For these franchises, the second half will begin just as the first half ended, a series with first place at stake. This time, the Milwaukee Brewers (49-42) are on the road when they face the Cincinnati Reds (50-41) for a fourth straight time. This series couldn't be more important for the National League playoff picture. These clubs will renew acquaintances in Great American Ball Park Friday night. The first pitch of the second half is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT. Milwaukee may be up 5-2 in the season series, but they trail by one game in the division.
Milwaukee has only kept this division so tight because of their head-to-head success against the Reds. Now would be a terrible time to let up. It begins with the Brewers' pitching staff which has held a dangerous Reds offense to under four runs per game during the first seven battles. Corbin Burnes is the face of that, having started two wins against the Reds in two tries, and he gets a shot at three to open the second half. Over 12.0 innings against Cincinnati, Burnes has allowed five runs on five hits, with two homers supplying most of the damage. He's walked eight batters in those 12 innings, which is a concern, but Burnes has also mitigated damage effectively.
Winker drives in Yeli to put us on the board first. #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/FmYpn88JTp
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 9, 2023
Offensively, Milwaukee has also brought their best against the Reds this season, scoring at least five runs in five of the first seven meetings. Overall, the Brewers are averaging just under five runs per game against their NL Central rival. Things at the plate aren't typically sunny for the Brew Crew, as they own bottom-five numbers in batting average, slugging percentage, and strikeout rate. Even with MLB's fourth-highest walk rate, they are 23rd in OBP. The net result is ranking 21st in runs per game at the break, a number that probably won't get far in October. A trade can change things, or they can pretend every opponent is the Reds.