The Milwaukee Brewers spent much of May in the driver's seat in the NL Central, but they're far from being in control of the division.
The Cincinnati Reds are third in the division and surging after a series win in Boston. With four games against Milwaukee from Friday to Monday, the Reds have a chance to knock the Brewers out of the top spot and potentially claim it for themselves.
For Game 1 of this long series between division rivals, the Brewers will hand the ball to their ace Corbin Burnes who is 4-4 with a 3.68 ERA. The Reds counter with rookie Brandon Williamson who has a 5.02 ERA in three starts so far this season.
The Brewers are road favorites to start this series, but the balance of power in the division could certainly shift by next week.
Brewers vs. Reds odds, run line and total
Brewers vs. Reds prediction and pick
Corbin Burnes had a vintage Corbin Burnes start last time out, giving up just one run over seven innings against the Giants, but he is carrying a FIP of 4.54 and isn't having a typical dominant year.
His usually untouchable cutter has an expected slugging percentage of .467 and he also has an unusually high walk rate of 9.1%. Even in his last start he still walked three and gave up four hits.
In May, the Brewers were 27th in OPS and scored just 92 runs while the Reds were 12th and scored 131 runs. Spencer Steer led the way with a .945 OPS and six home runs in the month and new callup Matt McLain had a .967 OPS with seven extra base hits from the shortstop position. He is a big upgrade at the position offensively and Cincinnati will continue to bring up talent from the minors to bolster their roster.
They haven't gotten the same type of production from Williamson on the mound as they have from McLain at the plate, but Williamson doesn't have to be great against Milwaukee.
Not only were the Brewers bad in May at the plate, they are also the worst hitting team against left-handed pitching this year with an abysmal .626 OPS.
I like the Reds to start off this big series with a win and to ultimately win this series against Milwaukee.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
