The first week of September has gone relatively well for both the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.Now they get a chance to face each other with the Reds attempting to escape last place in the National League Central and the Brewers looking to possibly move closer toward third place in the division.After getting wins over teams ahead of them in the standings, the Reds and Brewers begin a three-game series Monday night at Great American Ball Park.The Reds (60-82) have split their first 10 contests of the month and took three of four at Pittsburgh after getting outscored 27-9 during a five-game losing streak. Cincinnati has been in last place every day since May 13 and is 2 1/2 games behind the Brewers.The Brewers have won seven of their last 10 contests after splitting a weekend series in St. Louis. Thanks to Cincinnatis three wins, Milwaukee is six games behind the Pirates.The Reds completed their successful weekend with an 8-0 victory when Brandon Finnegan pitched five-plus scoreless innings and worked out of two bases-loaded jams. Tyler Holt also drove in three runs and Brandon Phillips had three hits.Joey Votto was 0-for-4 but over his last 12 games is batting .378 (17-for-45). Phillips is hitting .374 (46-for-123) in his last 32 contests.Milwaukee completed its weekend with a 2-1 win at St. Louis on Sunday. Ryan Braun hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning and has 27 this season. He has three home runs this month after reportedly being involved in trade talks when Milwaukee won the waiver claim for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.As Ive said many times, I really love Milwaukee, Braun told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel My family loves Milwaukee. My daughter was born there. My son should be born there in a couple of weeks. We love being involved in the community there. It would be great and very rewarding to see this thing through and be a part of the next winning team in Milwaukee.Braun has hit five of his home runs against the Reds, who have won seven of the first 13 meetings.Anthony DeSclafani was originally scheduled to start the series opener but his next start will be Sept. 18 vs. Pittsburgh. Manager Bryan Price said it wasnt physical and the Reds will start Keyvius Sampson.It gives (Sampson) a chance to get a little bit of a stretch and give a little bit of blow to Anthony, and he slots right back in for his next start. No red flag, but in the sense of being proactive, it makes more sense to do it right now and let him finish the season strong.Sampson made 12 starts for the Reds last season but 14 of his 15 appearances have been in the bullpen. He has a 3.90 ERA this season and in his lone start July 23 against Arizona, Sampson allowed one earned run and four hits in 4 1/3 innings.On Aug. 14 against Milwaukee, he allowed a solo home run to Braun while pitching five relief innings in a 7-3 loss.Its a great opportunity, Sampson told MLB.com. Im happy to get the chance to start a few games. Ill continue to do what Ive been doing, going after guys, attacking the zone and using all of my pitches.Milwaukees starting pitchers have a 2.83 ERA in the last 20 games and Wily Peralta opens the series.Peralta allowed four runs and six hits in 7 2/3 innings in a 12-5 win vs. the Chicago Cubs. He is 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA in his last six starts since returning from nearly two months with Triple-A Colorado Springs.Peralta is 5-4 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 career starts against Cincinnati. He faced the Reds Aug. 14 at home and allowed one run and four hits in six innings. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys . 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Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday.WASHINGTON -- Not a single member of the current Washington Capitals roster is from Washington. In fact, Jeff Halpern remains the only player born-and-bred in the area to make the local NHL team, and hes come and gone twice in his 13 seasons in the league. So perhaps Jason Chimera, a native of Edmonton who has been with the Capitals only since 2009, could be forgiven for his response when asked Thursday about the collective public angst over the teams latest blown lead in the playoffs. "I dont know why people keep bringing up pasts, or people keep bringing up stuff that happened," Chimera said. "Its different teams every year. Its not like its the same individuals every year." If Chimera were a live-long Capitals fan, he would feel differently. He would bear the scars from rooting for a franchise that has lost eight -- yes, eight -- playoff series when holding a two-game lead. Nobody collapses in the post-season quite like the Capitals. 1985. 1987. 1992. 1995. 1996. 2003. 2009. 2010. All series that Washington led either 2-0 or 3-1 -- and went on to lose. All were seven-game series, except for a five-gamer in 85. Even more startling, the Capitals historically are more likely to lose than win a series after taking a 2-0 lead. Theyve won four, lost five. They are trending that way again. They were up 2-0 on the New York Rangers. Now its 2-2 headed into Fridays Game 5 in Washington. While theres room for plenty of discussion for the technical and strategic reasons for the two losses in New York, one fact remains indisputable: The doubts are inevitably growing among the paying customers, and the players have to make sure those doubts dont seep into the locker room. "We need to get some momentum back," forward Troy Brouwer said. "Theyve got a lot of it with their two wins in their building. Weve been able to get wins at home, and were relying on that and have confidence in that going into Game 5." Take away the weight of the Capitals history, and the teams plight doesnt look so dire. If they keep holding serve at home, theyll win the series. Iff they can take fewer penalties and be less sloppy, and if Alex Ovechkin can find more space to make an impact after getting shut out in Games 3 and 4, they should be in good shape to turn the tide.dddddddddddd But then theres this: The Capitals are have a 10-20 all-time record in Game 5s. Thats a massive skeleton to have in the closest, but its a closet the players are trying to keep shut. "Everyone likes to make things bigger than it actually is," defenceman Karl Alzner said. "The fans like to panic a little bit sometimes, but were not panicking, and everyone will see that tomorrow." Thats not to say that emotion wont play a part from here on out. Setting aside the history, both teams say that confidence and momentum could be as important as line changes and power plays in the next few days. "Our resiliency has really shown in these past two games, and we are going to need that when we go to Washington," New York coach John Tortorella said. "They are going to surge there, and we just need to find a way to keep our heads above water and find a way to win a game." Nevertheless, if the Rangers do win Game 5, the Capitals will have to work a bit harder to keep the angst of history at bay. "Theres always momentum swings," Washington goaltender Braden Holtby said. "Its just whoever can keep the levelest head, and keep thinking about the long-term in the series, and not worry about those momentum swings, is usually the team thats going to win." Notes: Capitals RW Martin Erat is likely out for Game 5 with an upper body injury suffered in Game 4. Washington recalled RWs Joey Crabb and Tom Wilson from Hershey of the AHL. Wilson, 19, is a 2012 first-round draft pick and made his professional debut last week in the AHL playoffs. ... Washington F Brooks Laich, who hasnt played since April 4, said his recent surgery was a "small procedure that was groin-related." He is skating again but needs to improve his conditioning before he can play. AP Sports Writer Ira Podell in New York contributed to this report. Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Baseball Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys China Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap Custom Jerseys China Cheap Basketball Jerseys Authentic NFL Jerseys China Cheap College Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys ' ' '