The Milwaukee Brewers continue their weekend series in Cincinnati as they battle the Reds on Saturday at The Great American Ballpark. The Brewers come in clinging to their playoff hopes, trailing the Padres by 2.5 games for the last wildcard spot with just 12 games to play. The Reds will happily take on the roll of spoilers in this series with their postseason dreams long since vanished. The pitching matchup for Saturday will be Corbin Burnes (10-8, 3.12) of the Brewers taking on Graham Ashcraft (5-3, 3.97) of the Reds. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm EST.
The Milwaukee Brewers' season has reached critical condition with just 12 games left heading into Friday night. The Brewers trail the Padres by three games in the loss column for the third and final NL wildcard spot and now have nearly no room for error. A four-game series with the struggling Reds could not have come at a better time but the Brewers need to take care of business. After a win on Thursday night, the Brewers headed into Friday night looking to make it two in a row. The Brewers pounded out 11 hits and kept pace with the Padres with a 5-2 win against the Reds.
That's how you start a road trip.@UWCreditUnion x #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/AdqXeQ9ZpW
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 23, 2022
Milwaukee made some strategical moves at the trade deadline to strengthen the team for this season and going forward. Not likely able to retain closer Josh Hader in free agency and with a number of quality arms in the pen, the team parted ways with the game's best closer over the better part of the last three seasons. It has been a mixed bag for the Brewers since the deal. The team is just 23-24 since the trade deadline and has had some spotty work out of its bullpen. On the mound on Saturday, hoping to keep the Brewers hopes alive will be ace Corbin Burnes. Burnes has not pitched up to his Cy Young levels of a year ago but has still been very sharp overall until recently. In his last five games, Burnes is just 1-2 with an ERA of 5.29 while allowing 32 hits in 32.1 innings pitched. Against the Reds this season, he has a no-decision in one start, going six innings and giving up two hits and a run.