Milwaukee @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 3, 2010 ) Milwaukee 12, St. Louis 5
The Milwaukee Brewers have a chance to take three of four from St. Louis, but to do that they will need Yovani Gallardo to finally beat the Cardinals.
Gallardo takes the mound Sunday at Busch Stadium looking for his first career win against Milwaukee's National League Central Division rival in the finale of a four-game series.
The Brewers have won two of the first three games of the series, getting a well-pitched game from Randy Wolf on Thursday and then hammering Chris Carpenter on Saturday in a 12-5 rout in which Milwaukee banged out 19 hits.
Wolf won at Busch Stadium for the first time in five starts Thursday and Gallardo will be hoping start six is the charm. Gallardo has made five career starts against the Cardinals and is 0-3 with a whopping 6.59 ERA.
Gallardo (8-3, 2.56 ERA) has won his last two starts, allowing four runs and 15 hits in 12 innings. He faced the Cardinals on April 10 and was touched for six runs and five hits in five innings of a 7-1 loss.
That start put Gallardo at 0-2 on the season and he has lost just once since. It was also the most runs he has allowed this season while tying for his shortest outing.
Gallardo is coming off a great June in which he was 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in six starts. Gallardo leads the NL with 120 strikeouts and is seventh in ERA.
Milwaukee is 9-4 in its last 13 games.
Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has five home runs in his last seven games, including one Saturday which put him at 20 for the season. Pujols has two hits in the first three games of this series - both home runs.
While Carpenter did not have it on Saturday, St. Louis looks to salvage a split in the series with another top-flight starter.
Adam Wainwright (11-5, 2.34) gets the start and will try to continue his success against the Brewers. In 19 games, including 12 starts, Wainwright is 6-3 with a 2.03 ERA. He was dominant against Milwaukee on June 4, striking out eight in a two-hitter that the Cardinals won 2-0.
Wainwright has been good overall, but has been especially so at home. In eight starts at Busch Stadium, Wainwright is 8-0 with a 1.49 ERA and two complete games. He has allowed 40 hits and struck out 53 in 60 1/3 innings at home this season. He is also 5-0 in day starts this season.