A high-stakes divisional gauntlet tests the Milwaukee Brewers' depth as Shane Drohan and Dustin May lead a rotation desperate to secure the NL Central during a crucial six-game clash against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds are set to do battle across a six-game sample size in a 10-day span.
The first three games are set to take place at the Great American Ballpark from Sept. 4-6, but then the Brewers will have just enjoyed Sept. 10 off before the Reds come to American Family Field from Sept. 11-13.
The Brewers are currently in a stretch where they're playing 16 straight division games, so if there was ever a chance to lock up the National League Central, it's now.
Manager Pat Murphy is still going with a six-man starting rotation, so it'll be interesting to see if the Brewers can still win this series without the likes of Jacob Misiorowski or Logan Henderson on the mound.
Shane Drohan's time to shine
Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser seem to be the odd-men out when it comes to the playoff rotation, but that doesn't mean they won't have a spot on this roster.
Drohan, 27, has allowed just three earned runs in his last 12 innings of work. He's 1-1 in that span, and it's worth noting he made a two-inning relief appearance on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
This'll be Drohan's third time facing the Reds this season. He actually pitched against them in back-to-back games on June 24 and July 1 in a stretch that saw him allow 11 hits in 10 innings of work, though he only allowed two earned runs.
Drohan struck out 12 batters and walked four in that span, one that didn't record a decision in either of those games.
What version of Dustin May will be in Cincinnati?
Dustin May is just 1-2 since being acquired by the Brewers, but obviously, one of his starts doesn't count as he was pulled after just one pitch.
May was able to make his next scheduled start, but he fell to 6-9 on the year as he allowed four earned runs in 4.1 innings, needing 97 pitches to record those 13 outs.
When May first joined the Brewers, he threw back-to-back gems, and the team desperately needs him to get back to where he was from Aug. 6-12.
Kyle Harrison can't afford to struggle on the road again
Kyle Harrison's 3.2-inning start resulted in a 17-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers couldn't have asked for a worse way to start the series, as their 25-year-old star allowed nine earned runs on 10 hits, and it's worth noting that five of those were home runs.
Historically, Harrison has struggled on the road, and now he's tasked with making back-to-back-to-back road starts for the first time all year.
