Chapman fails to close as Reds lose 7-6 in 9th

Published 7:47 pm Wednesday, August 21, 2013

MILWAUKEE (AP) — One hanging slider from Aroldis Chapman wiped out Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak.

Chapman blew a save opportunity for the fifth time when Jonathan Lucroy hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 7-6 win over the Reds on Friday night.

It was the seventh homer allowed by Chapman this season. Head down, the All-Star closer walked slowly back to the dugout while Lucroy celebrated as he ran around the basepaths.

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“He hung a slider to him and he didn’t miss,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “You want it to go your way but it doesn’t go your way all the time.”

Chapman (3-5) had converted each of his last six save opportunities. He struck out Lucroy in each of their five previous meetings, including Cincinnati’s 2-1 victory on Thursday night.

The hard-throwing left-hander, through a team spokesman, declined to speak to reporters after the game.

Todd Frazier had three hits and matched a career high with four RBIs for Cincinnati, which lost out on an opportunity to leapfrog St. Louis for second place in the top-heavy NL Central. The Reds trail division-leading Pittsburgh by 3 1/2 games, and the Cardinals are three back after a 7-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

“You can’t get them all,” Frazier said. “Chapman’s still a really good pitcher. … We’re not worried about it at all.”

With two outs and runners on the corners in the seventh, Frazier dropped a single right in front of left fielder Khris Davis to give Cincinnati a 6-5 lead. Frazier also singled in a pair of runs in the first and belted a solo shot in the fourth for his 12th homer.

Lucroy finished with three hits and three RBIs for Milwaukee, which had lost three of four. Davis had two hits, including a two-run double, and John Axford (6-6) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

Jean Segura sparked the winning rally when he beat out a leadoff chopper to shortstop for his third hit. Lucroy then drove a 1-2 pitch to left for his 17th homer.

“It feels good. He has really good stuff, special arm,” Lucroy said. “It just feels good to get the win.”

Lucroy clapped his hands as he rounded first base and ditched his batting helmet before heading into a crowd of teammates surrounding home plate. It was his first career game-ending homer.

The Brewers played without All-Star center fielder Carlos Gomez, who is day to day with a sprained right knee after making a leaping catch at the wall during Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to Cincinnati. He had an MRI on Friday that confirmed the injury, and was using crutches to move around Milwaukee’s clubhouse before the game.

Milwaukee scored three times in the third to take a 4-2 lead, but Frazier’s leadoff drive got Cincinnati within one and Chris Heisey put the Reds in front again when he connected in the fifth. Heisey’s sixth homer came after Shin-Soo Choo reached on a leadoff single.

Segura tied it with an RBI single against Alfredo Simon in the sixth, and then got the Brewers started in the ninth. The speedy Segura leads the NL with 148 hits.

Reds righty Mike Leake was ineffective, allowing four runs and nine hits in five innings. He is winless in his last four starts.

NOTES: Reds RHP J.J. Hoover got two outs to extend his scoreless streak to 22 games and 25 1-3 innings. … Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said he talked to suspended slugger Ryan Braun on Friday. Roenicke said part of the discussion involved whether Braun would speak publicly in the aftermath of his 65-game suspension by Major League Baseball, but the manager kept most of the phone conversation to himself. “He’s in a good frame of mind,” Roenicke said. … The Brewers recalled Sean Halton from Triple-A Nashville and optioned RHP Alfredo Figaro to their top farm club. Halton can play first base and the corner outfield spots. … Brewers RHP Yovani Gallardo will come off the disabled list to start Saturday against Cincinnati. Gallardo (8-9, 4.91 ERA), who had been sidelined by a strained left hamstring, will be opposed by RHP Mat Latos (12-3, 3.04 ERA).