Cincinnati Reds: Eugenio Suárez looking for long ball vs. Adrian Houser

If the past is any indicator of the future, Eugenio Suárez may have a very productive night at the plate for the Cincinnati Reds.

As Eugenio Suárez steps into the batter’s box this evening, the Cincinnati Reds third baseman should very comfortable and confident. In his previous matchup against Milwaukee Brewers Adrian Houser, Suárez had a field day and left the years twice. Another night like that would put Geno in a tie with Pete Alonso for the Major League lead in home runs.

David Bell has shown that he’s all about matchups. Well, there may be no better during the entire upcoming series against the Brewers than Suárez versus Tuesday’s starter Adrian Houser. The Milwaukee right-hander is 6-7 on the season with a 3.83 ERA, but Geno may give Houser major problems tonight.

On July 1st, the Cincinnati Reds hosted the Brewers at Great American Ball Park. Houser got the ball in that game and was mowing down opposing batters until the sixth inning. Jesse Winker led the inning off with a solo shot and the Reds tied the game at one run a piece. The following batter was Joey Votto, who in typical Joey Votto fashion, drew a walk. That brought Suárez to the plate.

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Geno stepped into the batters box and took a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left-center field giving the Reds a 3-1 advantage. Unfortunately, David Hernandez gave the game away late and the Reds fell to the Brewers 8-6. However, Suárez homered twice in that game.

A couple weeks later, the Reds made a visit to Miller Park. This time, Chase Anderson drew the start, but was replaced by Matt Albiers and later Adrian Houser. In the seventh inning, after allowing a Joey Votto single, Houser stared down Suárez once again and one again the Reds slugger delivered.

Geno punished the baseball, once again over the left-center field wall and gave the Cincinnati Reds a 4-1 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers would regain the lead following a four-run rally in the eighth, but Suárez took Jeremy Jeffress deep in the ninth inning and the Reds won the game 6-5.

On the season, Suárez is 3-for-5 versus Houser with two home runs and four RBIs. That’s a 2.400 OPS. If there’s any pitcher that Suárez is excited for face while pursuing Alonso in the home run race, it’s definitely Adrian Houser.

The Reds and Brewers square off tonight in Cincinnati. The Brewers are the postseason race, while the Reds are wrapping up a disappointing end to the 2019 season. However, Eugenio Suárez’s pursuit of the MLB home run title is a compelling story and facing Houser could go a long way toward making that a reality.