Brewers ride creative offense into rematch vs. Reds

As the halfway point of the regular season approaches, the Milwaukee Brewers have a strong idea of their identity.

Milwaukee continues to find ways to win with grit going into the second contest of a three-game series against the host Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

Holding a five-game edge on the second-place St. Louis Cardinals and a 10 1/2-game advantage over the last-place Reds in the National League Central, the Brewers are playing small-ball, and it's working just fine.

Despite ranking third in the majors with 399 runs, Milwaukee has the fewest home runs (68) in the NL. The Brewers' 2-1 win in 10 innings in the series opener on Monday was emblematic of the team's personality.

"We trust each other. We know the next guy is going to get the job done," said Joey Ortiz, who hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 10th on Monday. "And if he doesn't, then the next guy will. We all believe in each other."

Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Sproat (1-4, 5.94 ERA) will search for the second victory of his major league career on Tuesday.

Sproat lasted just 3 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, allowing four runs on two hits while striking out six and walking two in his third straight no-decision. The 25-year-old exited in the fourth with a right hamstring cramp during Milwaukee's 9-4 victory.

"As dumb as it sounds to be a cramp, it really (stinks), but it's the best thing," Sproat said. "It kind of seems soft, almost. ... It cramped that whole fourth inning, whenever my back leg would swing around. That hamstring wanted to cramp up on me. I was trying to push through it, but it got worse as I kept going on. A long inning didn't help."

Since joining Milwaukee as part of a trade that sent Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets in January, Sproat has delivered more than five innings in just four of his 14 appearances (12 starts).

Sproat has faced the Reds once, yielding three runs on three hits while striking out seven in a 3-2 loss as a member of the Mets last Sept. 7.

The Reds will send struggling left-hander Nick Lodolo (2-2, 6.12 ERA) to the mound in the middle game of the series.

Since making his season debut on May 8 following a stint on the injured list with a left index finger blister, Lodolo hasn't been able to replicate success from a 2025 campaign that saw him post a career-best 3.33 ERA.

Lodolo is 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA in three starts in June. He allowed season highs of seven runs and 11 hits across 4 2/3 innings Wednesday in a 9-1 loss to the Mets.

"I'm trying to get better. It starts with location," said Lodolo, who's allowed double-digit hits in two of his last three outings. "It's something I've just got to get better at, and I need to this week, for sure. Overall, there are plenty of other things I feel like I obviously didn't do a good job of (on Wednesday)."

In six career appearances (five starts) against Milwaukee, Lodolo is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA.

--Field Level Media