CINCINNATI -- The short-handed Brewers skirted disaster for as long as they could Saturday, but in the seventh inning, disaster finally stuck.
With outfielders Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun down with injuries, and over-worked relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Josh Hader apparently off-limits for the day, the depleted Brewers yielded eight Reds runs before recording an out in the decisive seventh. It led to a 12-3 loss at Great American Ball Park that required Milwaukee catcher Erik Kratz to cover an inning on the mound.
Kratz was forced into his third career pitching appearance after 35-year-old left-hander Mike Zagurski didn't retire any of the four hitters he faced in his first big league outing in five years, and Jacob Barnes surrendered a grand slam to power-hitting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who appeared as a pinch-hitter and punctuated the Reds' winning rally.