The Cincinnati Reds (55-80) are on the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers (73-65) at American Family Field on Friday to open a three-game series. The Reds are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Cubs, taking the finale 4-3 on Thursday at Wrigley Field. Kyle Farmer was 2 for 4 with a solo home run. The Brewers are coming off a two-game sweep of the Giants, taking both games of a series-ending doubleheader at American Family Field on Thursday. They followed up a 2-1 win in the opener with a 4-2 victory in the finale. Luis Urias went 1 for 2 with one run in the second leg. Mike Brosseau added one run on a walk.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Brewers have won eight of 12 in the season series between the NL Central rivals, although they dropped a close one 4-2 in 10 innings in their last meeting on August 7 at American Family Field. Reliever Hunter Strickland was credited with the win after throwing one inning, and Ross Detwiler earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Nick Lodolo (3-5, 3.95 ERA) is set to get the start for Cincinnati. The LHP threw six scoreless innings in his last start, an 8-4 road defeat against the Rockies on Sunday. He gave up two hits while striking out nine and walking one in the no-decision. Lodolo has made one previous start against the Brewers this season, a 7-5 road victory on August 6. He surrendered three runs on four hits over 4.2 innings, striking out four and walking four. LHP Jason Alexander (2-2, 5.03 ERA) will toe the rubber for Milwaukee. He has made one prior start against the Reds this season, giving up three runs (2 ER) over 5.2 innings in a 7-3 road win on June 18. He gave up eight hits and walked one, while striking out two in the win. In his last start on Sunday, Alexander took the loss on the road against the Diamondbacks. He threw 4.2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits, striking out three and walking four in the 5-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Cincinnati offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .241/.309/.382. Farmer leads the team in OPS at .707. The third baseman is slashing .262/.326/.382 with 10 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 52 runs over 118 games. Over the last five games, however, Cincinnati has averaged 5.6 runs a game thanks in part to improved slugging (.436). Against left-handed pitchers like Alexander this season, the Reds have a .711 OPS. Farmer also is the team’s most productive hitter against left-handers with a .957 OPS in 125 at-bats. Milwaukee is slashing ././. for the season and averaging 4.5 runs per game. Hunter Renfroe leads the team with a .818 OPS. The right fielder has 25 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 49 runs scored with a slash line of .255/.317/.501. The Brew Crew have a .659 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a .802 OPS over 99 at-bats, Renfroe also has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cincinnati is 26-41 away from Great American Ball Park in 2022, scoring 3.6 runs per game while allowing 5.0 runs. Milwaukee has won three in a row at home. The Brew Crew are 37-26 at home this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.9. Milwaukee is 6-4 in the last 10 games at American Family Field between the teams with an average scoreline of 5.9-3.7.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Reds are fourth in the NL Central, 25 games behind the division-leading Cardinals. The Brewers are second in the NL Central, nine games behind the Cardinals. They are fourth in the Wild Card race, four games out of a postseason position.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Milwaukee Brewers (-150)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
