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Welcome back Jean Segura to the Brewers lineup! Segura has not started since being clobbered in the head with a bat by Ryan Braun on April 26, but will make his return tonight against the Reds. He has made a pinch-hit appearance each of the last two days and hit a double yesterday afternoon. He's still sitting in the lower part of the batting order until he starts hitting again, but it should be nice to have him back in the game.
Even if he doesn't hit incredibly well, the extra bench depth will be a welcome addition. This allows Jeff Bianchi to go back to backing up multiple positions while being available to pinch-hit.
Not in the lineup, however, is Ryan Braun. He is still sitting while dealing with an oblique injury. The Brewers sent Elian Herrera down earlier Thursday to call up Rob Wooten as an extra bullpen arm, leaving them with no true backup outfielders. Thus, Mark Reynolds is in the lineup in right field. Reynolds has played just four innings in the outfield as a major leaguer: Three of them came in 2007, one came this year. So that should be interesting, at least.
Meanwhile, the Brewers likely hope Marco Estrada can give them a similar start to the one he had against the Cubs last week. In that game, he lasted 7.2 innings while allowing three runs, giving the bullpen a much-needed rest. He also struck out nine Chicago hitters while walking none. On the year he has 28 strikeouts and six walks over 31.1 innings with a 2.87 ERA. Unfortunately, his home run problems have continued with five allowed in five games, including two allowed to the Cubs. Good thing the Reds' lineup has been among the worst in the NL this season.
