Brewers face Reds in NL Central clash with two unpredictable starters on the mound for both sides

I was hit again by taking the wrong choice for half the game, but the right choice for the full game. I'm not really sure why this is happening so frequently this year -- more than almost any other year I've ever had it happen -- but I have had multiple first five plays that lost while the team I picked won the full game, or vice versa. Let's try to get to a win here as the Brewers take on the Reds.

The Milwaukee Brewers are still the best team in the National League Central. Stop me if you've heard this before, but this team is almost 20 games over .500 and has pulled away from the pack. Most of the division was over .500 for the season, but the Brewers have found a way to emerge and look like the favorite to win the division once again. It will be interesting to see if they make any sort of move at the trade deadline. They never really are known for that, but eventually they need to push their chips to the middle of the table and hope it is the right season.

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Getting eliminated in the playoffs without really making a push for a World Series is kind of the Brewers' path, so something needs to change. The team will likely need another arm, and they may have found one in stretching out today's starter Shane Drohan. He has made five starts this season and has only completed six innings once. He has been a bit all over the place with his performances this season. That makes him very hard to predict and rely on. He has never faced a Reds hitter.

The Cincinnati Reds are under .500 and will probably bob up and down around that mark all season. I think the goal has always been to make the playoffs via a Wild Card spot. This team has some nice pieces, but I feel like they are not fully cohesive yet. They are not hitting very well overall as a team, with just a .225 batting average. I think that indicates they need a bat, but I also think they could use an arm, considering their team ERA is 4.49. There is only so much help out there, though.

Their pitching today rests on the success of Rhett Lowder. He is 3-4 for the season with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He has been better at home. He has a 3.22 ERA, but it is in only four starts. He hasn't gone overly deep into games. In 11 games, he has completed six innings or more just three times. There was an injury that kept him out of a stretch between May and June. He hasn't had to face the Brewers this season, but he has held them to just one hit in eight at-bats over his career.

This is a tougher game to pick than on the surface. You know the best team is Milwaukee, but that doesn't mean a team is always going to win. My best advice on the total would be to stay far away from it. There is a real possibility that both teams can rock their opposing pitcher. On the other hand, the weather isn't going to be ideal, and both starters could navigate the lineups.

The better bullpen belongs to the Brewers, which is why I feel like you have to cut this down to five innings if you want the Reds. I do feel like there is more value on the Reds. This is not going to be an easy bet for you to follow, but the Reds have a reasonable starter at home, and I don't believe in Drohan. Give me the Reds through five innings.

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