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Slumping Brewers hope to turn around homestand

Sep 9, 2008 - 1:22 PM Cincinnati (65-79) at Milwaukee (82-62), 8:05 p.m. EDT

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers have not taken advantage of a long homestand.

Milwaukee looks to change its fortunes when it continues a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.

The Brewers are just 2-6 on their current 10-game homestand and have fallen 4 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs (86-57) in the National League Central Division. Milwaukee's wild card lead over the Philadelphia Phillies (79-65) is down to three games with a four-game series in Philadelphia looming this weekend.

Milwaukee, which is hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982, dropped the first game of the series with Cincinnati in devastating fashion on Monday. The Reds scored three runs in the top of the ninth to pull off a 5-4 victory.

Jeff Suppan (10-8, 4.56 ERA) hopes to turn things around for Milwaukee as he takes the hill. The righthander had his personal five-game winning streak snapped in his last start, allowing five runs - four earned - in 5 1/3 innings against San Diego on Thursday.

Cincinnati will counter with rookie Ramon Ramirez (0-0, 2.70). The 25-year-old righthander threw three perfect innings out of the bullpen on Thursday against Pittsburgh, after allowing three runs over seven innings in his first major league start against San Francisco on August 30.