The Reds' celebrated their freedom to lose yesterday when they fell to the Brewers 2-5.

Bronson Arroyo failed in yet another bid to be the first Reds' starting pitcher to acheive 10 wins.

You know, it's really not necessary to specify “starting pitcher.” It's not like the relievers are going to get to 10 first. Or so I thought, until I actually looked. Did you know that Arroyo and Aaron Harang each have nine wins, and next is Eric Milton with four, but after that Todd Coffey and David Weathers are in a four-way tie (with Elizardo Ramirez and Brandon Claussen) for third with three wins apiece?

Messed up.

Maybe Arroyo will get his tenth in the All-Star game when it wouldn't count anyway. He gave up a big fat five runs (earned) on five hits and three walks through seven innings. Brian “Love” Shackelford reclaimed a little of the bullpen's collective dignity in a hopeless eighth when it didn't count anyway.

The Reds should have scored in the first, but someone switched the smart pills usually taken by Adam Dunn and Brandon Phillips with Folgers Crystals to see if anyone would notice. They each committed a baserunning mistake and allowed Doug Davis to face the minimum in the first, despite giving up two hits.

When I heard about the inning later on, it struck me that I can't even remember the last time I heard the phrase “ran themselves out of an inning” used to refer to anyone except Ryan Freel. But Freel wasn't even starting yesterday, so you can't blame him. Unless you blame him for not starting. In which case, he deserves the blame for several of the Reds' losses.

The Reds' scored all of their runs in the seventh when Austin Kearns doubled and Scott Hatteberg knocked him in. Hatteberg was the only Red with more than one hit on the night, going 2-for-3. Kearns went 1-for-2 with two walks.

The loss brings the Reds' record perilously close to .500 at 44-40. They've lost four in a row. That means that they haven't yet won in the second half. They try to rectify that situation tonight at 8:05. Elizardo Ramirez takes on Carlos Villanueva.