Reds Fall to Brewers in Pitchers Duel

The Cincinnati Reds fall to the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 at American Family Field on Saturday. The team moves to 56-61 on the season as the Brewers clinch the series victory.

Here is what you need to know from Saturday's contest

Martinez was Outstanding

Nick Martinez got his second start of the month for the Reds and shined on the mound for the team. Martinez went seven innings and only allowed one hit in the outing. He struck out seven and didn't walk a single batter.

He had 94 pitches on the night with 60 of them being strikes. He finished with nine whiffs and an impressive 31% CSW.

It's safe to say he has transitioned quite nicely back to the Reds rotation.

Reds Offense Had No Answer

The Start by Martinez was spoiled my a poor performance at the plate by the Reds offense and some stellar performances by the Brewers pitching staff. The team was shutout on Saturday and only recorded three hits in the entire outing.

Those three hits were the only batters that found themselves on base with the exception of a throwing error that allowed Ty France to reach first. The Reds couldn't collect any walks in the outing either. All of the hits were singles, and Cincinnati failed to get a runner into scoring position. All four runners were left on base.

With the lack of opportunities comes more issues as the team struck out 13 times in the contest and they mostly came from the top of the lineup. The first three batters in the order, Jonathan India , Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson all struck out three times a piece in the outing.

Time is Ticking

This isn't one of those moments where distance makes the heart grow fonder, the Reds are in trouble for not only being completely out of playoff contention, but from playing meaningful baseball games in September. The team currently sits 5.5 games outside of the final spot for the National League Wildcard.

The Reds need to find a way to salvage the series on Sunday and avoid the sweep and regroup Monday back at home against the Cardinals.

What's Next

The Reds will finish the road trip and the series with Milwaukee on Sunday before heading back to Great American Ballpark. The first pitch for the series finale is scheduled for 2:10 PM EST.