Latos takes hill for Reds in meeting with Brewers
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Mat Latos looks to pitch the Cincinnati Reds back into the win column when he takes the mound Saturday in the third installment of a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
Latos is 4-0 in his last five starts and is coming off a solid outing Monday in a 2-0 win against the Chicago Cubs. Latos struck out nine batters through eight scoreless innings, running his record to 12-3 in 24 starts to go along with a 3.04 earned run average.
The right-hander has won five of his last six decisions and defeated Milwaukee earlier this season. In six career starts against the Brewers, Latos is 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA. In 14 road assignments, Latos is 5-2 with a 2.98 ERA.
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Cincinnati is coming off Friday's 7-6 loss to the Brewers, who received a game-winning two-run homer from Jonathan Lucroy in the bottom of the ninth. Reds All-Star reliever Aroldis Chapman was tagged with the loss and starter Mike Leake gave up four runs and nine hits in five innings.
"He hung a slider to him and he didn't miss," Reds manager Dusty Baker said of Chapman's offering to Lucroy.
Todd Frazier finished 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI, while one of Chris Heisey's two hits was a homer. The Reds had won five straight and eight of nine games, and now sit 3 1/2 games off the NL Central lead. Cincinnati, though, is one of the NL wild card leaders.
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Milwaukee halted a two-game slide and won for the sixth time in 10 tries with Friday's exciting victory. Lucroy was the hero and finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.
"It just feels good to get the win. We kind of had a rough game throwing the ball. It feels good to get a win hitting-wise," Lucroy said.
Juan Francisco homered and Jean Segura collected three hits, two runs scored and drove in a run for the Brewers, who made a winner out of relief pitcher John Axford. Tom Gorzelanny wasn't sharp in his 4 2/3 innings of work and was reached for five runs and six hits.
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Taking the mound for the Brewers Saturday will be Yovani Gallardo, who was on the disabled list the past few weeks because of a strained left hamstring. Gallardo last pitched in a 6-5 win against the Cubs on July 30 and did not figure into the decision after he permitted three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Gallardo, who is 2-3 in his last five decisions, owns an 8-9 mark with a 4.91 ERA in 23 starts this season. He defeated the Reds on June 15 with six shutout innings in a 6-0 road win and is 6-6 with a 4.53 ERA in 17 career starts against them.
The Reds are 7-4 against the Brewers this season.