The Cincinnati Reds (59-91) host the Milwaukee Brewers (80-70) at Great American Ball Park on Friday. The Brewers took Thursday’s series opener 5-1, their 11th head-to-head victory in 16 games this season. Brandon Woodruff went six innings for the win, giving up one run on three hits and striking out 11. Kolten Wong was 3 for 4 with three home runs and five RBIs in the win. Kyle Farmer went 1 for 4 with a solo home run for the Reds.
ON THE MOUND
Eric Lauer (10-7, 3.91 ERA) is set for the start for Milwaukee. The lefty allowed seven runs over 2.2 innings in his last start, an 8-4 road defeat against the Rockies on September 7. He took the loss, yielding six hits while striking out four and walking one. Over two previous starts against the Reds this season, Lauer has allowed five earned runs over 13.1 innings (2-0, 3.38). He has struck out nine and walked four. Lefty Mike Minor (4-12, 6.06 ERA) is on the mound for Cincinnati. He has made one prior start against the Brewers this season, giving up four runs over six innings in a 6-3 home defeat on June 19. He gave up six hits and walked three, while striking out four in the loss. In his last start on Saturday, Minor took the loss on the road against the Cardinals. He threw three innings and gave up five runs on five hits, striking out one and walking five in the 5-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Milwaukee has averaged 5.2 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 4.5. Against southpaws like Minor this season, the Brew Crew have a .665 OPS. Hunter Renfroe is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a .773 OPS in 107 at-bats. Cincinnati is averaging only 2.4 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.2 for the season, with their slash line falling across the board (.206/.256/.309). The Reds have a .714 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a .939 OPS over 133 at-bats, Farmer has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Milwaukee is 38-40 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.6 runs. Cincinnati has gone 30-45 at Great American Ball Park this season, averaging 4.7 runs per game while surrendering 5.1. In the last 10 games between the NL Central rivals at Great American Ball Park, Milwaukee is 8-2 with an average scoreline of 7.0-4.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Brewers are second in the NL Central, seven games behind the division-leading Cardinals. They are fourth in the Wild Card race, two games out of third. The Reds are fourth in the NL Central, 28 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Milwaukee Brewers
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
