Cincinnati @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 20, 2010 ) Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 2
After some late-game heroics on Monday, the Cincinnati Reds will look for their seventh straight win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Joey Votto and Scott Rolen belted back-to-back homers in the eighth inning to snap a tie game and lift Cincinnati to a 5-2 victory on Monday. The victory allowed the Reds (85-66) to inch closer to their first postseason appearance in 15 years.
Cincinnati’s scheduled starter, Edinson Volquez (3-3, 4.99 ERA), is looking to be a key member of that playoff rotation and a good start on Tuesday would go a long way in securing the No. 3 spot behind Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto.
Volquez is coming off two solid starts since being recalled from Class-A Dayton. He threw seven innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with 10 strikeouts in a 5-4 no-decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 11. Volquez followed that up with a 3-1 loss in which he went 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits while striking out seven.
Life on the road has been tough for Volquez as he checks in with an 8.62 ERA away from home, but he looks to be coming around since he came back from Tommy John surgery in July. Volquez is 2-1 with a 6.84 career ERA against the Brewers.
Dave Bush (7-12, 4.75 ERA) takes the mound for Milwaukee (69-80) after a weird start on Wednesday against the Houston Astros.
He sat down the first 12 batters he faced before everything fell apart in the fifth inning. Bush was hammered for six runs in the fifth frame, recording only one out as a 5-0 lead became a 6-5 deficit. The veteran right-handed ended up taking a no-decision in an 8-6 extra-innings win.
This will be his first start against Cincinnati this year, but he is 2-4 lifetime against the Reds in 12 outings with a 7.07 ERA. Bush will have to be very careful with Votto at the plate.
Votto is tied for second in the National League with 35 homers and is hitting .444 over four games at Miller Park this year with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. He has hit safely in 10 straight overall and checks in with a .357 batting average over the streak.
Meanwhile, Ryan Braun is doing his best to shoulder the load for Milwaukee’s offense. He drove in both of the Brewers’ runs on Monday and is hitting .373 with four dingers and 13 RBIs over his last 14 games.
The Reds head into Tuesday's contest with a seven-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.