Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59 ERA) gets the ball for Cincinnati tonight against Milwaukee's Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA), with first pitch at 6:40 PM CT. Gasser just notched his first win in 25 months with 6 solid innings against Atlanta last Sunday — getting him back on track matters for a Brewers staff already managing the IL absences of Logan Henderson and Coleman Crow from the rotation.
The Reds arrive short on healthy bodies. Suárez was hit by a 92.4 mph fastball in Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh, left the game, and is in Milwaukee waiting on CT scan results — the X-rays were inconclusive, and the swelling was still considerable postgame. De La Cruz returned from a hamstring IL stint but remains day-to-day. That's before you get to the fact that Hunter Greene, Brandon Williamson, and Graham Ashcraft are all on the 60-day IL, leaving the rotation threadbare heading into one of the tougher home parks in the division.
Milwaukee dropped 2 straight to close out the Cubs series, but a pair of losses doesn't change the big picture for a 50-31 club with a 6.5-game lead in the NL Central. The Brewers rank second in MLB with a 3.42 team ERA and lead the league in strikeouts — they punish lineups that are thin or inconsistent, and the Reds are both right now. Cincinnati ranks bottom-third in the league in OPS and runs scored, and that was before Suárez's hand situation. Jacob Misiorowski has gone 8-1 in 9 decisions out of the bullpen and gives Milwaukee an elite late-inning safety net.
- Day-To-DayElly De La Cruz SS — De La Cruz batted leadoff and went 0-for-4 with a walk in Saturday's 9-6 win over Pittsburgh.
- Day-To-DayEugenio Suarez DH — Suarez (hand/wrist) underwent X-rays, which were inconclusive, after his departure from Sunday's 9-4 loss to the Pirates, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns C — no
- 10-Day-ILBlake Dunn CF — Dunn (elbow) underwent an MRI on Saturday and is likely to return to Cincinnati for more testing, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes (back) has begun hitting at the Reds' training facility in Arizona, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTony Santillan RP — Reds manager Terry Francona said Friday that an MRI on Santillan's left oblique showed a significant strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft (elbow) will have another scan of his UCL on Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrandon Lockridge LF — Lockridge's timeline for a return has been pushed back to late July after imaging showed a chondral flap in his right patella, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILLogan Henderson SP — Henderson (back) was sent to Triple-A Nashville to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Sunday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDL Hall RP — Hall (pectoral) hopes to gain clearance to resume throwing during a checkup Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILColeman Crow SP — Crow (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodriguez RP — The Brewers placed Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list Monday due to a right shoulder impingement, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILRob Zastryzny RP — The Brewers reinstated Zastrzyny (shoulder/ribs) from the 60-day injured list Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILQuinn Priester SP — Priester will undergo thoracic outlet compression surgery on Monday and is expected to be sidelined 8-to-10 months, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrian Fitzpatrick RP — Fitzpatrick (elbow) has been diagnosed with a left UCL strain and will get a second opinion to determine if he needs Tommy John surgery, MLB.com reports.
Lodolo's 5.59 ERA looks rough, but his last outing was against these same Brewers on June 23 — 4 innings, 0 earned runs, 6 strikeouts, 75 pitches. He left early and the offense went silent behind him in a 2-0 loss, so he got a no-decision for his trouble. The stuff is there when his command is on. If he can stretch to 6 innings tonight the way Gasser just did in Atlanta, Cincinnati keeps this close. If he reverts to the early-season version, Milwaukee piles on fast and this opener is functionally over by the 5th.