The surging Milwaukee Brewers are expected to activate right-hander DL Hall on Sunday as they bid to complete a sweep of the three-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo (9-4, 3.93 ERA) will start for the Reds on Sunday. Hall (0-1, 7.71), in turn, is expected to be activated off the 60-day injured list to start for the Brewers after 12 rehab starts at Triple-A Nashville.
Milwaukee defeated the Reds 1-0 on Saturday night on Rhys Hoskins’ two-out homer in the eighth inning. The National League Central-leading Brewers extended their winning streak to five games and moved a season-high 18 games above .500.
The Brewers, who had 42 runs in their four previous games, managed just one hit off Reds starter Nick Martinez in seven innings. Rookie right-hander Tobias Myers was almost as stingy for the Brewers, allowing three hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Brewers’ bullpen, which is without Trevor Megill and Bryan Hudson, received a boost from closer Devin Williams, who struck out the side in the ninth for his first save. Williams, the reigning NL Reliever of the Year, was making his fourth appearance after missing the first 104 games with a back injury.
“It’s difficult. You’re in the cooler for 4 1/2 months, or four-plus months, and you’re doing your rehab and you’re trying to re-create what it’s like to be in that situation,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Williams tipped his cap to both Myers and Joel Payamps after the pair kept the Reds at bay.
“It started with Tobias shutting them down through seven,” Williams said. “Payamps did his job shutting them down, and then I followed. We’re not always going to score eight. We have to win in a multitude of ways, and today was a different kind of game for us.”
Hall, acquired from the Orioles in the preseason trade for ace Corbin Burnes, was inconsistent in four starts before injuring his left knee while fielding a bunt on April 20.
After a one-inning rehab outing in Class-A, Hall made 12 starts for Triple-A Nashville, going 0-1 with a 2.87 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs in 31 1/3 innings. He struck out 28 while issuing 20 walks.
Milwaukee, which leads the Central by eight games over the St. Louis Cardinals, is 6-2 this season vs. the Reds and 34-12 over the last 46 games.
The last-place Reds, who dropped to 9-21 this season in one-run games and reside 11 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the division, were held to three hits or less for the 17th time this season on Saturday.
“We know where we are,” Reds manager David Bell said after the game. “We know how important these games are.”
Lodolo is 1-2 with a 5.97 ERA over his last seven starts. After going 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts in June, he was 0-1 with 6.67 ERA in five July starts.
In his most recent outing, he picked up his first victory since June 23, allowing two runs on two hits in six innings in an 8-2 win at Miami on Tuesday, striking out seven and walking three.
Lodolo is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA in three career starts vs. Milwaukee, all in 2022.
–Field Level Media
