MILWAUKEE — The Brewers had spent the better part of the past week finding just about every way to win.
On Sunday, they finally ran out of answers.
Milwaukee’s bid for a perfect homestand ended with a 4-3 loss to the Reds at American Family Field, snapping a five-game winning streak on an afternoon when the Brewers repeatedly threatened to extend it.
And despite the loss, Milwaukee moved closer to checking another box. With the Cubs also losing Sunday afternoon, the Brewers can clinch the NL Central as early as Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
For a team that has already secured its place in October and is now evaluating exactly how all the pieces might fit when it gets there, the afternoon wasn’t without encouraging developments.
The left-hander continued an impressive late-season stretch with five-plus innings of one-run ball, holding down a Cincinnati lineup that had been swinging the bat well. Gasser carried a 2-0 lead into the sixth before allowing a leadoff single, his final batter of the afternoon.
“He was great,” manager Pat Murphy said. “He continues to just — those first 85 pitches, he’s really, really good. … I thought he did a fabulous job against a team that’s been swinging it.”
Gasser’s afternoon continued a run that has quietly strengthened his case for whatever role Milwaukee ultimately asks him to fill in October. Murphy noted that Gasser has recently handled the Cubs twice and now Cincinnati, two lineups he believes are particularly dangerous against left-handed pitching.
“For sure,” Murphy said when asked whether Gasser has put himself in a good position. “Gass has thrown the ball great. … He’s done it against really good teams that swing it well against lefties.”
Gasser isn’t particularly interested in pinpointing one adjustment behind the improvement.
“It hasn’t been one day or one pitch,” Gasser said. “It’s just been an accumulation of a lot of different days.”
The Brewers couldn’t turn his work into a sixth consecutive victory.
Antonio Senzatela entered after Gasser’s leadoff single in the sixth and allowed a single before Eugenio Suárez launched a three-run homer that flipped a 2-0 Milwaukee lead into a 3-2 deficit. Senzatela recorded only one out, and Abner Uribe surrendered the go-ahead run in the eighth after Jake Bauers had pulled Milwaukee even.
“Our bullpen let us down a little bit,” Murphy said. “Uribe wasn’t as sharp as normal. Senza wasn’t his normal self.”
Bauers’ contribution was another encouraging piece.
Playing through shin splints that have limited where Milwaukee can use him defensively, Bauers led off the seventh by launching a game-tying homer into the Brewers’ bullpen in right field. It continued a productive stretch despite the discomfort.
“He’s not real comfortable,” Murphy said. “We’ve given him some breaks. But … he still can swing the bat. … He’s so good for us, and the swing is that good.”
Milwaukee had chances to find one more answer. Brice Turang led off the ninth with a single against Reds closer Emilio Pagán, bringing the potential tying run aboard, but Christian Yelich’s flyout ended the final threat.
So the homestand ended 5-1 instead of 6-0.
Not perfect. Still plenty productive.
The Brewers swept the Cubs, clinched their eighth postseason berth in nine seasons and set a franchise record with 33 runs across Friday and Saturday. Sunday provided a reminder that there are still things to sharpen before October — while offering a few more clues about which players could help them once they get there.