Right-hander Homer Bailey looks for a second straight defeat of the Milwaukee Brewers - and a fourth straight win overall - when the Cincinnati Reds host them to begin a three-game weekend series at Great American Ball Park.
Bailey, though, has won just two of nine career decisions against the Brewers, beating them with eight innings of three-hit ball en route to a 9-1 decision in his last start on Aug. 18 at Miller Park.
It was his third straight win over four starts, in which he's allowed 11 runs on 24 hits in 28 innings of work, beating San Diego and Oakland and getting a no-decision against the Chicago Cubs in a game the Reds won, 6-4.
Cincinnati is 5-5 in his last 10 starts.
In 11 home starts this season, Bailey has allowed 27 runs and struck out 82 batters in 71 2/3 innings while winning four of six decisions.
The Brewers go with righty Yovani Gallardo, who also threw a gem en route to a victory in his last matchup with the Reds.
The 27-year-old surrendered just three hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings while defeating Cincinnati, 2-0, on Aug. 17, improving his career record against the Reds to 7-6 in 18 starts.
The victory was his third in four decisions since a 10-5 loss at Washington on July 1 dropped him to 6-8 in 2013.
In 11 road starts this season, he's 4-4 with a 4.62 earned run average in 62 1/3 innings.
On Thursday in Cincinnati, Shin-Soo Choo scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning as the Reds defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-1, in the finale of a four-game set.
Choo finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored for the Reds, who took three of four from the Diamondbacks.
Mat Latos (13-4) tossed eight strong innings to get the win for Cincinnati, which has won nine of its last 12 games overall. He allowed one run on five hits, striking out six without walking a batter.
The right-hander has won five of his last six decisions and has yielded just three earned runs in 30 1/3 innings over his last three starts.
On Wednesday in Milwaukee, Carlos Beltran cranked a two-run homer as part of a six-run second inning and the St. Louis Cardinals held off a late rally to take the rubber match of a three-game set from the Brewers, 8-6.
Tom Gorzelanny (3-5) took the loss after getting shelled for all seven runs on 10 hits in just 3 2/3 innings.
"He didn't command the ball early," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. "When you don't hit your spots, they're gonna put a good swing on it."
The Reds won eight of the first 13 games with the Brewers in 2013, though the teams spilt a four-game series from Aug. 15-18 in Milwaukee.
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