Brewers Can't Overcome May's Meltdown as Reds Snag 5-3 Win

The Brewers' pitching advantage evaporated in Cincinnati, where Dustin May's troubling 6.41 ERA proved prophetic in a 5-3 loss that sent DarkHorse's -160 pick straight to the glue factory. Milwaukee's season-long dominance over the Reds—seven wins in eight tries coming in—meant absolutely nothing when your starter can't locate the strike zone.

May got shelled early, and while the Brewers' bats managed three runs against Andrew Abbott and the Cincinnati bullpen, it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the deficit. Abbott, sporting that pedestrian 4.49 ERA, suddenly looked like Cy Young compared to May's batting practice session. The Reds capitalized on Milwaukee's pitching woes and pushed across five runs, riding their home crowd to a rare victory over their NL Central tormentors.

This one stings because the handicap was sound—Milwaukee's superior offense (.257 vs .229) and overall team quality (10-5 vs 7-8 in their last 15) should have carried the day. But baseball doesn't care about your season series when your starter is serving meatballs. The Reds proved that even a 7-1 historical beatdown can't overcome live pitching disasters. Sometimes the red flags wave for a reason, and May's ERA was practically screaming from the rooftops. Brewers backers got exactly what they feared.