Reds vs. Brewers: Picks, predictions, how to watch Friday’s game

Apple TV+ will host Friday’s matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers with first pitch set for 8:10 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Robert Dugger (0-0, 4.05 ERA) will start for the Reds with Eric Lauer (7-3, 3.75 ERA) on the mound for the Brewers.

Cincinnati (42-62) had its four-game winning streak ended in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Miami Marlins. Dugger will make his fourth appearance of 2022 after starting the year with the Minnesota Twins, and he allowed six runs on 15 hits over 12 innings of work this season. The Reds rank No. 24 in slugging percentage (.379) as they continue on with life without some of their top hitters Brandon Drury, Tommy Pham and Tyler Naquin, all of whom were traded away at the deadline.

Milwaukee (57-48) lost four games in a row and led by multiple runs every game in a series in which it was swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates this week. Lauer will make his 20th start of the season and is coming off an outing where he allowed one run over five innings of work in a win over the Boston Red Sox. The Brewers rank sixth in runs per game (4.7), and Christian Yelich reached base multiple times in seven consecutive games until Thursday when he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and was ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Reds vs. Brewers

Pitchers: Robert Dugger vs. Eric Lauer
First pitch: 8:10 p.m. ET
Live stream: Apple TV+ website, Apple TV+ app

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Brewers -1.5 (-110)
Run total: 9
Moneyline odds: Brewers -230, Reds +195

Moneyline pick: Brewers -230

Betting on Milwaukee as heavy favorites is a little dangerous as it looks to avoid five straight losses, but the Brewers are in a good spot to pick up a victory. Their offense should have plenty of success against Dugger, who has pitched for four MLB teams over his four-year MLB career and will enter with a 6.97 ERA over 26 appearances and 12 starts.

Player prop pick: Eric Lauer Over 5.5 strikeouts (-120)

The Brewers starter is in a good spot to rack up some strikeouts against a Reds lineup that strikes out 8.8 times per game, which is the sixth most in the MLB. Lauer is putting up solid strikeout numbers with a 9.1 K/9 to this point of the season.

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