The Milwaukee Brewers (58-48, 27-20 home) tangle with the Cincinnati Reds (42-63, 18-31 away) in a National League Central showdown on Saturday. Milwaukee has won four in a row against the Reds, including a 5-1 victory Friday night, and owns an 8-2 record against Cincinnati this season.
The first pitch of Saturday’s contest is at 7:15 p.m. EST at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee comes in as the betting favorite at -190, and the over-under total is 8.0 runs.
What to Know – Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati comes into the weekend having lost their last two contests after winning four straight. The Reds sit in fourth place in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals by 15.5 games.
The expected starter for the Reds is left-hander Nick Lodolo (3-3, 4.23 ERA, 1.57 WHIP). Lodolo’s was excellent in his last two starts in July, surrendering only one earned run over 12 innings. For the season, the 24-year-old has pitched 38.1 innings, allowing 18 earned runs on 44 hits, 16 walks, and striking out 54 batters.
Cincinnati delt three of their best offensive players prior to the trade deadline in Brandon Drury, Tommy Pham, and Tyler Naquin. Drury led the Reds in home runs, RBIs, and runs scored before being dealt to the San Diego Padres. Now the offense rest in the hands of Kyle Farmer and the veteran Joey Votto.
The Reds are 19th in the MLB, hitting .239 as a team and scoring 4.3 runs per game. Cincinnati’s pitching staff is near the bottom of the league with a 5.02 team earned run average.
What to Know – Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers opened last night’s series with a victory to snap a four-game losing skid that included a three-game sweep to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Milwaukee remains in a two-team race with the Cardinals for the top spot in the NL Central.
Looking to keep the Brewers in the win column is lefty Aaron Ashby (2-9, 4.13 ERA, 1.45 WHIP). The second-year pro finished July with three-straight losses but didn’t allow more than two runs in any of those starts.
Ashby has 80.2 innings thrown this year, surrendering 37 earned runs on 81 hits and 36 walks while striking out 98 batters.
Rowdy Tellez has 22 home runs and 70 RBIs, while Willy Adames adds 21 dingers and 61 RBIs to spearhead the Brewers’ offense. Those two are the heart of the lineup, while Christian Yelich leads the team with a .261 batting average, 16 stolen bases, and 69 runs scored.
Milwaukee averages 4.7 runs per game behind a team batting average of .241; that’s 18th in the majors. The pitching staff for the Brewers is 13th in the MLB, sporting a 3.86 team ERA.
The Pick is In
Cincinnati gutted their offense as the franchise continues to rebuild the roster for the futute. Milwaukee wants to win now, and the Brewers get it done again Saturday against their divisional rival.
The Pick: Milwaukee Brewers
