Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds

Saturday afternoon features an NL Central showdown as the Milwaukee Brewers (21-23) take on the Cincinnati Reds (20-23). The Reds will host this one at the Great American Ballpark, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 pm ET.

This will be the second of a three-game series between the two teams. On Friday, the Reds took the opener, 9-4.

In the win, the Reds hit four home runs, including three from left fielder Jesse Winker. On the night, he finished four for four with three runs batted in and four runs scored. He also walked once.

In the loss, the Brewers’ Adrian Houser allowed six runs in just four innings of work. The Brewers managed just six hits in the contest, including two from outfielder Lorenzo Cain.

The Reds are the favorites playing at home. They are -144 to win while the Brewers’ moneyline sits at +122. The runline features Milwaukee +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

Pitching Matchup

Trying to even up the series, Milwaukee will turn to lefty Brett Anderson (2-3, 4.50 ERA). Anderson will look to bounce back after giving up four runs in less than four innings of work against the Braves his last time out.

The Reds will send Sonny Gray (0-3, 3.86 ERA) to the mound as he looks for his first win. In his last outing, a 6-3 loss to the Giants, he went five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits while striking out three.

By The Number

Offensively, Cincinnati continues to be one of the best teams in baseball. They currently rank fourth, averaging 5.10 runs per game. The Brewers fall to 27th, averaging just 3.65 runs per game.

Defensively, it is Milwaukee with the edge. They currently rank 13th in scoring defense allowing opponents 4.12 runs per game. The Reds rank dead last in MLB, allowing 5.62 runs per game.

New Look Brewers Need To Sharpen Up

Even though the trade deadline isn’t for another couple of months, Brewers general manager David Stearns decided to pull the trigger early. After seeing Luis Urias struggle on defense, Stearns traded with the Tampa Bay Rays for shortstop Willy Adames.

In the deal, the Brewers also received Trevor Richards while giving up bullpen pieces in J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen.

While the defense will help, the Brew Crew could use a shot in the arm on offense, too. Currently, Asivail Garcia leads the team in home runs with just six while Travis Shaw leads with 24 runs batted in.

The Brewers would like to see Christian Yelich start performing, and Saturday might be the perfect matchup for him. In his career, Yelich is hitting .273 with a home run and three runs batted in against Sonny Gray.

Reds Trying To Stay Relevant In Division

After a rough 4-6 stretch in their last ten games, the Reds are trying to turn their fortunes around and compete in the NL. Central. At 20-23, they are currently 4.5 games back of the first-place Cardinals.

Leading the way offensively for the Reds is outfielder Nick Castellanos. He is currently hitting .342/.404/.632 and is tied for the team lead in home runs at 11 with Jesse Winker.

Castellanos has also had success against Brett Anderson. In 17 at-bats, he is hitting .353 with a home run and two runs batted in.

One player to keep special attention on is Eugenio Suarez. Albeit in just 10 at-bats, Suarez is hitting .300 against Anderson with two home runs and four runs batted in.

Reds Trying To Win Battle With Themselves

The Cincinnati Reds are a very polarizing team. On the one hand, they are one of the most elite teams in baseball at scoring. The problem, though, is they are the worst team in baseball at run prevention.

This is where they need Sonny Gray to step up. Seen as one of two potential aces on the team (alongside Luis Castillo), Gray has not consistently shown that ace potential on the mound this season.

The Reds should definitely be able to score runs in this one, the real question is whether Gray will be able to support them on the defensive side.