Milwaukee Brewers came into Miller Park this weekend riding high. They won two straight against Chicago and got their record back to 5-5. Then they came back to their unfriendly confines. Brewers are still looking for their first win at Miller Park after falling to the Cincinnati Reds, 8-3. Trevor Bauer was an electric factory striking out 12 batters. Brewers struck out 16 times yesterday. For those non-math majors out there, 59 percent of the Brewers’ outs last night came from the strikeout.

Player of the Game: Trevor Bauer – What a game from Bauer. In a surprise to no Brewers fans, Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson fixed what was wrong with Bauer. He struck out 12 batters in six innings with three hits allowed and only one mistake to Logan Morrison. Bauer has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the restart with 0.93 ERA. He stirs up controversy and boy, would it be awkward to see him win the Cy Young.

Honorable Mention: Matt Davidson – While Nick Castellanos had a RBI double and a homer, Matt Davidson broke the game open. Brewers were trailing 3-0, and after a walk to Brewers’ killer, Eugenio Suarez, Davidson went Yabo putting the Reds up 6-0. That is a killer. If Lauer can keep the Reds at 3-0, it might be a different game.

One thing to ponder – Who the hell is the fifth starter?: We have now seen outings from Corbin Burnes, Eric Lauer, and Freddy Peralta through eleven games. Burnes is probably the answer here. He pitched alright, but not a dominant start. Lauer was a mess albeit against a top-flight lineup that kills lefties. Peralta also scuffled but conditions were tough versus Chicago. Funny enough, they’ve all been electric out of the bullpen. For me, it is either Lauer again.

Next up: Brewers and Reds get ready for round two on Saturday night. Reds get another lefty with Brett Anderson. He will have to work with getting the ball down early and often against Cincy. Redlegs will send Anthony DeScalfani to the mound. DeScalfani had his struggles at Miller Park last year getting tagged for six runs in his only start in Milwaukee. But most of the guys that scored runs in that game are no longer with the team.

Charlie.