Cincinnati @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 9, 2011 ) Cincinnati 8, Milwaukee 4

THE STORY: Dontrelle Willis makes his first major league start of the season when the visiting Cincinnati Reds finish a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon. The Reds scored five runs in the 10th inning Saturday en route to an 8-4 victory which snapped the Brewers' three-game winning streak. Milwaukee dropped back into a tie with St. Louis atop the National League Central, while fourth-place Cincinnati is only three games back.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), FS Milwaukee, Telemundo (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds LH Dontrelle Willis (2010: 2-3, 5.59 ERA) vs. Brewers LH Randy Wolf (6-6, 3.72).

Willis, who has been with four different organizations since the beginning of the 2010 season, was called up from Triple A Louisville after going 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 13 starts. The control problems that have plagued him in recent years appear to have been taken care of - Willis has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 67:20 in 75 1/3 innings this year. He is 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA in five career starts against Milwaukee, but has not faced the Brewers since 2007. After pitching fairly well in June (2-1, 3.18), Wolf was roughed up in a July 5 start against Arizona, giving up seven runs on 10 hits in six innings. He had an equally rough time in an April 3 loss to the Reds, surviving only four innings in his first start of the year (10 hits, six runs), but he is 10-4 with a solid 3.44 ERA in 21 career games against Cincinnati. Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes is 11-for-19 with two home runs against Wolf.

ABOUT THE REDS (45-46): Cincinnati, which had dropped six of eight in July prior to Saturday, has remained within striking distance in the NL Central despite posting a 20-29 record since May 17. The Reds lead the National League with 434 runs scored, but an inconsistent pitching staff has the league's third-highest ERA (4.17). Bronson Arroyo (7-7, 5.58) has struggled all season, and Edinson Volquez (5-4, 5.93) was sent down to the minors and replaced by Willis after walking 55 batters in 85 innings.

ABOUT THE BREWERS (48-43): Despite a minus-2 run differential, Milwaukee has managed to stay at or near the top of the NL Central thanks in part to its excellence at home. Even after Saturday, the Brewers are 32-14 at Miller Park, the best home record in the majors. Milwaukee will have to make do Sunday without the services of left fielder Ryan Braun, who missed the last two games with an injured calf. First baseman Prince Fielder leads the National League with 72 RBIs and ranks second with 22 home runs and 58 walks.

FINAL PITCH: Since leading the National League with 22 wins in 2005, Willis has totaled 25 victories in five-plus years. He has finished each of the last three seasons with a WHIP of 1.93 or higher, and walked 135 batters in 123 1/3 innings during that time.