Cincinnati Reds vs Milwaukee Brewers Picks and Predictions September 1st 2024

At 12:10 PM ET, the Brewers and Reds square off in an NL Central matchup. This one is being played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and the Reds are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. However, they are the slight money line underdogs (+111). The Brewers have won five straight and their overall record is 80-56.

Milwaukee is currently in 1st place in the NL Central, while the Reds are 5th with a record of 64-73. Brandon Williamson will start for the Reds, and he is facing off against Tobias Myers for the Brewers. Milwaukee comes into the game as the slight money line favorite (-130), and the over/under line is sitting at 9.5 runs.

Milwaukee is sending right-hander Tobias Myers to the mound today vs. the Reds. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 6-5 with an ERA of 2.99. Myers has made six quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up three earned runs in five innings of work. In that outing vs. the Giants, he gave up one homer. Myers has allowed a homer in three straight outings. Myers has a 3.03 ERA on the road, compared to 3.67 at home.

As a team, the Brewers are 5th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better on the road this season, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. Milwaukee is also among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, and walks. The Brewers have been very good at putting the ball in play, as their team strikeout rate is 20th in the league.

Willy Adames and William Contreras have been swinging the bat well for the Brewers, with both players hitting three home runs in their last five games. Adames is also on a nine-game hitting streak and comes into the game with a team-high 27 homers. For the season, Adames is batting .256, while Contreras is at .284.

Brandon Williamson is coming off a season in which he made 23 starts and finished with a record of 5-5. His ERA for the season was 4.46, and he made a total of seven quality starts. Williamson’s WHIP for the season was 1.28, and he allowed a total of 18 home runs. On the season, he averaged 7.54 strikeouts per nine innings and finished with a strikeouts-per-walk ratio of 2.5. For the season, Williamson averaged 1.7 walks per game.

Elly De La Cruz has been a bright spot for the Reds this season, as he is batting .263 and leads the team with 22 home runs. His 61 RBIs are also the 2nd most on the team. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also near the top of the Reds’ home run leaderboard, but both are batting under .240 for the season.

Over his last four games, Will Benson has gone 3/11 with two home runs and four RBIs. He also scored four runs over that stretch. Dominic Smith and Nick Martini are both on three-game hitting streaks coming into today’s game. As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.5 runs per game and are 12th in the league in home runs.

Brewers Aim to Sweep Reds After Another Late-Inning Triumph

The Milwaukee Brewers are on a roll as they chase the best record in the majors, driven by their clutch performances in the late innings. Jackson Chourio’s game-changing home run in the ninth inning on Saturday is just the latest example of their late-game heroics. Now, the Brewers are eyeing a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.

Milwaukee’s Late-Game Magic

The Brewers (80-56) are inching closer to clinching the National League Central with a magic number of 16, and they’re on the brink of securing their eighth series sweep of the season. Chourio’s ninth-inning blast off Justin Wilson sealed a 5-4 win on Saturday, marking Milwaukee’s seventh victory when tied after eight innings and their 16th win in their last at-bat this season.

With just two more wins, the Brewers will clinch their fourth consecutive winning season. After sweeping a day-night doubleheader on Friday and pulling off Saturday’s dramatic victory, they’re continuing to show how different players can step up each night.

“We’re not saying we’re more talented than other teams, we’re just finding a way with somebody different every night,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We’re confident in everybody.”

Brewers’ Recent Surge

The Brewers are riding high with a 19-9 record in their last 28 games and have been especially strong on the road, going 15-6 in their last 21 away games. They’ve also dominated the Reds recently, boasting a 37-13 record against them in their past 50 matchups.

Willy Adames has been a standout during this stretch, smashing a three-run homer on Saturday and scoring another run on a groundout before Chourio’s game-winner. Adames has now hit 10 homers in his last 28 games.

Reds Struggling to Keep Pace

The Reds (64-73) are having a tough time on their 10-game homestand, sitting at 1-5 so far and 4-12 over their last 16 games. This slump comes after they briefly rallied to within a game of .500 following a 9-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on August 14.

Despite Spencer Steer’s two-run single and Amed Rosario’s two-run homer on Saturday, the Reds struggled with runners in scoring position, going just 1-for-10 and 2-for-19 in such situations during the series.

Elly De La Cruz, who had been hot at the plate with a .355 average (11-for-31) in his previous seven games, went 0-for-4 on Saturday but did manage to draw a walk in the ninth inning.

Pitching Matchup for the Series Finale

Tobias Myers (6-5, 2.99 ERA) will take the mound for the Brewers, aiming to break a seven-game winless streak. Myers was dominant in his only career outing against the Reds on August 10, pitching 7 1/3 innings of three-hit ball. However, since his last win on July 10 against the Pirates, he is 0-2 with a 2.72 ERA. In his last start, Myers allowed three runs over five innings in a no-decision against the Giants.

The Reds have not yet announced their starting pitcher for the series finale and might go with an opener for the second straight game. On Saturday, Fernando Cruz started the game with two scoreless innings, followed by four other pitchers.

Game Outlook

As the Brewers look to complete the sweep and continue their late-season surge, they will rely on their clutch performances and the steady arm of Tobias Myers. Meanwhile, the Reds will try to salvage the finale and find consistency with their bats, especially with runners in scoring position. With both teams heading in opposite directions, Sunday’s game is a chance for the Brewers to solidify their spot at the top while the Reds fight to regain some momentum.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over, as this is projected to be the 5th highest-scoring game of today’s slate. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Reds to pick up the win. Looking at today’s starters, Brandon Williamson has the best strikeout potential in today’s slate, and we have him finishing with a 0.0 ERA. On the other side, Tobias Myers is 18th among today’s starters in projected strikeouts.