Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds Live Streaming MLB Audio Radio Station Online Baseball Coverage May 31, 2011. Cincinnati's Jay Bruce has never won a player of the month award since breaking into the majors three years ago. He seems to have good chance of receiving that honor soon.
Heading into the final night of May, Bruce looks to continue his torrid play and lead the Reds to another victory over the road-challenged Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Bruce hit his NL-best 16th homer and finished a double short of the cycle in Monday's 7-3 series-opening win. The Reds (28-27) improved to 6-1 in the season series against the Brewers, and are 11-1 at home versus Milwaukee since the start of 2010.
Bruce has been instrumental to that success, batting .432 with five homers and nine RBIs in the last 10 meetings in Cincinnati.
The right fielder has put up remarkable numbers this month, regardless of the opposition.
Bruce leads the NL in homers (12), RBIs (32), slugging percentage (.757) and OPS (1.103) in May. Much of that damage has come in the last two weeks, with Bruce hitting .442 with eight home runs and 19 RBIs in his last 12 games.
"I've been making better decisions at the plate about what to swing at," he said.
Monday's victory was Cincinnati's eighth in its last 10 home games overall.
The Brewers (29-25) are a league-best 21-7 at home, but an NL-worst 8-18 on the road, where they've dropped 11 of 14.
"The more things that happen on the negative end of things, it gets in your head a bit," manager Ron Roenicke said.
Ryan Braun drove in his 39th run Monday -- only 10 of those have come away from Miller Park.
Roenicke will give the ball to Zack Greinke (3-1, 5.79 ERA), who may finally be finding a groove with his new club.
After recording a 6.43 ERA in his first four starts with Milwaukee, Greinke allowed three runs -- all on a Michael Morse homer -- and five hits while striking out a season-high 10 in seven innings of Wednesday's 6-4 victory over Washington. The 2009 AL Cy Young award winner, who has 33 strikeouts in 24 innings over his last four starts, also hit the go-ahead homer in the fifth.
While Greinke did a good job against the light-hitting Nationals, his task may be tougher against a Reds team that has plated at least seven runs in five of its last seven home games.
The right-hander's only other career start against Cincinnati came last June 13. He pitched a complete game, allowing five hits -- two of them homers by Joey Votto -- while striking out 12 in a 7-3 win for Kansas City.
The Reds are expected to counter with Chad Reineke, who will be called up from the minors to make a spot start for the injured Homer Bailey (shoulder sprain).
Reineke is 5-2 with a 2.52 ERA in 10 games for Triple-A Louisville in 2011.
This is Reineke's first big league appearance since appearing on Oakland's roster for one day Aug. 5, 2009. The right-hander yielded four runs and seven hits in five innings, not factoring in the decision of a 7-5 win over Texas.
As a rookie with San Diego in 2008, Reineke went 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA in four games -- three starts.
He has never faced the Brewers or any current batter on the Milwaukee roster in a major-league game.
Heading into the final night of May, Bruce looks to continue his torrid play and lead the Reds to another victory over the road-challenged Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
7:10 PM ET, May 31, 2011
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bruce has been instrumental to that success, batting .432 with five homers and nine RBIs in the last 10 meetings in Cincinnati.
The right fielder has put up remarkable numbers this month, regardless of the opposition.
Bruce leads the NL in homers (12), RBIs (32), slugging percentage (.757) and OPS (1.103) in May. Much of that damage has come in the last two weeks, with Bruce hitting .442 with eight home runs and 19 RBIs in his last 12 games.
"I've been making better decisions at the plate about what to swing at," he said.
Monday's victory was Cincinnati's eighth in its last 10 home games overall.
The Brewers (29-25) are a league-best 21-7 at home, but an NL-worst 8-18 on the road, where they've dropped 11 of 14.
"The more things that happen on the negative end of things, it gets in your head a bit," manager Ron Roenicke said.
Ryan Braun drove in his 39th run Monday -- only 10 of those have come away from Miller Park.
Roenicke will give the ball to Zack Greinke (3-1, 5.79 ERA), who may finally be finding a groove with his new club.
After recording a 6.43 ERA in his first four starts with Milwaukee, Greinke allowed three runs -- all on a Michael Morse homer -- and five hits while striking out a season-high 10 in seven innings of Wednesday's 6-4 victory over Washington. The 2009 AL Cy Young award winner, who has 33 strikeouts in 24 innings over his last four starts, also hit the go-ahead homer in the fifth.
While Greinke did a good job against the light-hitting Nationals, his task may be tougher against a Reds team that has plated at least seven runs in five of its last seven home games.
The right-hander's only other career start against Cincinnati came last June 13. He pitched a complete game, allowing five hits -- two of them homers by Joey Votto -- while striking out 12 in a 7-3 win for Kansas City.
The Reds are expected to counter with Chad Reineke, who will be called up from the minors to make a spot start for the injured Homer Bailey (shoulder sprain).
Reineke is 5-2 with a 2.52 ERA in 10 games for Triple-A Louisville in 2011.
This is Reineke's first big league appearance since appearing on Oakland's roster for one day Aug. 5, 2009. The right-hander yielded four runs and seven hits in five innings, not factoring in the decision of a 7-5 win over Texas.
As a rookie with San Diego in 2008, Reineke went 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA in four games -- three starts.
He has never faced the Brewers or any current batter on the Milwaukee roster in a major-league game.
