After a nail-biting ninth inning on Friday night that saw the Cincinnati Reds (34-35) hang on to victory, they will attempt to get back to a .500 record this afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers (40-29). Andrew Abbott gets the start for Cincinnati, while the Brewers counter with left-handed opener Jared Koenig followed by right-handed starter/long reliever Bryse Wilson.

First pitch from American Family Field will be at 4:10 PM EDT.

Lineups

Starting Pitchers

Andrew Abbott

Coming off another great start last Saturday when he pitched five innings of one-run baseball against the Cubs, left-hander Andrew Abbott looks to continue his solid 2024 season against another NL Central rival. Abbott just needs to get past the first inning, where most of the damage has been done against him. In 13.0 innings, he’s allowed 10 earned runs on 11 hits, including three home runs. After the first inning, he settles down, with an ERA under 3.00 from the second to the sixth inning.

The Reds have started to watch his innings a little closer earlier this season after fatigue hit him in September last season. Abbott pitched 109.1 innings in 2023, the second most of his professional career, and is at 74.0 innings thus far in 2024. They gave him an extra day of rest between starts at the end of May. With two days off this week, he’s had a full week between his last start and today.

Splits

Pitch Usage

Jared Koenig / Bryse Wilson

Left-hander Jared Koenig will get the start for the Brewers as the opener. Koenig has opened for Wilson before, with the most recent coming against the Tigers last Sunday. He pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball with two strikeouts. Koenig throws mainly three pitches: a sinker, cutter, and curveball. His curveball is his best pitch, with a 45% whiff rate.

Right-hander Bryse Wilson is the Brewers’ version of Nick Martinez. He’s started eight of 16 games he’s appeared in this season and has also pitched multiple innings in relief. Left-handed hitters are batting over .300 with a .997 OPS against him. This is the reason the Brewers will start the left-hander Koenig, as David Bell has stacked his lineup with lefties to face Wilson. However, the Reds haven’t hit Wilson all that well, with a .656 team OPS against him in 12 games. He pitched four innings against Cincinnati in April, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Bryse Wilson’s Splits

Bryse Wilson’s Pitch Usage

Details:

• Time: 4:10 PM EDT
• Place: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
• TV: Bally Sports Ohio
• Radio: 700 WLW

News and Notes

Minor League Recap

The Reds had some wild moments in their game last night. A couple of their minor league teams did as well.

Fun Fact of the Day

Last night the Reds won their 34th game of the season and move to 34-35 on the season. One year ago, on June 14th, 2023, the Reds beat the Royals to win their 34th game of the season and move their record to 34-35. You can’t say they’re not consistent.

Division Standings

A Minneapolis nonprofit serving homeless youth will begin a $700,000 makeover of two of its shelters this summer, capping a multiyear effort that invited shelter residents into the design process.

The Bridge for Youth provides support services and temporary housing for teens and young parents. Its two emergency shelters, Resilience House and Gloria’s Place, share a building at 1111 W. 22nd St. in Minneapolis. The first phase of demolition is underway, and renovations are set to begin in the coming weeks.

Resilience House provides 24-hour shelter, case management, food and health care for youths ages 10-17. Gloria’s Place is the only emergency shelter in Minnesota for pregnant teens and teen parents ages 15-17; it has space for up to six families.

According to the agency, 50% of young people experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County are pregnant or have children.

The building was purchased and first renovated nearly 16 years ago, Executive Director Lisa Mears said. Since then, it has been “feeling fatigued,” she said. This summer’s renovations will include new flooring, paint and furniture.

Another major reason for the renovation was to incorporate design feedback from current and former shelter residents. The designs are aimed to create spaces “where youth can heal and feel safe” from personal traumatic experiences, Mears said.

In 2021, three Dunwoody College students were brought onto the project to craft designs that would inspire the renovations. Carissa Friendshuh, Marco Salazar and Austin Rastall were fifth-year architecture students who spent about a year working on designs. They interviewed shelter residents, did research and toured the facility.

The students worked to make the facility feel more open and comfortable. Their designs were intentional about lighting, colors and having nooks tucked away for privacy within shared spaces.

“You want to be in a space that’s inviting, that feels safe, that feels secure, but also you’re able to get some freedom in it,” Rastall said. That concept was carried throughout the design decisions, he added.

Salazar said working on the project was a “full circle” moment because his sister was a shelter resident several years ago.

The Legislature last year provided $500,000 for the renovations, and the Bridge added $200,000.

The nonprofit this year campaigned unsuccessfully at the Capitol for $3.5 million to add 15 transitional housing units to a current facility, Marlene’s Place, and 24 non-time limited supportive housing units at a new site. Mears said Bridge officials are discussing their next steps.

About the partnership

This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.

The Indianapolis Colts need help at safety. Justin Simmons, one of the NFL’s best players at the position, is currently a free agent. With that said, a Simmons-to-Indy scenario just makes a ton of sense.

Surprisingly, Simmons is still available. After the Denver Broncos released him in March, you would think he would’ve signed with another team by now. But obviously, that hasn’t happened yet. Justin Simmons is an immensely talented Pro-Bowler who could immediately upgrade the Colts secondary.

Indianapolis Colts Need to Land Free Agent Safety Justin Simmons

Justin Simmons’ Football Career

After playing his college ball at Boston College, Justin Simmons was selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He went on to have an astounding eight-year career in Denver. Simmons earned two Pro Bowl nods and was named a four-time Associated Press second-team All-Pro. He also earned an NFL Top 100 selection three times. In addition, he was a three-time nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

Justin Simmons had several outstanding plays during his time with the Broncos. He came up with game-winning interceptions versus the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders in 2017, the Miami Dolphins in 2020, and the Washington Commanders during the 2021 season. Perhaps his most memorable play came in 2016 when he blocked an extra point against the New Orleans Saints. Fellow safety Will Parks ultimately returned it as Denver won the game.

Simmons is the league’s only player to record at least three interceptions in each of the past six seasons. He tied for the NFL lead in interceptions during the 2022 season.

2023 was a Pro Bowl campaign for Simmons. The Florida native produced 70 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes defended, two forced fumbles, and a sack.

Why Indianapolis Should Sign Him

The Colts selected a pair of designated safeties (Jaylon Carlies and Jaylin Simpson) in the fifth round of this year’s draft. However, both players are moving to different positions. Carlies will play linebacker while Simpson switches to cornerback. Therefore, the Colts really didn’t address the safety position via the draft.

Indianapolis did re-sign Julian Blackmon this offseason, though. While he’s guaranteed to start at strong safety, the free safety spot is up for grabs. Daniel Scott, who was competing for a starting spot, suffered a season-ending injury this spring for the second consecutive year.

Simmons would be perfect for the job. Although he’s 30 years old, he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. He and Blackmon could form a dynamic one-two punch this upcoming season. Plus, Simmons could mentor Indy’s young safeties like 22-year-old Nick Cross.

After signing all nine of their draft picks, the Colts currently have about $25 million in cap space. That means they have enough money to sign Simmons, whose expected salary is roughly $11 million.

It’s unclear whether Colts general manager Chris Ballard will add a veteran safety this offseason or rely on young players like Cross and Rodney Thomas II. But if he chooses to go that route, Justin Simmons needs to be the guy.

Main Photo Credit: Syndication: The Indianapolis Star