The Milwaukee Brewers will face another NL Central opponent this week as they host the Cincinnati Reds in town for four games. Considering Milwaukee played the Reds less than a week ago, I won’t be giving a full review of both teams.
After the Brewers routed the Reds at the Great American Ballpark, Milwaukee returned home to host the Cubs. They took advantage of the first game of the series after another strong performance from Jakob Misiorowski, and then lost the final two games of the series, although they still lead the division by 5.5 games, counting July.
On the other hand, the Reds bounced back well in Pittsburgh this weekend, taking two of three from the Pirates when the offense finally showed up (19 runs over three games).
In terms of injury news, the only real update for the Brewers is the return of Jared Koenig, who was activated from the injured list on Friday. His return is big for a Brewer bullpen that has quickly gone from a surplus to a deficit of left-handers—Milwaukee’s current IL consists of four left-handed bullpens, which left Aaron Ashby as the only healthy left-hander until Koenig’s return.
The Reds didn’t return anyone, but they did lose outfielder Blake Dunn and right-hander Tony Santillan. Santillan was placed on the injured list with an oblique sprain, meaning he will be out at least until the All-Star break, while Dunn is currently listed on the TBD return list after being sidelined with a right elbow sprain.
As a reminder about these two teams’ offenses, the Brewers rank in the top 10 in most offensive categories despite ranking last in homers with just 73 (26th on Sunday). The Reds, on the other hand, have 100 homers (12th) but rank in the bottom third of the league in OPS (.700) and runs scored (346).
Milwaukee’s pitching ranks first in the league in ERA (3.42 ERA ranks second) and strikeouts (first with 788 to 716 2/3 innings), while the Reds rank last in both (4.51 ERA and 652 strikeouts both rank 23rd).
Monday, June 29, 6:40 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA, 5.14 FIP) vs. LHP Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59 ERA, 5.38 FIP)
Gasser, who hasn’t pitched since last Sunday in Atlanta, has made six starts this season, totaling 30 innings with a 4.50 ERA, 5.14 FIP and 31 strikeouts. He’s looked solid in his last two appearances against the Guardians and Braves, pitching just 11 2/3 innings with two runs allowed on six hits and three walks, striking out 12. Gasser’s lone outing against the Reds (last September) was a bit of an oddity statistically, as he went 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (none earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out three. He accepted the loss despite a 0.00 ERA.
Lodolo, 28, has had a slightly disappointing season with a 5.59 ERA, 5.38 FIP and 38 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings, although he is solid against these Brewers. In this one, he went four innings, allowing no runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out six times in just 75 pitches before being removed after a comebacker tore off his left wrist. In seven career appearances (six starts) against Milwaukee, Lodolo is 1-1 with a 2.52 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings.
Tuesday, June 30, 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (2-4, 5.43 ERA, 5.07 FIP) vs. RHP Rhett Lowder (3-5, 4.81 ERA, 4.68 FIP)
Sproat, who had a really tough first couple of months of the season, has looked much better in the last few matches. While he still has a 5.43 ERA and 5.07 FIP in 69 2/3 innings, his only real blemish in his last two outings has been a pair of homers, one of which, unfortunately, was a grand slam. Against the A’s, the Guardians and those same Reds, he pitched a total of 15 2/3 innings with five earned runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out 19. His last outing was perhaps his best, as he tossed six scoreless innings against Cincinnati, allowing just one hit and hit on a pitch while striking out 10 on 80 pitches. Beyond that, Sproat’s only appearance against Cincy came in his season debut last season, when he went six innings and allowed three runs with seven strikeouts. Let’s hope this walk is more like last week’s.
Lowder, 24, is having a pretty good season so far, with a 4.81 ERA, 4.68 FIP and 48 strikeouts in 58 innings and 12 starts. His last appearance came against Milwaukee last week, when he allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six in 5 2/3 innings in a 6-5 loss. It was Lowder’s second career appearance against Milwaukee, as he is now 0-2 with four runs allowed and 12 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings.
Wednesday, July 1, 7:10 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (3-2, 3.12 ERA, 3.15 FIP) vs. LHP Andrew Abbott (5-4, 3.90 ERA, 5.05 FIP)
Drohan, now the sixth man in Milwaukee’s rotation, has been reliable in that role over the last few games. He’s 3-2 with a 3.12 ERA, 3.15 FIP and 52 strikeouts in 52 innings this season, and his last five appearances have come as a starter. In his last outing, he went 4 1/3 innings against those Reds, allowing no runs but giving up five hits and three walks while striking out five on 98 pitches. He will try to make this walk longer.
Abbott, 27, was an All-Star last season in his third year with the Reds, but he wasn’t as sharp in 2026. While he still has a 3.90 ERA, that beats his 5.05 FIP by more than a run, and he’s striking out batters by a much smaller margin, just 70 vs. 90 innings. In his last outing against the Pirates, he allowed four runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six without a decision. In eight career starts against the Brewers, he is 3-4 with a 3.74 ERA and 44 strikeouts over 45 2/3 innings. That includes three starts last season, when he went 1-1 with eight runs allowed in 18 1/3 innings (3.93 ERA).
Thursday, July 2, 1:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (9-3, 1.45 ERA, 1.84 FIP) vs. TBD
Misiorowski remains among the league leaders in most major pitching metrics, including topping the leaderboard in ERA (1.45), FIP (1.84), strikeouts (146) and WHIP (0.768). In his last outing, he picked up another win against the Cubs, pitching six strong innings with eight strikeouts and one run allowed on two hits and four walks. Although he did not face the Reds in the last series, he played two games against them last season, albeit without much success. He pitched 3 2/3 full innings as a starter and appeared as a relief, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and six walks, striking out six, although if you remember, the really tough start was a game in which Milwaukee trailed 8-1 only to ultimately win 10-8.
While the Reds have yet to announce a starter for Thursday’s series finale, that spot will belong to Chase Burns in the rotation, making this a true pitchers’ duel. Burns, 23, has looked fantastic in his second MLB season as he has a 9-1 record with a 2.36 ERA, 3.17 FIP and 112 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings this season. The Brewers missed him in his final turn in the rotation, but the Pirates beat him over the weekend, allowing five runs on nine hits and striking out 10 in six-plus innings. His only start against Milwaukee came last September, when he pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, allowing no runs and a pair of walks while striking out four.
Monday, June 29: Brewers TV; listen on radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Tuesday, June 30: Brewers TV; listen on radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Wednesday, July 1: Exclusively on the ESPN/ESPN app; listen on radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Thursday, July 2: Brewers TV; listen on radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
As I mentioned earlier, this is arguably the most important stretch of the season for the Brewers considering how many games they will play against the NL Central. I don’t think it’s lost on Pat Murphy and company. Give me Milwaukee to take three out of four. *Note: A previous version of this article stated “two out of three.”*