After escaping with an extra-inning win by the skin of their teeth yesterday, the Brewers will have a chance to secure a third straight victory tonight in Cincinnati. Brandon Sproat will get the ball for Milwaukee opposite Nick Lodolo.
Sproat is an immensely talented pitcher, but has struggled to put it all together in his first year with the Brewers. He’s allowed at least three runs in six of his last appearances, the lone exception being his start against the A’s on June 10th (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3
K). Hopefully Sproat can bounce back against a Reds lineup that is set to welcome Elly De La Cruz back from the injured list.
Lodolo, though more established than Sproat at the major-league level, is in a similar position. He was worth nearly five WAR last season, posting a 3.33 ERA and 1.079 WHIP across 29 starts, but has struggled to a 6.12 ERA through eight starts this season. In his last appearance, he gave up eleven hits and seven runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Mets.
With the left-handed Lodolo on the mound, Garrett Mitchell (.545 OPS vs. LHP, .820 OPS vs. RHP), Sal Frelick (.438 OPS vs. LHP, .681 OPS vs. RHP) and Christian Yelich will get the night off. Yelich has historically performed much better against right-handed pitching, though he’s actually posted stronger numbers against southpaws this season (albeit in a limited sample).
Regulars Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras make up the top of the lineup, followed by certified lefty masher Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers. Gary Sanchez (.968 OPS vs. LHP) will catch and bat sixth. Rounding out the bottom of the order are Blake Perkins, Cooper Pratt, and Joey Ortiz.
Finally, a couple of roster notes from this morning:
- Right-hander Peter Strzelecki is back in the Brewers’ organization on a minor-league deal after electing free agency when Milwaukee designated him for assignment on May 17. Strzelecki briefly signed with the Yankees, but opted out of that deal last week and has now returned to the Brewers.
- INF Luis Rengifo (-0.4 WAR in 57 games this season) has officially been released after going unclaimed on waivers.
As always, you can catch tonight’s game on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is set for 6:10 p.m.
