MILWAUKEE -- Kyle Lohse felt as if he was getting back on track after consecutive strong outings on Milwaukee's last road trip.
But two rough home starts later, the veteran right-hander is back to searching for why things have gone terribly for him this season.
Lohse was pounded for 11 hits and seven runs over just 3 1/3 innings Saturday, as the Milwaukee Brewers dropped their seventh consecutive game with a 7-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Miller Park.
"It is just frustrating," Lohse said. "I had four or five starts there that were either good or felt like they were really close to being good and then you take a huge step backwards today with a lack of command and not getting ahead of guys. It was pretty much doing the opposite of everything that makes me successful."
A sloppy second inning allowed the Diamondbacks to jump out to a 3-1 lead on Lohse and the Brewers. Aaron Hill singled, moved to second on a groundout and scored when Lohse threw away Chris Owings' bunt single.
Nick Ahmed followed with a double into the left-field corner. The Brewers appeared to have Owings out at the plate, but catcher Martin Maldonado dropped the ball. Ahmed moved up to third on the error and scored on an RBI single by pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
Lohse allowed a solo home run to Paul Goldschmidt in the third and a three-run blast to the All-Star first baseman in the fourth, as Arizona blew the game open at 7-2.
"Today was not good," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of Lohse. "We needed a big performance today. We've lost (seven) in a row so we needed a big performance and we didn't get it. He struggled. It's concerning. He's not the aggressor right now. It's like he's playing defense the whole game.
"It feels like he's not on the attack. We have to look at how we can get him better because it's not working right now."
In the final year of a three-year, $33 million contract, Lohse's ERA is up to 6.50 on the season. He's has allowed 33 earned runs in 35 1/3 innings (8.41 ERA) in seven starts at Miller Park.
Lohse is tied for second in baseball in home runs allowed at 15 and has surrendered at least one big fly in nine of his 11 starts.
"It is just getting back to doing what I do," Lohse said. "I'm mechanically trying to do too much and making a lot of mistakes back out over the plate. You are going to be beat when you are up in the zone."
The Brewers have now matched the Padres for the league lead in home runs allowed as a team at 66.
"We get in spots in the game where we have to make a pitch," Counsell said. "Against hitters like that, you have to make pitches. There's no other way out. It's about making a pitch.
"There are times in a game -- it's all times in a game, really -- that you have to make pitches. Center-cut balls in the middle of the plate are the balls that get hit out of the park."
There may come a point in which Counsell decides to make a change with the rotation, but the Brewers currently don't have many options when it comes to starting pitchers.
"You're trying to figure out what's changed and what's different," Counsell said. "I think it's just get on the attack; you be the aggressor and get on the attack. I'm not sure, I don't know if sitting down makes that any better. To me it's get out there and get on the attack."
Much like Matt Garza, Lohse is of the mindset of continuing to work to find an answer for why he is having the worst season of his successful career.
"You have to turn the page every day," Lohse said. "I told you that even the last couple of years when things were good. You move on to the next day. As soon as I leave here I have to leave it behind. It is back to work tomorrow to get ready for the next one."
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