Cincinnati Reds fall to Milwaukee Brewers as Frankie Montas struggles
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Frankie Montas was terrific in his first two starts this season because of the way he filled up the strike zone, overpowered hitters and retired batters early in counts.
On Tuesday at Great American Ball Park, the Brewers were more patient and worked more deep counts against Montas. Montas, who allowed five runs in five innings in a 9-5 loss to the Brewers, wasn’t able to consistently put those batters away.
The Brewers pulled ahead in a three-run third inning, and they did all of their damage in two-strike counts. Montas wasn’t able to come up with a strikeout pitch and allowed a walk, a double and two RBI singles in two-strike counts.
Before this season, Brewers starter Joe Ross hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2021. Ross pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed just three runs on five hits. The Reds struck out seven times against him, continuing a trend through the first 11 games of the season where the Reds have been susceptible to high strikeout totals.
The Reds mounted a comeback against the Brewers bullpen and scored three runs between the seventh and eighth inning. They got the game-tying run to the on deck circle in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Reds couldn’t extend their rally any further.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Frankie Montas struggles as Cincinnati Reds lose to Milwaukee Brewers
