Milwaukee City Wire

Craig Counsell’s Milwaukee Brewers are struggling to catch a break right now.

“Early on, I thought we had some good at-bats, hit some balls hard, made a couple nice plays, hit balls at them, and then the starting pitcher is on a roll, he got into a rhythm and then it was pretty quiet after that,” Counsell told reporters after the Brewers fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1, the team’s third loss in the four-game series in which they scored just a run or less.

The Brewers lost the first two games 5-0 and 2-1, respectively, but bounced back to win the third game 8-6.

In the series finale, the Brewers’ sputtering offense managed just three hits, two of them by right fielder Hunter Renfroe that included a solo ninth-inning homer; a Brew Crew Ball report said.

The Diamondbacks pushed across runs in the second, third and fifth innings, then added two more in the eighth to back starter Zac Gallen’s seven shutout innings.

Jason Alexander started for the Brewers, sticking around for just 4 2/3 innings, during which he allowed three runs and five hits; the report said. Relievers Hoby Milner and Matt Bush combined to toss three shutout innings before Brent Suter came on in the eighth and allowed the Diamondbacks’ final two runs.   

With the Colorado Rockies up next for a three-game series, the Brewers now find themselves trailing the St. Louis Cardinals by 8 1/2 games in the Central Division, though they remain in the Wild Card race along with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.