Cincinnati takes on Milwaukee following Mahle's strong showing

Cincinnati Reds (34-38, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (40-34, second in the NL Central)

Milwaukee; Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Tanner Roark (4-6, 3.63 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 74 strikeouts) Brewers: Jimmy Nelson (0-1, 10.29 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, 8 strikeouts)

BOTTOM LINE: Cincinnati heads into the matchup fresh off a strong showing by Tyler Mahle. Mahle threw seven innings, surrendering two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts against Houston.

The Brewers are 18-10 against NL Central teams. Milwaukee has hit 128 home runs this season, third in the league. Christian Yelich leads them with 27, averaging one every 9.2 at-bats.

The Reds are 15-21 on the road. The Cincinnati pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 3.57. Luis Castillo leads the team with a 2.36 earned run average. This is the first game between these teams in 2019.

TOP PERFORMERS: Yelich leads the Brewers with 27 home runs and is slugging .743. Yasmani Grandal is 8-for-35 with two doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.

Eugenio Suarez leads the Reds with 66 hits and has 43 RBIs. Yasiel Puig is 12-for-34 with three doubles, three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Cincinnati.

LAST 10 GAMES: Brewers: 4-6, .243 batting average, 4.75 ERA, outscored by one run

Reds: 6-4, .238 batting average, 3.02 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs

Brewers Injuries: Bobby Wahl: 60-day IL (knee), Brent Suter: 60-day IL (elbow), Corey Knebel: 60-day IL (elbow), Gio Gonzalez: 10-day IL (arm), Mike Moustakas: day-to-day ().

Reds Injuries: Alex Wood: 60-day IL (back), Wandy Peralta: 10-day IL (hip), Scooter Gennett: 60-day IL (groin).