Brewers at Reds
The Cincinnati Reds have won 10 of their last 16 contests to creep within 4 1/2 games of the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds aim to record their third straight win on Thursday afternoon when they close their four-game series against their division rival at Great American Ball Park.
Yasiel Puig has tormented Milwaukee over the last two games, as the 28-year-old Cuban followed up scoring the winning run on a throwing error in the 11th inning by homering in his second straight contest to highlight Wednesday's 3-0 win. Puig has four hits, three RBIs and four runs scored over his last two games to improve to 13-for-32 with four homers, 11 RBIs and eight runs scored in the season series versus the Brewers. Milwaukee, which mustered just four singles on Wednesday, has been shut out over the last 14 innings of the series en route to losing 10 of its last 16 games. Christian Yelich, who went deep in back-to-back games to start the series before receiving a rare night off on Wednesday, has one homer among his two hits in nine at-bats versus Thursday starter Luis Castillo.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Brandon Woodruff (10-2, 3.79 ERA) vs. Reds RH Luis Castillo (7-3, 2.47)
Woodruff improved to 2-1 with a 5.93 ERA in four appearances (two starts) against Cincinnati after striking out a career-high 12 batters in seven innings of a 7-5 victory on June 23. The 26-year-old surrendered a three-run blast to Joey Votto, who is 5-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs in his career versus the hurler. Woodruff followed that encounter with the Reds with his second straight win against Pittsburgh on Saturday after permitting one run on six hits in 7 2/3 innings.
Castillo answered a 7-0 mark in a 13-start stretch with back-to-back losses, although he deserved a better fate on Saturday after yielding one run on three hits in seven innings of a 6-0 setback versus Chicago. The 26-year-old Dominican hasn't received desired results against Milwaukee, falling to 2-3 with a 4.08 ERA in seven career starts after getting gouged for six runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 6-5 setback on June 22. Yasmani Grandal went deep in the first inning versus Castillo in that contest to improve to 5-for-9 with four extra-base hits (two homers, two doubles) against the hurler.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee 2B Mike Moustakas had hit safely in 10 of his previous 11 games before going 0-for-4 on Wednesday.
2. Cincinnati has scored the first run in 12 of its last 15 contests.
3. Brewers OF Ryan Braun is 2-for-13 in his last five games.