The Milwaukee Brewers keep finding ways to make life miserable for the Cincinnati Reds.
With 50 wins in their last 69 games against Cincinnati, the Brewers head into Wednesday night looking to finish off a series victory after taking the first two games. They’re 52-31 overall, and another win would keep the momentum rolling against a Reds club sitting at 39-45.
This one sets up as a lefty-versus-lefty matchup, just like the opener of the series. Milwaukee will send Shane Drohan to the mound for his seventh start of the season and his sixth since joining the rotation at the start of June.
Drohan already saw this lineup recently. In his last outing against the Reds, he worked 4.1 scoreless innings and allowed five hits in a 6-5 Brewers win.
It wasn’t a clean or efficient night - he needed 98 pitches to get through those 4.1 frames - but the results were there. His ERA now sits at 3.12.
Cincinnati will answer with Andrew Abbott, who enters with a 3.90 ERA. The Brewers didn’t face him in last week’s series. Abbott’s most recent start came Friday against the Pirates, when he allowed three home runs over 5.1 innings.
Milwaukee’s lineup also comes with the usual lefty-specific tweaks. Gary Sanchez starts behind the plate and hits seventh, while William Contreras slides into the DH role. Christian Yelich gets the night off, with the club apparently giving him a breather after some recent struggles at the plate and a tougher run against left-handed pitching than usual.
Brice Turang, Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell are the only left-handed bats in the Brewers lineup. Bauers will patrol right field in place of Sal Frelick, who just put together an outstanding June. Cooper Pratt is back in the lineup after getting a day and a half off to help reset after some recent struggles, and Joey Ortiz is at third base.
For Cincinnati, the top of the order brings the thunder again with Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart leading things off. Behind them, Spencer Steer, Eugenio Suarez and Robert Stephenson make up the heart of the lineup.
The Brewers will also mark America’s 250th anniversary tonight, since they won’t be home on July 4. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM, with ESPN carrying the broadcast.
In Other News...
Brewers May Need A Familiar Face To Fix A Lingering Problem
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A few former Brewers are popping up as possible solutions, including Grant Wolfram, who is now with the Orioles, and Bryan Hudson, whose rebound with the White Sox has made him a more interesting bullpen option than he was a year ago. David Fry, meanwhile, offers the kind of versatile bat that can help a bench in a hurry. The most obvious reunion candidate would be Willy Adames, but the bigger issue for Milwaukee is whether it can line up the kind of move that actually answers the need without costing too much elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Look Ready To Make A Real Deadline Push
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Milwaukee is still sorting through the best way to sharpen the roster, and thats where the deadline conversation gets interesting. The club has internal options to consider, but the most obvious areas for help remain the bullpen and added power, the kind of needs that tend to separate a division leader from a true October threat. For a front office that has long prized opportunity over splash, this feels like the kind of deadline where patience can still make room for a decisive move. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Sproat Is Forcing A Brewers Decision Much Sooner Than Expected
Brandon Sproats first season in the Brewers system has moved well past the shaky early stretch that came after he arrived in the Freddy Peralta trade. Milwaukee has been encouraged enough by the right-handers progress to keep tracking him as a possible part of the rotation picture down the line, and June gave that idea a real boost with sharper command and more effective pitching than he showed in May.
The timing is what makes this matter now. Sproats improvement is arriving just as Milwaukees staff is getting healthier, and the returning arms are about to force some hard decisions. Logan Henderson is close to coming back, and with Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Brandon Woodruff, Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser also in the mix, the Brewers may soon have more viable starters than rotation spots. [Read more 🡒]