Brandon Woodruff is expected back for Brewers vs Reds on Monday in Cincinnati. The Milwaukee Brewers open a stretch of 21 games in 21 days, with 18 of those games against division opponents before the All-Star break.
The timing gives Milwaukee little margin. This is the first of five out of six series against NL Central foes, and it arrives after the Brewers lost their last series in Atlanta.
Woodruff returns in Cincinnati
Woodruff’s return is the sharpest change in the rotation picture. The Brewers are missing multiple pitchers, but he is expected to be available for the series opener while Logan Henderson, Jared Koenig, Rob Zastryzny, and Coleman Crow all sit on different return timelines.
Brandon Lockridge is the lone Brewers position player on the injured list, and he is reportedly close to a rehab assignment after a setback in the last few weeks. Milwaukee also has Brian Fitzpatrick and Carlos Rodriguez on TBD timelines, while Angel Zerpa and Quinn Priester are out for the season.
Reds carry recent form
Cincinnati enters with some momentum despite its place in the standings. The Reds went 4-2 over the previous week, took two of three from both New York teams, outscored the Mets 26-12 at home early in the week, and outscored the Yankees 14-8 in the Bronx over the weekend.
That run comes with a gap to close. Cincinnati sits in last place in the division and is 9.5 games behind the first-place Crew, so every game in this series feeds into a chase that has already narrowed the margin for error.
Brewers and Reds numbers
The Brewers still bring the stronger overall profile. They are hitting.256/.340/.394 as a team, own a.734 OPS that ranks ninth, have scored 397 runs, and have a 3.45 team ERA that ranks third.
Milwaukee has also leaned on production from Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, and William Contreras, while Aaron Ashby took his first loss after 10 wins on Saturday evening. The Reds have more pop than Milwaukee with 96 home runs, but their.229/.311/.395 line and.706 OPS both sit lower in the standings picture. Sal Stewart leads them with 14 home runs, and Elly De La Cruz, who is expected back Monday or Tuesday, gives Cincinnati another regular whose return could affect the series immediately.
The schedule now asks Milwaukee to handle the stretch before the All-Star break without losing ground inside the NL Central. With Brandon Woodruff back and so many division games stacked together, the opener in Cincinnati becomes the first test of whether the Brewers can protect their lead while the injured list keeps shrinking one name at a time.
