The Cincinnati Reds try to avoid a second straight loss when they face the Milwaukee Brewers in the second of a key four-game series between the top teams in the NL Central on Friday night. The first pitch for this one is scheduled for 8:10 p.m, ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Cincinnati dropped the series opener 5-3 on Thursday night, its second loss in three games. The Reds are 45-42 and in second place in the NL Central, trailing the first-place Brewers by seven games.
Milwaukee improved to 53-36. The Brewers have the third-best record in the National League, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by 1½ games and the San Francisco Giants by 2½ games.
MLB odds have the Brewers with a moneyline of -116, while the Reds are listed at +106. The over/under is set at nine runs.
Long Road Ahead
The Reds need to start making up some ground on the Brewers. It’s the All-Star break, and Cincinnati can’t squander opportunities to beat the team ahead of it.
Left-hander Wade Miley will be on the mound. The 34-year-old is 6-4 with a 3.06 ERA this season, striking out 72 and walking 23 over 88⅓ innings.
Miley hasn’t taken a loss since May 19, but he’s only picked up two wins since then as well, taking no-decisions in five other starts. He had a no-decision on Sunday against the Cubs, going 6⅔ innings and allowing two runs on 10 hits while striking out three and walking one in a 3-2 Reds victory.
The All-Star outfield duo of Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker has been leading the Reds’ offense all season long. Castellanos has a team-high .334 batting average, which is the second-highest in baseball. He also leads the majors with 28 doubles and paces the Reds with 54 RBIs and 57 runs scored.
Winker has been nearly as prolific, hitting .301 with 16 doubles, 19 home runs, 49 RBIs and 56 runs scored. He has struggled in July, batting .069 (2-for-29) with one RBI and no extra-base hits in seven games this month.
Clutch Hit
Outfielder Avisail Garcia has been the Brewers’ best hitter this season, and he did it again on Thursday night, hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie and power Milwaukee to the win. It was his 16th home run of the season, which leads the Brewers.
“I’ve just got to be focused and ready, don’t try to do too much,” García said of his winning at-bat in Thursday’s win. “I’m just trying to think, middle-middle, put a good swing on it and see what happens.”
AVI GOES 426 FEET FOR THE LEAD!#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/HBJB5dByfm
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 9, 2021
Garcia also leads the Brewers with a .252 batting average and 54 RBIs, adding 37 runs scored.
Third baseman Luis Urias had his two-game home run streak snapped, though he went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. Urias has 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.
Left-hander Eric Lauer will be on the mound. He’s 3-3 with a 4.11 ERA, striking out 51 and walking 20 over 50⅓ innings in eight starts and 11 total appearances.
Lauer has faced the Reds twice, starting one game, and has an 0-1 record and 6.00 ERA over nine innings against Cincinnati. He’s won two straight starts coming into this one, including Saturday’s contest against Pittsburgh in which he went 6⅓ innings and allowed one run on four hits in an 11-2 Reds win.
Reds Even It Up
Miley gives the Reds an edge on the mound in this matchup, and Cincinnati’s offense is due to break out for a win, especially Winker. The Reds’ All-Stars come through and even up this series at a win apiece.
When making your MLB picks, take Cincinnati to win on the road.
