Surging Reds ready brooms for visiting Brewers

Baseball Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati is already getting playoff fever, but the city now has to deal with "Chapmania" as well.

The highly-regarded Aroldis Chapman is coming off an electric debut and could get a chance tonight to help the first-place Reds notch their first home sweep of at least three games over the Milwaukee Brewers since 2002.

The Reds have taken the first two contests of this three-game series at Great American Ball Park, giving them a victory in all four home meetings this year versus the Brewers and six of seven overall between the teams. Cincinnati swept a quick two-game set with Milwaukee at home from May 17-18, but tonight can record its first three-game home sweep of the Brewers since May 6-8, 2002.

Thanks in part to three runs batted in by Joey Votto in last night's 8-4 triumph, as well as a 19-8 mark in August, the Reds upped their season-high lead over the second-place Cardinals in the National League Central to seven games.

Votto, who is on a 10-game hitting streak, improved his league-leading average (.327) and RBI (97) totals, and the Triple Crown threat is tied for third in the NL with 32 homers.

Jonny Gomes added a two-run homer in the Reds' third straight win and fifth in their last six games, but all eyes were on the 22-year-old Chapman in the eighth inning. The flame-thrower retired all three batters he faced, including Jonathan Lucroy by a strikeout to begin the frame, and topped out at 102 mph.

"I'm sure it's very exciting for his teammates to see the electric stuff that he has," Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty said of Chapman.

Cincinnati's Jay Bruce, who has five homers over his last four games, did not play last night due to pain in his right side, and it is unknown if he will return tonight.

The Brewers, meanwhile, have lost four straight to the Reds as well as six of their last nine overall. They got a solo homer out of Rickie Weeks and an early RBI hit by Prince Fielder last night, but starter Yovani Gallardo was rocked for eight runs over five innings.

"In order for us to beat these guys, we've got to play great ball," Brewers manager Ken Macha said.

Milwaukee will need to be on its game tonight against Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto, who bested the Brewers on May 17 with seven innings of one-run ball and is 2-1 with a 2.97 earned run average against them lifetime.

The 24-year-old hit a bit of a rough patch over consecutive starts prior to Friday's outing against the Cubs. Cueto had allowed nine earned runs over his brief skid, but gave up just a run and six hits over eight innings in beating Chicago.

"He had good tempo, good rhythm," Reds manager Dusty Baker told his team's website of his right-hander. "He was throwing strikes. He mixed up his slider and changeups."

Cueto set a new career high for single-season wins after improving to 12-4 with a 3.49 ERA this year and brings an excellent 6-2 mark at home into this start.

Milwaukee's Chris Narveson is also coming off a solid outing, as he beat Pittsburgh on Friday after giving up just two runs over seven innings while striking out eight in a 7-2 triumph. The lefty upped his season record to 10-7 with a 5.52 ERA in 31 games (22 starts).

Narveson, 28, has made just one career start versus the Reds, and that outing came back on July 28. He was dealt a loss, yielding three runs over five innings.

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