Everything points to the Thursday afternoon game between the Cincinnati Reds and the host Milwaukee Brewers being a miserable contest for hitters.

That’s because the contest features a pitching matchup of the major league’s ERA and strikeout leader, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (9-3, 1.45 ERA), and the Reds’ ace, Chase Burns (9-1, 2.36).

“It’s gonna be fun. He’s good,” Burns said. “He’s so good. I’m pumped about it.”

Misiorowski has 146 strikeouts in 99 innings. Burns is tied for fourth in the NL in wins, along with Misiorowski and three others. Burns has 112 strikeouts, tied for seventh in the league, in 91 2/3 innings.

In addition to his spectacular stats, Misiorowski made more news in his last start, a 6-2 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs on Friday in which he allowed a run on two hits in six innings with four walks and eight strikeouts. He unleashed a 105.5 mph pitch to Pete Crow-Armstrong in the first inning.

It was the third-fastest pitch since tracking became official in 2008. Only Aroldis Chapman, who threw a 105.8 mph pitch in 2011 and a 105.7 mph offering in 2016, has thrown faster pitches. Misiorowski tied a 105.5 mph delivery from Ben Joyce in 2024.

“I think I slipped a little bit,” Misiorowski joked about the pitch after the game. “I think I’ve got a little more.”

He can hope the heat will faze the Reds, who have done well against him in his two appearances (one start). On Aug. 15, 2025, the Reds tagged him for five runs on four hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings. He then faced Cincinnati in relief on Sept. 27, and he yielded two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

Misiorowski fanned three in each of those contests.

Burns got a no-decision in his latest outing, when the Reds defeated the host Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 on Saturday. He was uncharacteristically knocked around to the tune of five runs and nine hits in six innings, though he did not walk a batter and struck out 10.

Burns’ lone appearance against the Brewers came in relief last Sept. 28. He didn’t allow a run or a hit in 1 2/3 innings while walking two and striking out four.

The Brewers will be going for a sweep of the four-game series on Thursday after earning a 4-2 win on Wednesday.

Garrett Mitchell is 6-for-8 in the past two games after going 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run on Wednesday. He produced the game-winning RBI, as his two-out triple in the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie.

Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby (12-1) boosted his major-league-leading victory total after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Reds have lost four in a row.

Cincinnati catcher Tyler Stephenson, who went 2-for-4 with a run on Wednesday, is 7-for-15 in his past four games. He scored ahead of Noelvi Marte’s fifth home run in the second inning.

Cincinnati’s Matt McLain started in center field for the first time in his three-season major league career on Wednesday. He appeared at the position for the first time on Tuesday after entering as an eighth-inning pinch hitter. McLain previously had seen action in the field only at second base and shortstop.

–Field Level Media

Mickey Moniak is beginning to perform like a No. 1 overall draft pick again.

Moniak will try to keep his latest hot streak going for the Colorado Rockies when they oppose the Miami Marlins in the finale of a four-game series on Thursday afternoon in Denver.

Moniak came within a single of hitting for the cycle in the Rockies’ 6-3 win against the Marlins on Wednesday. The first pick in the 2016 draft also homered in Colorado’s 14-3 loss to Miami on Tuesday.

“He was a first overall (pick) for a reason, so it’s never been a thing of talent,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said of Moniak following the Wednesday game. “Guys take a circuitous route to find a place that they settle into in a part of their career. It seems like he’s found a place here in Denver that he’s comfortable in, and certainly swings the bat very well in this ballpark, and he was a big factor for them (Wednesday) evening.”

The Marlins fell on the first day of July after finishing June with a 20-6 record, the best mark in the majors and the best month in their history (.769). It was only the second time in franchise annals that Miami won at least 20 games in a month, following a 21-8 ledger in May 2012.

Miami starter Max Meyer came into the Wednesday game with a shiny 9-0 record, but with one out in the first, Moniak hit the second pitch he saw from Meyer over the fence for a 1-0 lead.

“Staying on a fastball, drove it out to left-center,” Moniak said. “When I’m doing that, things are usually feeling pretty good.”

McCullough would like to see a better approach at the plate from his hitters in the series finale. Miami struck out 11 times on Wednesday, with Esteury Ruiz (four), Kyle Stowers (three) and Owen Caissie (two) accounting for nine.

McCullough did witness something he’d never seen before: a pinch-hit inside-the-park homer. Joe Mack circled the bases after his long fly ball took an odd bounce off the center field wall in the seventh inning.

“I didn’t have Joe Mack doing that on my bingo card,” McCullough said. “This ballpark’s crazy.”

Colorado plans to send veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen to the mound in hopes of splitting the series after dropping the first two.

Lorenzen (3-9, 6.83 ERA) showed signs of rebounding from a difficult stretch in which he went 10 straight starts without a victory and lost seven times. He ended the skid on Saturday when he allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings during an 8-5 victory against the Minnesota Twins. It was his first win since April 24.

“He pounded the zone. He got ahead. He didn’t try to do too much,” Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He was efficient with his pitches. He threw his sinker a ton and got some quick outs. Didn’t hunt the punchout, which was great. I thought Mike was very, very good.”

Lorenzen faced the Marlins in the second game of the season and went 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision at Miami. He allowed three runs and seven hits.

Lorenzen has had decent success against the Marlins in his career overall, going 4-2 with a 2.62 ERA in 18 appearances, including seven starts.

Following the Wednesday game, McCullough named Ryan Gusto as his starting pitcher for Thursday.

Gusto (0-2, 5.06 ERA) tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings in his latest outing, on Saturday in a no-decision against the host St. Louis Cardinals. That came after a similar performance on June 21, when the right-hander limited the San Francisco Giants to one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. Miami won both games.

Gusto has never faced the Rockies in his two-year major league career.

–Field Level Media

Chase DeLauter is swinging a hot bat since returning from the injured list.

The Cleveland rookie will look to extend his torrid stretch on Thursday night when the Guardians open a four-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox.

DeLauter had an RBI single among his three hits in Cleveland’s 9-4 home victory over Texas on Wednesday. The victory salvaged the series finale vs. the Rangers and allowed the Guardians to move within one game of the American League Central-leading White Sox, who fell 6-1 to the host Baltimore Orioles earlier in the afternoon.

“Bummed about today, but we’ll regroup and be ready for a big series against (Cleveland), which obviously we’re very excited about,” Chicago manager Will Venable said.

The White Sox will need to pitch carefully to DeLauter, 24, who is 8-for-18 (.444) with four RBIs in four games since returning from a rib injury. He also is 16-for-40 (.400) during a 10-game hitting streak.

“I think Chase looks the same as he’s looked all year,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s just fun to have him back.”

Unfortunately for the Guardians, DeLauter was not in the lineup when the team dropped two of three road games against the White Sox from June 22-24.

Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi (4-6, 4.18 ERA) did not pitch in that series either, but he will start on Thursday against fellow right-hander Davis Martin (9-3, 3.00).

Cecconi scattered three hits over six-plus scoreless innings in a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. The win was the first for Cecconi since May 18, though he posted a 1.88 ERA across 28 2/3 innings in five starts during June.

“It’s amazing,” Vogt said of Cecconi’s turnaround. “Slade’s such a competitor and he’s so dedicated to his craft. He kept telling us, ‘I’m going to get it. I’m going to get it. I’m going to get it.’ And he is getting better as the season goes on.”

Cecconi, 27, is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in two career appearances (both starts) vs. the White Sox.

Like Cecconi, Martin also is coming in off a scoreless outing. He allowed four hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The White Sox won 2-1.

Martin, 29, is 1-3 with a 6.63 ERA in four career appearances (all starts) against the Guardians.

The White Sox had won six of their eight previous games before falling flat on Wednesday.

Sam Antonacci deposited the second pitch of the game over the wall in right-center field. He added another hit, but Chicago mustered just two others in the setback.

“A nice way to start the game with (the home run by) Antonacci there, and then just really couldn’t get anything going,” Venable said. “A couple of pivotal plays, the play by (Baltimore’s Tyler O’Neill, who made a diving catch in right field with two on to end the fourth inning), really big play there by him, a great play. We’d score at least one there, and maybe things look a little different.”

Despite the result, the White Sox aren’t getting down.

“If people are doubting us or thinking this is a fluke, I think all of that should be out of the window since we’re in July now,” Colson Montgomery said, per the Chicago Sun-Times.

–Field Level Media