Dodgers misfire in Milwaukee

Unable to send Clayton Kershaw to the mound for a second consecutive night, the Dodgers went back to being the Dodgers on Tuesday.

With Zack Greinke giving up five runs in four-plus innings, the Dodgers had no chance against the Milwaukee Brewers, as their inept offense converted 10 hits and five walks into only two runs.

The 5-2 defeat at Miller Park felt like many of the last-place Dodgers’ 25 previous defeats, as they were three for 14 with runners in scoring position.

They had men on first and second with none out in the second inning and didn’t score. They had the bases loaded with one out in the third inning and didn’t score again, as Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier struck out. They scored two runs in the fourth inning but couldn’t add to their 2-1 lead even though they had the bases loaded with one out. They botched a safety squeeze in the fifth inning, as Dee Gordon bunted the ball back to reliever Mike Fiers and Ethier was thrown out at the plate.

The Dodgers were three for 14 with runners in scoring position and one of those hits was by Greinke. They left 14 men on base.

“As far as the offense is concerned, I think that’s kind of been our story,” Mattingly said. “We had the right people up in the right spots. We had our chances.”

The Dodgers have lost four of five games on this trip, which ends Wednesday. Their only victory came over the Brewers on Monday night, when Kershaw pitched a complete game to offset another three-run day for the offense.

Adrian Gonzalez sighed and grunted as he recalled his fourth-inning at-bat. Greinke singled in a run that inning, as did Nick Punto, who loaded the bases for Gonzalez. Fiers replaced Brewers starter Hiram Burgos to face Gonzalez.

“That at-bat, for me, was frustrating as it could be,” Gonzalez said. “Bases loaded, one out. All I’ve got to do is hit a sac fly, and I strike out. It’s not acceptable.”

Kemp grounded into a forceout to end the inning.

The Dodgers are hitting .222 with runners in scoring position. Gonzalez has been a rare exception, batting .444 in such situations.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I didn’t produce today. If I come through there today, we’re probably not talking about that. We’re talking about a win. That simple.”

Greinke didn’t help matters, as he had issues with command in his second start back from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.

“I thought everything was bad, not just command,” Greinke said. “I had no feel out there. I got out of jams early, but it never really got better.”

The loss was the first of Greinke’s life at Miller Park, which he called home for 11/2 seasons. Before Tuesday, Greinke was 15-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 24 games at Miller Park.

He was charged with a run in the first inning, when he walked Ryan Braun and gave up consecutive singles to Aramis Ramirez and Jonathan Lucroy.

Greinke unraveled in the fifth inning, which he started by serving up a triple to Jean Segura. Braun singled to tie the score, 2-2. Ramirez and Lucroy both singled to load the bases. A ground-rule double by Carlos Gomez drove in two more runs. The Dodgers were down, 4-2, and Greinke was replaced by Matt Guerrier, who limited the damage to only one more run.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com