Cincinnati @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( May 18, 2010 ) Milwaukee 4, Cincinnati 5
Randy Wolf is coming off the worst performance of his 12-year career, but a matchup with the Cincinnati Reds could help him get back on track.
Wolf looks to continue his mastery of the Reds as the surging Milwaukee Brewers will try to match a season high with their fifth straight victory on Monday.
Wolf (7-9, 5.20 ERA) was rocked for 12 runs and 13 hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 15-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
He has gotten the job done against Cincinnati over his career, however. The veteran left-hander is 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA in his last five starts against the Reds. Overall, Wolf is 9-2 with a 3.11 ERA in 16 career starts against Cincinnati.
He will try to help the Brewers avoid a record seventh straight loss to the Reds, who are coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season. Cincinnati was held to just three hits in a 4-0 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday.
The loss, combined with Sunday's win by the St. Louis Cardinals, leaves the Reds a half game out of first in the NL Central.
Cincinnati will try to rebound behind Bronson Arroyo (10-5, 4.26 ERA), who is also coming off a terrible outing.
Arroyo had his three-start winning streak snapped on Wednesday, as he was roughed up for seven runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings of an 8-5 loss to the Washington Nationals.
The hurler has yet to face the Brewers this season. He went 2-1 with a 4.64 ERA in four starts against Milwaukee in 2009.
Arroyo and the Reds shouldn't take the Brewers lightly despite the fact they've struggled most of the season. Milwaukee (47-53) is playing much better lately, having won six straight at home and 10 of 14 overall. The Brewers are the closest they've been to .500 since May 15.
Casey McGehee and Rickie Weeks homered as Milwaukee completed a three-game sweep of Washington with an 8-3 win on Sunday.
Milwaukee will likely be without All-Star Corey Hart for a third straight game. Hart learned that his injured wrist isn’t fractured, but the Brewers haven’t established a timetable for his return. He suffered the injury on Friday while trying to catch a foul ball.
Hart went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers in a 6-3 loss in Cincinnati on May 17.
The Reds, meanwhile, may get third baseman Scott Rolen back at some point during this series. Rolen has been out since July 16 with a hamstring injury.
Cincinnati is seeking to win seven straight from Milwaukee for the first time since the series began in 1997.