This Sunday the (42-63) Cincinnati Reds and the (58-48) Milwaukee Brewers will play the final game of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 2:10 PM EST inside American Family Field. This is also the fourth series between these two teams this season, as they are very familiar with one another. The last time they played the Brewers did achieve the sweep, though.
The Cincinnati Reds are coming into this one after winning their previous series against the Miami Marlins. Cincinnati did a great job on the mound and in the field, as they only surrendered two combined earned runs in their two wins. They will need their pitching to stay on point if they want to challenge the Brewers on the road in the final game of this series.
The Milwaukee Brewers are entering this one after being swept by the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates. The Brewers bullpen had issues throughout that series, as they had multiple chances to close out those games.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Cincinnati Reds have been better the past few weeks, as they have now won two series in a row. They are also (5-5) in their last 10 and still in fourth place in the NL Central, as they are still 15.5 games out of first place. At the plate, the Reds are scoring 4.39 runs per game and they are hitting .239 as a team. This is the 17th most runs scored per game and the 19th lowest overall team batting average. They have struggled to make contact with the ball consistently at different times this season, but they saw the ball great in their last series against the Marlins. The Reds have also shown that they have some power littered throughout their lineup, but they did just trade away one or two of their best power hitters. They are still averaging .96 bombs per game, but I am expecting this average to decrease over the next few weeks. The Reds should also stay fairly conservative once they have reached base safely, as they can't risk lo sing any potential runs. This season they have only stolen 43 bases, which is the 23rd least in the MLB.
In the field, the Reds also have some work to do. They looked great against Miami, but the Marlins barely put the ball in play. Cincinnati is currently allowing 5.32 runs per game and they have the 16th highest overall team fielding percentage. They don't make a ton of mistakes, but they don't make many spectacular plays either. They are very routine, as they are just looking to support their starting pitcher. The Reds have only committed 54 errors this season, which is the 13th least in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Reds will be starting Hunter Greene on the mound in this one. He has struggled throughout this entire season, as he is (4-12) with a 5.26 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Greene has had a ton of issues on the road this season, as well. He is currently (2-7) with a 5.13 ERA when he is playing inside his opponent's ballpark.
Injuries: Hunter Greene is listed on the injury report (Shoulder). Monitor his status before making your wager, as he is listed as questionable right now.