by By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
CINCINNATI — For the second straight year, Kyle Lohse (Nomlaki Tribe) finished a season with a two-hit shutout. This time, it spared the once-soaring Brewers from a losing record and staved off their elimination from the postseason chase for another day.
The only man standing between Lohse and a perfect game on Wednesday was Reds first baseman Jack Hannahan, whose two singles accounted for the only baserunners against Lohse in nine innings of a 5-0 win at Great American Ball Park. It marked only Milwaukee’s second victory in seven games and was win No. 81 this season, ensuring no worse than a .500 finish for a team that spent 150 days atop the National League Central.
The win delayed the Brewers’ exit from the postseason race as the Giants lost to the Dodgers later on Wednesday night. Milwaukee’s elimination number remains at one, so if the Brewers lose or San Francisco wins again, the Crew will not be able to reach the playoffs. Both teams have four more games.
According to data from Baseball-Reference.com, it was the 25th shutout on two or fewer hits in Brewers history, and only the fourth in the past 11 seasons. Two were this season, in this ballpark —Matt Garza pitched a two-hitter against the Reds on July 5. Lohse owned the one before that, a two-hit shutout of the Braves in his final start of last season.
“It’s weird,” said Lohse. “Somehow I have to trick everybody into thinking every start is my last one of the year.”
Lohse, who struck out six without walking a batter, logged his 12th career complete game and ninth shutout, and his second of each this season. He blanked the Cubs on three hits over nine innings of a 9-0 win on June 1.
It was Lohse’s third career two-hit shutout, and it might have been even better if not for the pesky Hannahan, who lined a single to center field leading off the third inning and blooped a single to center field in the fifth.
“He hit two pretty good pitches, too,” Lohse said. “First one, trying to get the backdoor curveball down in there to the dirt and he just did a good job of staying on it. The other one, I mean, I broke his bat. You can’t do much more about that. I’ll take what I got.”
