Series Preview : Brewers @ Reds

Cincinnati, O.H. ~ Last week the Milwaukee Brewers took on the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park, where the Brewers took two out of three to win the series. This week, the two NL Central foes meet again, at Great American Ballpark, for a three game series.

The Brewers have seen a drop in consistency from both the starting rotation and bullpen, so if Milwaukee can score some runs early and let their pitchers relax, and then add more runs, the Brew Crew will be in good position to win games.

A recent trend for the Brewers is building up a lead, only to see it vanish. One way to make that occurrence less frequent is to not give up the home run ball. The home runs allow teams to claw back into games without having to string together multiple hits in an inning. However, it won’t be easy in a stadium so homer friendly in Great American Ballpark.

Another key factor in this series is that the Reds might be missing a big bat in star Joey Votto. If Votto isn’t in the lineup, Milwaukee needs to take advantage of not facing a threat in the lineup.

The Brew Crew needs the bats to show up in order to win games against the Reds, a team with plenty of sluggers. Christian Yelich and Jesus Aguilar have played well against Cincinnati this season, as the both have hit over .350 playing against them. Eric Thames always hits well too against the Reds, with plenty of home runs to show for it.

This is a must win series, every one is, as the Brewers are battling for a chance to play in October.

By Jacob Szczap