saw their trends continue. Lohse couldn’t find his command and gave up five runs in four innings of work, and Lynn refused to give up more than three runs, yet again, on route to a 5-3 Cardinals win.

The Cardinals got on the board early. Lohse walked the leadoff hitter Matt Carpenter on five pitches (never a good sign). Three batters later Matt Adams homered (14) to score Carpenter and give St. Louis a two-run lead.

The Brewers answered back in the bottom half of the inning. Adams followed his home run by booting a ground ball by Scooter Gennett leading off to give Milwaukee a free base runner.

Gerardo Parra doubled over the head of Oscar Taveras in right to put two on for Ryan Braun, who singled on a little jam shot into left field. Holliday fumbled the ball on the bounce and threw it away trying to get Parra at the plate.

Gennett and Parra scored on the play and Braun took second on the throw home, and third after the throw got away from Yadier Molina. Braun was thrown out at home on a fly ball to left by Aramis Ramirez.

Braun was initially ruled safe, but that was a terrible call and overturned on review to make it a double play. Jonathan Lucroy followed with a double to keep the rally going but Khris Davis struck out to end the inning with the game tied.

Lohse struggled in the second with a walk to Molina and a plunk of Lynn, but he got out of the inning. Neither pitcher allowed a run again until the top of the fourth.

Jhonny Peralta led off with a single and scored two batters later on a one-out double by Kolton Wong. Wong scored when the next batter, Taveras, homered (3) to right to make it 5-2 Cardinals.

The fourth would be Lohse’s final inning. He went four innings and allowed five runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out five and gave up two home runs. He gave way to Marco Estrada in the fifth.

The Brewers threatened in the bottom of the fourth against a shaky Lynn. Lucroy drew a one-out walk, and Lyle Overbay has hit by a pitch with two outs to put two. Jean Segura worked a nine-pitch walk to load the bases but pinch-hitter Matt Clark (hitting for Lohse) flew out to end the inning.

The Brewers threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, after a clean top half by Estrada, again mostly due to a shaky performance by Lynn. Gennett and Parra drew back-to-back walks to open the inning, but Ryan Braun grounded into a double play to erase Parra and Ramirez struck out to end the inning.

After another clean inning by Estrada, Lucroy led off the bottom of the sixth with another double and advanced to third on a ground out by Davis and came in to score on a double to left-center by Overbay to make it 5-3.

Tom Gorzelanny came in to pitch the top of the seventh for Milwaukee and worked a perfect inning. Sam Freeman came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh for St. Louis and got Weeks and Parra before being replaced by Carlos Martinez who got Braun for the final out.

Jeremy Jeffress came in and tossed a three-up, three-down inning in the top of the eighth in just six pitches to keep the Brewers close. Martinez stayed in for the Cardinals and allowed just a Davis double in the bottom of the eighth to keep it 5-3 Cards.

Will Smith came in to pitch the ninth for Milwaukee and quickly got Peralta, Molina and Wong to end the inning. The Brewers bullpen had retired 14-straight Cardinals at this point.

Trevor Rosenthal, the Cardinals closer, came on to toss the bottom of the ninth for St. Louis. He quickly got Segura and Elian Herrera, but Rickie Weeks doubled with two outs for his 1,000^th career hit. Parra grounded out to end the game.

Lohse took the loss for Milwaukee, and Lynn got the win for St. Louis. Rosenthal picked up the save.

The series wraps up tomorrow when Jimmy Nelson (2-6, 4.14 ERA) takes on Adam Wainwright (16-9, 2.69 ERA).