Reds at Brewers, Game 2 - Preview and Lineups

Sonny Gray takes the mound.

The Cincinnati Reds are ridin’ high, having escaped the purgatory of alternating wins and losses and finally, finally the owners of a tidy 5-game win streak. That streak includes a victory over Jimmy Nelson and the Milwaukee Brewers in the series opener last night, a 7-1 thumping fueled by Nick Senzel, Jose Iglesias, and the venerable Tanner Roark.

If Sesame Street taught me anything, it’s that 6 is more than 5, and tonight Sonny Gray will toe the rubber for the Reds as they look to stretch that winning streak one game further. Senzel, meanwhile, will return to the leadoff spot after successfully playing run-plater from the 5-hole last night, while Jose Peraza is again in the starting lineup after riding pine for most of the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, the Brewers will send Chase Anderson to the bump for the start, and he has been...how do you say...not good of late. He has allowed 14 earned runs in 23 IP over his last 5 starts, yielding a sporty .877 OPS to opposing hitters in that time. For the season on the whole, he’s also piling up some very odd reverse platoon splits, as right-handed hitters have torched him for a 1.001 OPS while he’s held lefties to a meager .561 OPS.

Unfortunately, notorious Bill Hall All Star Manny Pina is in the lineup for Milwaukee tonight, too. He’s the owner of a career .718 OPS, but in 30 career games against the Reds he’s thumped to the tune of a 1.066 OPS. That’s technically only the second highest OPS he has against any team, since he’s the owner of a 1.125 OPS against the Toronto Blue Jays - though he’s only played in 2 career games against them.

First pitch is set for 8:10 PM ET.

Reds Lineup

Brewers Lineup