MLB Preview: Cincinnati Reds (55-46) at Milwaukee Brewers (55-45)

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:

TODAY’S TRANSACTIONS

• The Reds this afternoon reinstated from the 10-day injured list INF Kevin Newman (gastritis)…placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday C Curt Casali (left foot contusion), optioned to Louisville RHP Levi Stoudt…recalled from Louisville RHP Daniel Duarte (#77).
• Casali last played on 7/18 vs SF…he missed the last 5 games.
• Will be Duarte’s second stint with the Reds this season (14g from 6/13-7/18)…for the Reds is 1-0, 2.77 in 14 relief apps.

TODAY’S GAME

• Is Game 1 of a 3-game series vs Bill Schroeder’s Brewers and the first game of an 11-day, 10-game road trip (3g at Mil, off day & 3g at LAD, 4g at Chc)…it’s the Redlegs’ first road trip after the All-Star break.
• The Reds are coming off a 5-5 homestand (0-3 vs Mil, 2-2 vs SF, 3-0 vs Ari).
• Have won 7 of their last 8 road series.
• Following this road trip the Reds return to Great American Ball Park for a 6-game homestand vs the Nationals (3g) and Marlins (3g).

SERIES NOTES

• The Brewers won each of this season’s first 3 series (3-1 at Cin, 2-1 at Mil, 3-0 at Cin).
• The Reds have won 11 of the last 21 games and 13 of the last 24 games at American Family Field.
• In the last game of the season’s first half and first game after the break, for the first time in franchise history the Brewers played consecutive games that resulted in 1-0 wins.
• From 7/9-7/7/16 Brewers pitchers held Reds batters scoreless for 28 consecutive innings, the Reds’ longest drought since they went 30 innings without a run from 4/2-4/6, 2019.
• For the second time in 3 seasons, the Reds and Brewers met in the series on each side of the All-Star Game

IT’S GETTING LATE

• The Reds are within 0.5 game of the first-place Brewers for the first time since both teams were tied in the standings following Mil’s 1-0 win on 7/14…the Redlegs haven’t been in first place this late in a full season since the end of the 2012 season, when they most recently won the Central Division (97-65, +9.0).
• Last season, the Reds were 40-61 after 101g and 41-61 after 102g.

RUNNING MEN

• The Reds lead the Major League lead with 117 stolen bases…is the Reds’ highest total since 2017 (120sb)…recorded 58 stolen bases all of 2022… are trying to lead the National League in stolen bases for the first time since 2015 (134sb).
• With Elvis Peguero pitching, Elly De La Cruz on 7/8 at Mil became only the fourth Reds batter ever to steal second, third and home in the same inning (Hans Lobert 9/27/1908, Dode Paskert 5/23/1910, Greasy Neale 8/15/1919)…became the first Major League batter to steal second, third and home in the same inning since Mia’s Jon Berti did it on 8/25/2020 at NYM…became the first Reds batter with a straight steal of home since Brandon Phillips did it on 7/10/2009 at NYM.
• The Reds recorded 50 stolen bases in June, their highest steals total in a calendar month since September 1912 (53sb).
• 5 times this season recorded at least 5 stolen bases in a game (6sb on 6/2 vs Mil, 9sb on 6/3 vs Mil, 5sb on 6/25 at Bal, 6sb on Tue at Wsh, 5sb on 7/8 at Mil)…prior to 6/2, the Reds hadn’t recorded 5 stolen bases in a game since 4/10/17 at Pit.
• Their 9 stolen bases on 6/3 vs Mil (Jake Fraley 3, Spencer Steer 2, Jonathan India 2, Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild) was their highest single-game total since 5/30/1976 vs LAD (9sb)…the Reds’ single-game record since 1900 for stolen bases in a game remains 10 (5/29/1913 at StL).

BIG ROAD MACHINE

• The Brewers’ 2-1 series win to end the season’s first half snapped a streak in which the Reds won 7 consecutive road series…won 7 straight road series for only the third time in their history…won 8 straight road series in 1976 (6/25-8/12) and 1923 (7/2-8/25)…courtesy @EliasSports.
• Beginning 5/26, the Reds are 20-5 over their last 4 road trips covering 8 road series.
• The Reds’ 27 road wins (27-20) was their highest total prior to the All-Star Game break since 1999 (29-13).
• Went 8-1 on their road trip to StL (2-1), KC (3-0) and Hou (3-0)…for only the second time ever, won 8 games on a road trip of 9 games or fewer (8-0, 9/21-9/27, 1964)…was their first road trip of any length with at least 8 wins since 5/28-6/9, 1999 (9-3)…courtesy @EliasSports.
• The 10-3 loss on 6/26 at Bal snapped the Reds’ 8-game road winning streak, tied for the second-longest streak in the Major Leagues this season.

RED HOTS

• The Reds’ 12-game winning streak from 6/10-6/23 tied their modern club record (5/16-5/27, 1939 & 4/30-5/12, 1957).
• From 6/14-7/8 Reds batters established a new franchise record for consecutive games with at least 1 home run (22g, 45hr), a streak snapped in the 1-0 loss at Mil in the final game heading into the All-Star Game break…the 1956 Reds held the team record by homering in 21 consecutive games.
• The Reds are the first team in Major League history to move into first place alone in 9 games or fewer after falling 5 or more games under .500 while facing a deficit of at least 5 games…on 6/9 were 29-35 and trailed the first-place Pirates by 5.0 games…beginning 6/10 won 9 straight games to move into first place alone on 6/19.

Tonight’s Pitcher – #51 Graham Ashcraft, RHP

• Tonight will make his sixth career appearance and start vs the Brewers, his third this season (0-2, 9.90)…will be his second start at American Family Field.
• With Tue’s 3-2 win vs SF snapped the Reds’ 6-game losing streak that tied their season high.
• In his first 6 starts through 5/2 went 2-0, 2.00 (.202baa).
• In his first 3 starts (19ip, 3er) became the eighth Reds pitcher, since 1901 and including Nick Lodolo in 2023, to begin a season with at least 17.0 innings while allowing 4 earned runs or fewer.
• Became the first Reds pitcher to begin a non-COVID season with 3 consecutive quality starts since Amir Garrett in 2017 (3qs).
• Became the first Reds pitcher to begin a season with 6 starts without allowing more than 2 earned runs in any of those starts since Luis Castillo began the 2019 campaign by allowing 2 ER or fewer in each of his first 7 starts.
• In his next 8 apps from 5/7-6/24 went 1-6, 12.82 (.386baa).
• In the 17-4 loss on 5/7 vs WSox allowed a career-high 8 runs in 1.2 innings…was the shortest start of his career and the shortest start by a Reds pitcher to that point in the season…was charged with all 8 runs in the second inning after throwing a perfect first…entered that 5/7 start leading all National League pitchers in bWAR (2.1), the third-best bWAR among all players in the Major Leagues (Gerrit Cole 2.5, Ronald Acuña Jr. 2.2).
• In his last 4 apps beginning 6/30, all quality starts, went 2-1, 1.82 (.230baa).
• Has made 5 apps since a 15-day stint on the injured list (left calf contusion, 6/9-6/23)…in those 5 starts went 2-2, 3.45 (28.2ip, 30h, 9bb, 16k, 5hr, .275baa).
• Was charged with 1 pitch timer violation (5/12 at Mia, Jorge Soler walked).

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

No team release available.