MLB Game Preview - Cincinnati at Milwaukee

Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:10 PM EDT

After ending their longest losing streak of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers can now focus on winning consecutive games at home for the first time in 2020.

In doing so, the Brewers will try to send the Cincinnati Reds to a fourth straight loss on Tuesday night.

After dropping four straight to conclude a 4-6 road trip, Milwaukee earned a much-needed 4-2 win over Cincinnati on Monday night. Justin Smoak homered and drove in three runs for the second consecutive game, and the Brewers handed the Reds' Trevor Bauer his first loss of the season.

"We have talented players, we have track records, we have guys who've performed," manager Craig Counsell told the Brewers' official website. "You feel like 60 games is a big enough thing for guys to turn it around."

Smoak has been one of those players who might be heating up, going 4-for-8 with two home runs and six RBIs in the last two games. He'll try to stay hot and help the Brewers improve at home, where they are just 3-6.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, fell to 2-5 on what will be a 10-game trip. Eugenio Suarez homered for the second time in as many games for the Reds, who missed an opportunity with their best pitcher on the mound to get back on track.

"We got to figure out something to win the games," Suarez told the Reds' official website. "That's all that matters for us right now."

Reds manager David Bell is slated to hand the ball to Luis Castillo (0-3, 4.44 ERA), who will try a sixth time for his first 2020 win. The right-hander is coming off his shortest outing of the season, 3 1/3 innings during a 4-0 loss at Kansas City last Tuesday.

In that contest, Castillo allowed four runs - three earned - with five hits and two walks while striking out five.

"I think it was just a bad outing, to be honest," Castillo told the Reds' official website. "A couple of the pitches weren't there that were not called for me, and a couple of the pitches just weren't there.

"For me, really, it's just a bad outing," he said.

Castillo is 3-4 with a 3.96 ERA in nine starts against the Brewers. However, he's 1-1 with an 8.31 ERA in three career outings at Milwaukee.

Milwaukee stars Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich, though, are a combined 3-for-23 against him. Each of those players has hit a home run off Castillo.

The Brewers plan to turn to Brandon Woodruff (1-2, 3.23 ERA), who was the losing pitcher in a 7-1 defeat at Minnesota on Thursday. The right-hander allowed nine hits, but just two runs and one walk over five innings.

Woodruff lasted only four innings while not factoring in the decision of a 9-3 win over Cincinnati on Aug. 9. He allowed a solo homer to Jesse Winker and one other run in that contest.

Winker, who went 1-for-3 on Monday, is 6-for-9 with a home run versus Woodruff. Teammate Joey Votto is 0-for-14 in his last four contests, but 6-for-11 with a pair of home runs against Woodruff.

--Field Level Media