Jeremy Jeffress (File Photo)
Tyler Saladino was looking to play hero for the second straight day, but the Brewers bullpen didn’t allow for it to happen as Milwaukee suffered a 6-5 loss in their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park on Monday night.
Saladino took a first pitch fastball and homered to straight away center, his second grand slam in as many days. It put the Brewers up 5-4 and their third straight come-from-behind win in sight.
However, Josh Hader wasn’t available to slam the door in the ninth and that proved trouble for the Brewers. They instead went with Jeremy Jeffress for the third straight day. Jeffress hung a breaking ball to Eugenio Suarez, who deposited it into the seats in left center, giving the Reds the comeback win.
It was the second homer of the game for Suarez. His first came off of Adrian Houser in the seventh.
Josh Hader had thrown 12 pitches in each of the Brewer victories on Saturday and Sunday at Arizona. Jeffress also pitched the two previous days and his pitch total was 31. But Brewers manager Craig Counsell went to Jeffress and not Hader and the result is a Brewers loss.
Chase Anderson was strong in his start, going 5 2/3 innings and going toe-to-toe with Reds starter Sonny Gray.
The Brewers didn’t lose any ground in the division race after the Cubs coughed up a late lead and fell at San Francisco. Chicago still remains two games up on the Brewers.
Zach Davies pitches game two of the series against the Reds on Tuesday night.