Reds offense resumes struggles

inning. The big blow: A two-run homer by Eric Thames.

Romano has had trouble in the first and second innings of his starts. In fact, eight of the 11 runs he allowed coming into Tuesday were scored in the first or second.

That was not a problem Tuesday. Romano worked a 1- 2- 3 first. He allowed a two-out single in the second. That was the only hit he allowed through the first four innings.

The Reds, however, were having no better luck off Milwaukee right- hander Junior Guerra. Guerra went 5 innings.

The only hit he allowed was Joey Votto's two- out single in the third.

Things went bad for Romano when walked Lorenzo Cain to start the sixth. Romano then airmailed a pickoff throw to first.

The next pitch was a 94- mph fastball right down the middle to Thames.

He did not miss it, sending it into the second deck in right for his sixth home run. And it was a 2-0 game.

Thames hit 10 home runs off Reds' pitchers last year — five more than he hit against any other club.

Romano was done after Ryan Braun followed the home run with an infield single. The Reds got more bad news on the injury front. Catcher Devin Mesoraco was hit by a pitch in the second inning on Tuesday, and he left the game in the sixth with a bruised wrist. X- rays were negative.

Jesse Winker’s shoulder has been hurting since the fourth game of the year.

He injured it making a dive for a ball off the bat of the Cubs’ Javier Baez on April 2.

He played through it for a while, but it got bad enough that he was a late scratch from the lineup on Friday against St. Louis. He has been limited to one pinch-running appearance since.

Winker was able to take batting practice Monday.