Milwaukee @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 20, 2014 ) Milwaukee 13, Colorado 10

The first-place Milwaukee Brewers visit the struggling Colorado Rockies on Saturday in the middle contest of their three-game series and it appears their star player is poised to snap out of his extended slump. Ryan Braun, who entered Friday's game 8-for-52 in his last 12 contests, had three hits and drove in a pair in Milwaukee's 13-10 victory as the Brewers recorded a season high for runs and matched a season high with 19 hits while improving to 25-15 on the road - best in the majors. Milwaukee, which extended its lead to 5 1/2 games over St. Louis in the National League Central, is 4-1 while scoring 36 runs on its seven-game road trip.

The Rockies, who had 16 hits Friday - one game after being no-hit by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, have lost four straight and are struggling mightily in the most important facet of the game: pitching. Colorado has the highest ERA in baseball at 4.83, and its starters have posted a 5.01 mark - also the worst in the majors. Milwaukee's Wily Peralta won his last three starts - all on the road - and opposes Christian Friedrich, who last pitched in the majors July 28, 2012.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), ROOT (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Wily Peralta (7-5, 2.98 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Christian Friedrich (NR)

Peralta helped Milwaukee kick off its seven-game road trip in a positive way by allowing three runs and nine hits while striking out six in seven innings of a 9-3 victory against Arizona on Monday. The 25-year-old Dominican, who owns a pair of three-game winning streaks in 2014, is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA in seven road turns this season. Peralta allowed eight runs (five earned) and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings of an 8-3 loss last July 26 in his lone career start at Coors Field.

Friedrich was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs to take the spot in the rotation vacated by Juan Nicasio, who was demoted after going 0-3 with a 14.37 ERA in his last three starts. Friedrich is 1-8 with a 7.89 ERA in 13 starts with Colorado Springs this season, allowing 91 hits in 67 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old Illinois native went 5-8 with a 6.17 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and .303 batting average against while allowing 14 home runs in 16 starts with the Rockies in 2012.

WALK-OFFS

1. Brewers CF Carlos Gomez went 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored Friday to extend his career-best hitting streak to 16 games. He has reached base in 33 straight contests - the longest active run in the majors.

2. Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki leads the majors with a .363 batting average after going 3-for-4 on Friday and is hitting .487 at home compared to .255 on the road.

3. Colorado on May 20 was 26-20 and trailed first-place San Francisco by two games in the NL West, but is 8-19 since and is nine back.

PREDICTION: Brewers 9, Rockies 2