Pittsburgh @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 9, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 4, Milwaukee 5
If the Milwaukee Brewers have any hope of pulling out of a season-long funk, Ryan Braun will have to lead the way.
Braun will be looking to key a second straight victory for the Brewers when they take on the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Milwaukee knew its chances to compete this season rested on its offense and the right arm of Yovani Gallardo, with the rest of the pitching staff big question marks.
Well, those questions have been answered in the negative, as the pitching has torpedoed the efforts of the offense, ranking 14th in the National League with a 4.86 ERA - ahead of only the last-place Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks.
But despite being 10 1/2 games out of both the division and the wild-card races, Milwaukee appears to be waiting as long as possible before deciding whether to start selling at the trading deadline. Prince Fielder is the biggest name they have to offer, though the Brewers have made rumblings that they would rather keep the hefty slugger.
One player who won’t be on the block is Braun, who, at 26, is one of the most dynamic young hitters in baseball and is capable of leading the team for a long time. But even he hasn’t been at his best so far this season, batting .287 with 11 homers and a .340 on-base percentage - down from .310, 16 and .391 at this point last season.
Braun was suffering through an 0-for-17 slump prior to Friday’s series opener against Pittsburgh, but broke through with a single in the sixth. He then pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the 10th with a single to right - scoring Rickie Weeks for a 5-4 victory. The win snapped a five-game slide.
Brewers management is hoping that Braun and the rest of the offense can get on a nice hot streak over the next few weeks, getting the team close enough to contention by July 31 that they won’t be forced to be sellers at the deadline.
Braun and company will be taking their swings on Saturday against right-hander Jeff Karstens. The 27-year-old has moved back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen this season, posting a 4.47 ERA in 10 starts.
His first start of the season came back on April 27 against Milwaukee, when he allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings but did not factor in the decision. Karstens appeared once in relief against the Brewers as well, throwing 2/3 scoreless innings on May 20.
Countering for Miwaukee will be right-hander Dave Bush. The veteran has been terrific over his last four starts, going 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA. The hot streak has dropped his ERA from 5.06 to 4.23.
Bush had his best start of the season against the Pirates back on April 20, yielding three hits in seven scoreless innings to earn a win. For his career, Bush is 4-4 with a 4.40 ERA in 13 appearaces - 12 starts - against the division rivals.