Reds vs Brewers MLB Betting + Handicapping Picks
The Cincinnati Reds will square off in the final game of three-games set at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
CIN: Johnny Cueto (4-0, 1.31 ERA) v MIL: Zack Greinke (3-1, 4.11 ERA)
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 09 – 1:10 PM EST
Venue: Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Broadcast: Fox Sports Ohio (Cincinnati), Fox Sports Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
LINE: -105
TOTAL: 7
While the Reds are trying to gain ground on division leader St.Louis, the Brewers are still trying to figure out how to get back on the rails to stringing more than one or two wins together, which will allow them to leapfrog over the Pirates and after moving out of dead last in National League Central with a 8-3 win in Game 2 on Tuesday.
Cincinnati (15-14) has been rolling along in May, winning 4-of-6 heading into the series opener on Monday, scoring 23 runs in that span. But that fell apart in Game 2. As the Reds were held to just three runs.
Jay Bruce though continued his 12-game hitting streak, and after crushing a monster three-run homer in Cincinnati’s 6-1 victory on Monday for his 18th career homer in 169 at-bats against the Brewers, sent a two-run homer over the left field wall in Game 2.
But he can’t do it all alone, and he will get some defensive help starting with righty Johnny Cueto who has won his last three starts with a 0.81 ERA in that stretch. Cueto allowed one run and seven hits while pitching a complete game in the Reds’ win over Pittsburgh on Friday. In fact, Cueto has logged a 2.15 ERA since the start of the 2011 season — which is tops in baseball — and he is now 12-5 over that stretch. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Meanwhile, Milwaukee (13-17) is struggling offensively, and had plated just 12 runs coming into Tuesday’s Game 2. So eight in one outing is a marked improvement.
Ryan Braun’s ninth homer of the season represented Milwaukee’s total offense in the opener and he continued to help out with an RBI ground-rule double in Game 2 to give the Brewers a 3-0 lead. He finished 3-for-4.
The Brewers will have to win this duel with pitching, and will call on the services of 2009 AL Cy Young right-hander Zack Greinke who was in line for his fourth win of the season on Friday against the Giants. That was until he gave up three runs in the sixth inning, tying the game at four before leaving early in the fifth. He walked away with the no-decision.
Now he will face a Reds team that he is a perfect 4-0 against with a career ERA of 2.57.
Matt’s Free Prediction: Reds– While I think Greinke has a decent outing, Cueto will come away with the win here as the Brew Crew still finds a way to fail to plate runs.
