Luis Castillo is still searching for another one of those dominant outings that has made him so imposing to hitters.

The Reds right-hander's lack of success was underscored during one sequence with Cleveland's Cesar Hernandez on Saturday in a 9-2 loss at Progressive Field. With the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning, Castillo had Hernandez in an 0-2 count and couldn't put him away.

"He’s so talented, and he’s working, so that’s a great formula to get through it, and he will," Reds manager David Bell said. "And we’ll do everything we can to support him and make it happen as quick as possible."

Hernandez stayed away from a slider in the dirt, and Castillo followed with a fastball up and in for another ball. The 2-2 changeup that followed stayed over the plate, and Hernandez ripped it to the right-field corner for a bases-clearing triple that put Cincinnati down, 6-1.

"We were trying to throw something that would induce the ground ball to get a double play there. That was the goal right there," Castillo said via translator Jorge Merlos. "But that changeup -- my changeups are staying in the zone, so he made good contact there, and that's when the runs came in."

Castillo finished with six runs allowed (four earned) and five hits over four innings with two walks and two strikeouts. In seven starts, he is 1-4 with a 6.42 ERA, and the Reds have lost each of his last five starts. His only win this season was on April 7 against the Pirates, when he pitched seven scoreless innings with four hits allowed.

According to Statcast, only three of Castillo's 84 pitches against Cleveland resulted in a swing and miss.

"What I've seen is about 70 percent of my pitches are staying in the zone," Castillo said. "I'm definitely noticing that, and I'm definitely focusing on that too. What I'm trying to do now is pitch lower, so that way, we can get more swings and misses and more ground balls."

The Reds' defense didn't help Castillo on a couple of occasions. After he walked the leadoff batter while trailing, 1-0, in the second inning, a Jake Bauers fly ball to bright and sunny left field was dropped by Tyler Naquin for an error. It led to another run on an Andrés Giménez sacrifice fly.

Castillo gave up three straight one-out singles in the pivotal fourth inning, including an RBI single to Austin Hedges. Giménez reached first base on a fielder's choice, but shortstop Kyle Farmer dropped Mike Moustakas’ force-play throw for an error. Hernandez's triple came next.

"I think he’s used to getting a little bit more swings and misses, but even when balls are put into play, there are balls that are hit hard, but some of them just kind of found holes," Bell said. "He’s not satisfied. He knows he wants to keep getting better, and he knows when he’s right, he is [going to get] more swings and misses. And a lot of times, you get those breaks when you’re right." 

Against Cleveland starter Aaron Civale, the Reds had a chance to break through with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning. Just one run scored on a Moustakas sacrifice fly.

Naquin added a second run with a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth inning. 

One night after the thrill of Wade Miley throwing a no-hitter, the outcome on Saturday felt like a letdown.  

"It was obviously a great night last night," Bell said. "We talked a lot about that. And tonight, it was a different story. So yeah, there’s not much more to say."