MILWAUKEE -- Three up and three down from the Brewers' 4-1 loss to the Reds Thursday at Miller Park:

THREE UP ...

A guy worth liking

Reds' Aaron Harang may be the most underappreciated pitcher in the National League. His victory Thursday was his 40th since the 2005 All-Star break, third to Carlos Zambrano and Brandon Webb in the NL. He led the NL in strikeouts in 2006, finished second last year and this year has 15 in 21 innings.

Still on top

Catcher Jason Kendall flared two singles in three at-bats to give him 14 hits this season and a .538 average, best in the NL.

I remember him

The Reds finally had a chance to use Francisco Coredero in the ninth inning, and the former Brewers' closer didn't disappoint. He needed just seven pitches to retire the Brewers in order. "I enjoyed it," said Cordero, greeted by a lusty round of boos, "because I did what I do. I just came in and saved the game."

... THREE DOWN

I need that one back

That's probably what Carlos Villanueva was thinking on his first pitch to Edwin Encarnacion in the seventh, one the Reds third baseman hit into the second deck in left field to give Cincinnati a 3-1 lead.

Interesting moves

First Reds manager Dusty Baker pulled the infield in in the second with one out, a runner on third, J.J. Hardy at the plate and Villanueva on deck. Hardy singled through the middle to knock in the run on a play in which he would have been thrown out at first for the second out. Baker then tried to steal a run in the fifth on a squeeze that Harang failed to get down, leaving Scott Hatteberg an easy out between third and home.

Cut him some slack

Every appearance by reliever Derrick Turnbow gives the Miller Park fans a chance to exercise their lungs. When Turnbow walks the leadoff hitter, like he did this time, those boos get even louder. So why is it, when Turnbow retires the next three hitters without a problem, the cheers don't seem to match the boos?