Reds/Brewers:

This division series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers has had its significance, as yesterday’s 6-0 loss was a devastating one for Milwaukee. With a Rockies win last night, it is now pretty much do or die for the Brewers, and they aren’t in the least bit in control of their fate.

I’m going to go ahead and place an obituary on Milwaukee’s season. While the Brewers will probably still believe that they can make it, a lot of life was sucked out of their team morale when they were shut out yesterday. Last night’s game also marked the end of a seven game losing streak for the Reds. Today, they will face a Cincinnati starting pitcher who relies heavily on his stuff. The Brewers were able to tag him up for 6 runs in his last visit to Miller Park, however this is a different situation. I expect a readjustment from Romano, against a team that will be highly pressured at the plate. Also worth noting, the only splits where Sal Romano sees his ERA in the 3s is during the day games and on the road.

Milwaukee’s starting pitcher Brent Suter is the complete opposite of his opponent, as he is not a pitcher who has any velocity to rely on. Suter is all about location, and his ability to mix in the slider at the right time. Though he has been hit by Cincinnati before, you can expect him to be well managed. The highlight of this writeup is the preparedness of Suter when it comes to afternoon games. The Lefty has a 1.98 ERA during the day through over 27 innings pitched, and appears to enjoy afternoon outings far more than evening games, where his ERA is above 4.

With Mike Everitt as home plate umpire, expect the pitcher to get the benefit of the doubt, as he has a 64% K zone and his games average 17 Ks. I expect this to be a slow game through five.

FIRST FIVE UNDER 5.5 -130 4*