The set-up: The Reds got outscored 27-9 during a five-game losing streak but then won three straight Friday through Sunday at Pittsburgh, putting a ‘hurt' on Pittsburgh's wild card hopes. Cincinnati, just 60-82 on the season, now returns home to open the week with a three-game series against the 64-79 Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have won seven of their last 10 contests after splitting a weekend series in St. Louis but like the Reds, have no plans for playing MLB after October 2 (final day of the regular season).

The pitching matchup: Wily Peralta (6-9, 5.47 ERA) takes the mound for Milwaukee, opposed by Keyvius Sampson (0-1, 3.90 ERA) of Cincinnati. Anthony DeSclafani was originally scheduled to start the series opener for the Reds but manager Bryan Price says he won't take the mound again until September 18. He added, "It gives (Sampson) a chance to get a little bit of a stretch and give a little bit of blow to Anthony, and he slots right back in for his next start. No red flag, but in the sense of being proactive, it makes more sense to do it right now and let him finish the season strong." Sampson will be making his second start in 2016 after recording 12 last season (2-6 with a 6.54 ERA / team was 4-8). Peralta was sent down to Triple A for nearly two months but has gone 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA in his six starts since returning but the team is just 2-4.

The pick: Milwaukee has won seven of 10 and it's noteworthy that the team's starting pitchers own a 2.83 ERA over the its last 20 games but Peralta owns a 5.54 road ERA (seven starts), allowing 50 hits in 37.1 innings with a 1.77 WHIP. The Brewers are just 25-43 on the road in 2016 and the Reds are full of confidence after winning three in a row at Pittsburgh over the weekend, scoring eight runs on both Saturday and Sunday. Cincy is an 8* play.