The Milwaukee Brewers will open up their June slate with three games against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park to wrap up a six-game road trip. The Brewers are riding a seven-game win streak that includes sweeps of the Red Sox and the Phillies, pushing them within 1.5 games of an NL Wild Card spot at 32-28.
The Reds are coming off a rough gauntlet that featured the Cubs for six games (a pair of three-game series) and the Royals for three games. They managed to get through that stretch at 4-5, keeping them right around .500 (29-31) for the season.
After José Quintana made his return on Sunday, the Brewers are suddenly the healthiest they’ve been all year *knock on wood*. Brandon Woodruff looks like the next key arm to return, as he’ll make (hopefully) his final rehab start on June 3. Nestor Cortes is targeting an All-Star break return, infielder Tyler Black will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville “pretty soon” per Pat Murphy, and outfielders Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell both had their return dates pushed back to late June or July.
For Cincinnati, they’re without Jeimer Candelario (spine strain), Austin Hays (left foot contusion), and Noelvi Marte (oblique strain). Christian Encarnacion-Strand is working his way back from a back injury, currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville, as he has an expected return in the coming days or weeks. Pitchers Carson Spiers, Brandon Williamson, and top prospect Rhett Lowder are also shelved.
Christian Yelich suddenly looks like MVP Christian Yelich, as he’s hitting .233/.317/.423 this season with 12 homers, 39 RBIs, 31 runs, and 10 steals. That includes a .346/.404/.654 line with five homers over the last 13 games. Jackson Chourio, Rhys Hoskins, and William Contreras are also enjoying solid seasons, though Contreras and Chourio probably expect to be performing at a higher level. Brice Turang and Sal Frelick have also been on-base machines while providing speed on the basepaths. As a team, the Crew is hitting .240/.317/.366 (.683 OPS ranks 25th) with 53 homers (23rd), 274 runs scored (eighth), and 81 steals (second).
Speaking of steals, Elly De La Cruz is still as dangerous as ever on the basepaths, as he has 17 steals. He also leads the Reds with 12 homers, 42 RBIs, and 45 runs as he’s hitting .258/.331/.455. Matt McLain is tied for second on the team with six homers, though his .564 OPS leaves much to be desired. Will Benson is hitting .258/.314/.548 through 20 games, and TJ Friedl is having a career year with a .300/.382/.419 line. As a team, the Reds are hitting .245/.319/.394 (.713 OPS ranks 13th) with 62 homers (tied for 12th), 273 runs scored (ninth), and 55 steals (tied for sixth).
As good as Milwaukee’s offense has looked during their winning streak, the pitching staff has also looked great. The bullpen combo of Abner Uribe, Nick Mears, Grant Anderson, and Trevor Megill has been solid, while Jared Koenig has had some ups and downs but mostly been reliable. Rob Zastryzny has also worked six scoreless innings and struck out nine this year. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.98 team ERA (18th), including a 3.49 starter ERA (sixth) and a 4.56 reliever ERA (23rd). They’ve struck out 484 batters (16th) in 531 1⁄3 innings.
Tony Santillan (3.29 ERA) leads the Reds’ bullpen with 28 appearances, just ahead of Scott Barlow’s 27 appearances and 4.01 ERA and Emilio Pagán’s 26 appearances and 3.86 ERA. Graham Ashcraft got off to a strong start after transitioning to a bullpen role, but his season ERA is now up to 4.18. Taylor Rogers and Brent Suter have been the most reliable arms for Cincinnati, with a 2.70 and 2.43 ERA, respectively. As a staff, the Reds have a 3.75 team ERA (12th), including a 3.54 starter ERA (seventh) and a 4.08 reliever ERA (19th). They’ve struck out 478 batters (17th) in 530 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Monday, June 2 @ 6:10 p.m.: Aaron Civale (6.00 ERA, 7.17 FIP) vs. Brady Singer (4.60 ERA, 4.19 FIP)
Through three starts this season, Civale has a 6.00 ERA and 7.17 FIP. Most of that can be attributed to a rough start against the Yankees to begin the season, though, as he’s made two starts, spanning nine innings and allowing three runs (3.00 ERA) since returning from injury. He went five frames in his last start, allowing one run and striking out four against the Red Sox. He’s made two career starts (both wins) against the Reds, with a 2.03 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 13 1⁄3 innings.
Singer, 28, was acquired from the Royals in the Jonathan India trade this past offseason. In 11 starts with his new team, he has a 6-3 record with a 4.60 ERA, 4.19 FIP, and 49 strikeouts over 58 2⁄3 innings. His last start was a winning effort, as he allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts across seven innings against his former team. Like Civale, he’s made two starts against Monday’s opponent, winning both games with a 3.48 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 10 1⁄3 innings.
Tuesday, June 3 @ 6:10 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (2.77 ERA, 3.99 FIP) vs. Hunter Greene (2.63 ERA, 3.29 FIP)
While Peralta’s numbers still look solid, he’s been haunted by walks in recent outings. He’s also striking out batters at the lowest clip of his career (9.1 per nine innings). Still, he’s about as reliable as they come when it comes to making starts — he’s had 30-plus in each of the last two seasons, and he’s tied for MLB’s lead with 12 starts this year. He went five frames against the Red Sox last time out, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts in a no-decision. He’s made 20 appearances (14 starts) against the Reds, with a 5-3 record, 3.35 ERA, and 108 strikeouts over 83 1⁄3 innings.
Greene, 25, was the No. 2 overall pick back in 2017 and broke out last year with a 2.75 ERA over 26 starts. He’s been even better through two months this year, with a 2.63 ERA, 3.29 FIP, and 66 strikeouts over 54 2⁄3 innings through 10 starts. His 2.0 bWAR ranks second on the team (behind fellow starter Andrew Abbott — more on him below). In his last start against the Royals, he picked up a tough-luck loss, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts over five innings. He hasn’t had much success against Milwaukee in his career, with a 1-4 record, 7.45 ERA, and 41 strikeouts over 29 innings in six career starts.
Wednesday, June 4 @ 11:45 a.m.: TBD vs. Andrew Abbott (1.51 ERA, 3.15 FIP)
The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for Wednesday’s series finale, but this was DL Hall/Quinn Priester in a hybrid start last time around, as Hall went the first three innings and Priester took the last six innings in a win over the Phillies. We’ll assume Priester will pitch at least part of this game for the sake of the preview. He has a 4.09 ERA, 4.72 FIP, and 32 strikeouts through 50 2⁄3 innings this season, spanning 10 appearances (seven starts). As mentioned above, he took the last six innings in Friday’s win over the Phillies, allowing two runs on four hits with no strikeouts as he basically just induced a bunch of groundouts to earn his second win of the year. He’s made one career start against the Reds, back in 2023 while with the Pirates, allowing two runs and striking out four over six innings in a no-decision.
Abbott, 26 today (happy birthday, birthday buddy ;)), has looked unstoppable this season. He’s made nine starts and is a perfect 5-0 with a 1.51 ERA, 3.15 FIP, and 53 strikeouts over 47 2⁄3 innings. As mentioned above, his 2.4 bWAR leads the Reds this season. He’s allowed one or fewer runs in all but one start this season (four runs to the ROCKIES of all teams), including three runs (two earned) across six starts in May for a 0.55 ERA. That included two games against the Cubs BTW. Abbott’s made five career starts against the Brewers, with a 2-3 record, 3.62 ERA, and 27 strikeouts across 27 1⁄3 innings.
How to Watch
Monday, June 2: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, nationally on FS1, and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Tuesday, June 3: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Wednesday, June 4: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
After facing off against the Phillies and with the Padres, Braves, and Cardinals set to come to Milwaukee in the next two weeks, it’s easy to overlook the Reds. But they’ve hung around with the Brewers in the middle of the NL Central all season, and this is a tough matchup, especially given the projected starters. I’ll take the Brewers to win two of three as they stay hot.
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