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Reds-Brewers Preview

Aug 27, 2009 - 5:39 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Cincinnati (53-71) at Milwaukee (61-64), 2:05 p.m. EDT

Felipe Lopez is Milwaukee's hottest hitter, but has been walking gingerly after suffering a toe injury. With or without their second baseman in the lineup, the Brewers haven't been able to find a way to beat the Cincinnati Reds.

Lopez may miss his second straight game Thursday afternoon as the Brewers try to avoid being swept in a three-game series by the Reds for the first time in more than six years.

Milwaukee (61-65) took Lopez out of Tuesday night's game after he was injured rounding the bases in the ninth inning of an 8-6, 13-inning loss to Cincinnati (54-71). The Brewers came up short even though Lopez went 4 for 5 with a homer.

Lopez didn't start in Wednesday's 4-3 loss in 10 innings, though he grounded out as a pinch hitter in the ninth. He seemed confident that his injury won't keep him out long, but his status for Thursday's game is uncertain.

"I'm not too worried about it," Lopez told the Brewers' official Web site. "This is something that I can play through. It's not like a hamstring injury, where it's sore for a long while."

Lopez is hitting .360 with 10 doubles and 22 runs in 34 games since being acquired in a July 19 trade with Arizona. He has 19 RBIs during that span despite hitting leadoff.

With Lopez out, Milwaukee stranded nine runners and is now in danger of being swept by Cincinnati in a three-game set for the first time since July 11-13, 2003, also at Miller Park.

The Brewers also suffered a two-game sweep at Cincinnati from July 19-20, 2004.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, has won three straight after losing seven of its previous eight, and can match its longest winning streak of the season - a four-game run May 24-27 - with a victory Thursday.

The Reds, who have a 2.53 staff ERA during the current winning streak, will next send former Brewers reliever Justin Lehr (2-1, 3.77) to the mound. He endured the worst of his five starts this season Saturday night, surrendering six runs and eight hits while walking three in five innings of Cincinnati's 12-2 loss to Pittsburgh.

The right-hander had been 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his previous four outings.

This will be Lehr's first appearance against the Brewers, for whom he made 39 relief appearances in the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Milwaukee will counter with Dave Bush (3-4, 5.67 ERA), who is coming back from a stint on the disabled list due to elbow soreness. The right-hander, 0-4 with a 9.32 ERA in his final six starts before being shut down, is making his first start since June 20 at Detroit.

Bush is 2-3 with a 6.87 ERA in 11 starts versus the Reds.

Milwaukee's pitching staff is in desperate need of a boost, having posted a 5.95 ERA while surrendering 45 homers over its last 29 games.

Cincinnati, ranked 29th in the majors with 492 total runs, is averaging 5.3 during its winning streak. Veteran third baseman Scott Rolen is 6 for 12 in this series and batting .311 in 45 career games at Milwaukee.