Cincinnati @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( May 28, 2016 ) Cincinnati 7, Milwaukee 6

The Cincinnati Reds decided it was time to snap their 11-game slide on Saturday and rallied for a rare victory. The Reds will try to parlay that momentum into their first series win since April 18-20 when they visit the Milwaukee Brewers for the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

Cincinnati showed signs of emerging from its offensive funk in a 9-5 loss in the series opener on Friday and finally broke out the clutch hits in Saturday’s 7-6 triumph. Adam Duvall bashed a three-run homer in a five-run seventh inning that tied it at six and Joey Votto came around to score the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth after a review overturned a double play. The Reds managed a total of three runs while being swept in a three-game series at Los Angeles to begin the road trip but showed some fight Saturday in a game that featured six hit batters and the ejection of Cincinnati starter Alfredo Simon. The Brewers had a four-game winning streak come to an end with the setback and are trying to secure wins in back-to-back series for the first time this season.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds LH Brandon Finnegan (1-3, 3.97 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Jimmy Nelson (4-3, 2.92)

Finnegan suffered a loss at Los Angeles on Monday but may have put up the best line of his young career with one run allowed on five hits in eight innings. The 23-year-old did not complete seven innings in any of his first nine starts and permitted at least three earned runs in each of his previous six outings. Finnegan was knocked around for five runs – three earned – and gave up three home runs in five innings without factoring in the decision against Milwaukee on May 7.

Nelson did not earn a win in any of his last three starts despite yielding a total of three runs in 21 1/3 innings. The Alabama product notched eight strikeouts in six innings at Atlanta on Tuesday but did not factor in the decision in a game the Brewers went on to win 2-1. Nelson went up against Finnegan on May 7 and suffered through his worst start of the season while yielding six runs – five earned – on eight hits in five innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Duvall is 4-for-9 with two home runs and seven RBIs in the series.

2. Milwaukee C Jonathan Lucroy is 4-for-9 with two home runs and six RBIs in the series.

3. Cincinnati LHP Tony Cingrani has put together three straight scoreless appearances and picked up the save on Saturday.

PREDICTION: Brewers 6, Reds 4