Brewers, with 'unbelievable' Trevor Megill, open series vs. Reds

Some relievers might hit the figurative wall late in the season, but Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill appears to be sharper than ever.

Megill has not allowed an earned run in his last 14 appearances for Milwaukee, which will open a three-game series against the host Cincinnati Reds on Friday evening.

"Trevor has been unbelievable," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "He's been magnificent and he's trusted. Great, great member of that bullpen."

Milwaukee (87-54) is eight games ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central with 21 games remaining. Chicago salvaged a split of a four-game series between the teams with a 2-1 victory on Thursday.

Cincinnati (67-73) was idle on Thursday after taking two of three games from the San Diego Padres. The Reds are 6 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final NL wild-card spot.

The MLB-best Brewers boast a stellar bullpen led by Megill, who was named the NL's Reliever of the Month on Thursday. He allowed one unearned run in 11 appearances in August and was 8-for-8 in save opportunities.

"It's always nice (to be honored)," said Megill, who is 2-3 with a 2.19 ERA and 25 saves this season. "Although there's a lot of hard work, a lot of good plays behind me. A lot of wins. August is kind of the dog days of every season. So to stay locked in like that was a good sign."

Milwaukee's bullpen has allowed a total of one run over the last three games covering 10 2/3 innings.

Cincinnati can claim its own award winner in first baseman Sal Stewart, who was named NL Rookie of the Month. Stewart, 22, has 31 homers and leads the majors with 105 RBIs. He hit .304 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in August.

"It's remarkable," Reds closer Emilio Pagan said. "If I had a vote, he's Rookie of the Year. Obviously, I'm biased. And he's getting stronger down the stretch, which is really hard for young players to do. His at-bats seem to be getting better."

Cincinnati will send right-hander Rhett Lowder (6-8, 5.14 ERA) to the mound in the series opener. He allowed three runs over five innings in a 10-8 road victory over the Cubs last Friday.

"They didn't make it easy on me by any means from the jump," Lowder said. "I got behind in some counts early, but credit to them. They were fouling off a ton of tough pitches and not swinging at balls. Made it tough."

Milwaukee's Jake Bauers is 5-for-8 with two homers against Lowder, who is 0-3 with a 6.28 ERA in three career starts vs. Milwaukee -- including 0-2 with a 7.84 ERA in two outings this season.

The Brewers will counter with left-hander Shane Drohan (7-5, 3.75 ERA), who allowed one run over five innings in a 5-3 home win over the Texas Rangers last Saturday.

Drohan walked one and struck out six for his first victory since July 31. In August, he went 1-1 with a 4.84 ERA in five starts covering 22 1/3 innings.

Drohan has not posted a decision in his two career outings vs. Cincinnati, allowing a total of two runs on 11 hits in 10 innings.

--Field Level Media