Cincinnati @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 26, 2010 ) Cincinnati 2, Milwaukee 3
Yovani Gallardo didn't show any rust in his return from the disabled list. Edinson Volquez, on the other hand, still has a long way to go in his comeback from a much more serious injury.
The two promising young aces face off on Tuesday as Gallardo is looking to guide the Milwaukee Brewers to a season-high sixth straight win against Volquez and the Cincinnati Reds.
Gallardo (9-5, 2.45 ERA) had a solid first half, which netted him his first All-Star selection. But he didn’t get to pitch in the game due to a strained oblique muscle that landed him on the disabled list a week prior to the Midsummer Classic.
Gallardo returned on Thursday and didn’t miss a beat, allowing just five hits in six innings of a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was the beginning of the Brewers' hot streak.
The streak continued on Monday as Milwaukee posted its fifth straight triumph. Veteran Jim Edmonds hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning of a 3-2 victory.
Edmonds, who has been hobbled by an Achilles’ injury, has given the Brewers an unexpected jolt. He has hit four homers in his last six games.
Rickie Weeks has been even hotter, belting six homers in his last nine contests. Overall, the Brewers have hit at least one home run in 15 straight games.
They seek their first-ever eight-game winning streak at Miller Park against Volquez (1-1, 7.56 ERA), who struggled in his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
After a solid start in his return, the right-hander was rocked for six runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings of a 7-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday.
Volquez will try to help the Reds to just their third win in nine road games. Cincinnati went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Monday and failed to move into a tie with the St. Louis Cardinals (55-44) for first place in the NL Central.
Volquez is 2-1 with a 6.35 ERA in four starts against Milwaukee, which has lost six of the last seven meetings between the teams.