Brewers 8, Reds 4

This loss was remarkably similar to other one on the road trip. It was a close game until Mike Stanton entered the equation.

He gave up a three-run, two-out home run to Geoff Jenkins that made it 6-1.

“That was the ball game,” Stanton said. “If I do my job and get Jenkins out, I don't think there's any doubt we win that ball game.”

The Reds were not good offensively. They left 13 runners on base.

But, as Stanton said, this was a winnable game. In his previous outing, Stanton gave up four runs without retiring a batter. Since coming off the disabled list on July 4, Stanton’s ERA is 8.15.

“It's one of those runs – not to make any excuses because there are none,” Stanton said. “If I make a good pitch, they foul it off. They’re just not missing mistakes . . . it's just a shame.”

With Stanton and Eddie Guardado both struggling, middle relief is a major problem right now. With good young arms like Marcus McBeth and Brad Salmon at Triple-A, you wonder how long the Reds will stick with the current bullpen makeup.