Reds vs. Brewers: RHP Mat Latos vs. RHP Kyle Lohse

Cincinnati Reds (70-77) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (76-71)

RHP Mat Latos (5-5, 3.25 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, .240 OAV) vs. RHP Kyle Lohse (12-9, 3.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .256 OAV)

Friday, September 12, 2014: 8:10 p.m. at Miller Park

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His last time on the mound, Mat Latos realized one of the more difficult facts of life for being a starting pitcher. Without allowing a single earned run, Latos still managed to get charged with a loss. Tossing six innings against the New York Mets, an error by Billy Hamilton sprung their offense to life, and Latos was unable to squelch the uprising.

In what has been a shortened season due to arm and knee injuries, Latos will already get his fourth crack at the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014.

Latos has made six career starts at Miller Park in Wisconsin, yet he has never come out as the winner. With a 0-4 record and 3.66 ERA, he has been unable to find the offensive support that comes along with a victory.

The true testament of what can be considered a “clutch” pitcher is how he handles situations of high leverage. According to BaseballReference.com’s listings, for his career, hitters are batting only .222 against Latos, with an OPS of .590, in such situations. This season, those numbers have only lowered. Opponents have managed just 12 hits in 62 at-bats, good for a .194 batting average, and a very weak .524 OPS. Avoiding such situations would obviously be favorable, but with Latos on the hill, chances are he can escape them.

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In a season that has gone so quickly from Cinderella to a morbid version of Rapunzel, Kyle Lohse has been the consistent backbone the Brewers can rely upon. Not having missed a start all season long, Lohse’s dependability for what has been a shaking pitching staff has been imperative.

It was a rough month of August for Lohse, allowing seven earned runs in two separate starts, before beginning September by getting hit around by St. Louis.

Much like Latos, Lohse will be getting his fourth look at Cincinnati this season. Throughout his career, the only club Lohse has been better against is the Houston Astros. In 18 career starts against the Reds, he is 6-5 with a 2.91 ERA, and has allowed only six home runs in over 111 innings of work.

The difference in home/away splits has been drastic for Lohse this season. Within the confines of Miller Park, he is 4-3 with an ERA all the way down at 2.72. When he isn’t pitching at home, he is 8-7, but has an ERA all the way up at 4.71. While he has made six less starts at home, he has proven this season that he is a much more effective pitcher at home.

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The eyes of the baseball world have been glued on Milwaukee for the past 24 hours after the horrific accident involving Giancarlo Stanton being drilled in the face with a pitch. As if the pennant chase the Brewers were involved in were not enough, the intense scrutiny from the national media has heightened the importance of these games for a club that has fallen so rapidly.

These two clubs get their weekend series underway late Friday night with Latos and Lohse clashing yet again, attempting to jockey for supremacy in this National League Central showdown.