MILWAUKEE — It looked like it was going to be Reds starter Elmer Dessens' day.

        He retired the first nine batters he faced. He had five strikeouts after three innings. Through four innings, the Milwaukee Brewers had exactly one hard-hit ball off him.

Brewers' catcher Jesse Levis tags out Aaron Boone as he tries to score from third in the second inning. Boone was caught in a rundown on an infield hit by Corky Miller. (AP photo/Morry Gash) | ZOOM |

        The Brewers came in on a seven-game losing streak and are setting records for striking out on a daily basis. So a little stuff goes a long way.

        Unfortunately for Dessens, his good stuff ran out in the fifth inning, when the Brewers scored five runs. That turned the game and what looked like a good Dessens outing into a 6-3 loss Sunday before a crowd of 27,940 at Miller Park.

        “He was throwing pretty good,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “He struggled a little bit with location. They squeaked a couple in.”

        The Brewers would end up with five hits and four runs off Dessens in the inning. None of the balls was particularly hard-hit.

        But the Brewers hadn't gotten a ball out of the infield before the fifth.

        “Sometimes they hit the ball good,” Dessens said. “Sometimes they get lucky. It's all part of the game.”

        Dessens falls to 9-13 with the loss. Three of his last five outings have been bad.

        He's thrown 192 innings on the year — 30 more than he's thrown in a season.

        “He was approaching 30 pitches in the inning,” Boone said. “When that happens, Christmas doesn't come.”

        The Reds had just given Dessens a 3-1 lead when things went bad.

        Dessens got the Reds on the board with an RBI single in the second.

        The Brewers tied it in the fourth on an infield hit, a stolen base, ground out and another infield hit.

        Adam Dunn put the Reds up 3-1 with his 16th home run, a two-run shot. It was Dunn's third home run in four games. All have come on first pitches.

        “You've got to attack the ball early,” Dunn said.

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