The Milwaukee Brewers offered Greene ample evidence Thursday afternoon in American Family Field with five home runs in only 2 2/3 innings.
Greene gave up 2,033 feet worth of home runs as the Brewers completed a three-game sweep, 10-5.
The Reds (3-22) lost their 13th straight road game, were handed their ninth straight loss, dropped their 20th in 21 games and are 14 1/2 games behind the first-place Brewers in the NL Central. In addition, opponents have scored in double figures four times in the last six games.
On Wednesday, Reds starter Vladimir Guiterrez was presented a 2-0 first-inning lead, but the Brewers tied it, 2-2, in the bottom of the first. From there the Brewers went on to an 18-4 win.
On Thursday, Greene was presented a 3-0 first-inning lead, but the Brewers tied it, 3-3, in the bottom of the first.
The Reds scored three in the first on a run-scoring single by Tyler Stephenson and a two-run single by Colin Moran.
Then the first two Brewers in the bottom of the first homered. Luis Urias turned on a full-count 100 mph fastball and rocketed it 388 feet. Christian Yelich followed by pulling a 99 mph fastball 433 feet into the right-field seats.
Greene, shaken a bit, walked Willy Adames on four pitches and he scored on Rowdy Tellez’s double to tie it, 3-3.
The Brewers scored three more in the second on Jace Peterson’s single, Yelich’s two-out run-scoring double and a 397-foot two-run homer by Adames to make it 6-3.
The Brewers displayed in the third that humidors and softened baseballs don’t slow them down. Tyrone Taylor ripped a 403-foot home run to left and with two outs No. 9 hitter Keston Hiura lobbed 411-foot home run to left.
That made it 8-3 and ended Greene’s short work day — 2 2/3 innings, eight runs, nine hits, one walk, seven strikeouts. Eight of the nine hits off Greene were for extra bases — five homers and three doubles.
From there, the Reds bullpen put silencers on Milwaukee’s bats. Luis Cessa, Tony Santillan and Phillip Diehl pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings. But Art Warren gave up a two-out two-run home run in the eighth to Adames, his second home run of the day, to make it 10-5.
And the Reds diligently tried to scramble back.
Stephenson homered leading off the fourth. The Reds scored a run in the fifth on Brandon Drury’s single to make it 8-5, but they left the bases loaded with one out when Stephenson struck out and Mike Moustakas grounded out.
Then the highly effective Milwaukee bullpen took charge after starter Adrian Houser staggered through five innings (five runs, seven hits, one walk, six strikeouts).
Trevor Gott, Brad Boxberger, Devon Williams and Hoby Milner kept the Reds off the scoreboard.
Reds manager David Bell utilized two new pieces that arrived from Class AAA Louisville, outfielders Albert Almora Jr. and Ronnie Dawson. Almora was 2 for 4 with a run scored and Dawson was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts.
Shortstop Kyle Farmer, on a 0 for 20 slide, was given the day off.
The 0-13 road losing streak is the franchise’s worst since the 1933 team lost 19 straight.
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