Brew Crew Can Take Down Reds Behind Peralta

Brewers vs. Reds, 1:10 ET

It is April, and I know there is a ton of baseball left to be played, but the division could come down to these two teams. There are a number of things that could go right or wrong between now and September/October. I also recognize that divisions aren’t won in April, but you also don’t want to fall too far behind in the standings either. With that said, all games between the Brewers and Reds will be important this season.

The Brewers are my team to win the division this year, but I don’t want to just blindly bet on them because I think they are going to win the NL Central. The Brewers lost their manager and traded away their Ace in the offseason, but they still have the same team that continues to produce through good pitching and small ball baseball. The return of Christian Yelich’s hitting also is a good way to jumpstart this offense. Today they get their new defacto Ace in Freddy Peralta as he takes the hill against the Reds. Peralta has already put up 11.2 innings and has allowed just four earned runs on the year. He has a very strong 0.60 WHIP and has struck out 15 hitters already. As you’d expect, he has been very good against Reds hitters in the past, including holding Elly De La Cruz hitless in five at-bats.

The Cincinnati Reds finally called up top prospect Elly De La Cruz. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Reds don’t really scare me. Something about the team just doesn’t seem like they will be able to sustain success for the entire year. Maybe I’m wrong. They lasted longer than I thought they would last season. De La Cruz turned in a great performance and was like a jolt of energy to the club. I still think their pitching staff will be their downfall. They should sign Trevor Bauer again. Even if they do make a move to bolster the staff, it won’t come today. Instead, they need to suffer through Nick Martinez today. In 10 innings, Martinez has allowed eight earned runs and struck out just nine hitters. He has also allowed 14 hits and two walks which gives him a 1.60 WHIP. 

The Brewers should dominate this game with their pitching. Peralta knows how to navigate this lineup and should be able to hold the Reds hitters at-bay in this one. The Reds are a solid club, and I probably don’t respect them much, but I don’t like Martinez in this game. I think the Brewers can pounce on him. 

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