Milwaukee @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 4, 2012 ) Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 6
The St. Louis Cardinals try to complete the sweep Sunday when they host the National League Central-rival Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of their three-game series. St. Louis, which has won four of its last five contests, has outscored Milwaukee 15-4 over the first two games of the series, with Adam Wainwright tossing a five-hitter and added two hits and an RBI in Saturday's 6-1 triumph. The Cardinals have climbed within 2 1/2 games of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot in the NL.
Milwaukee has lost eight consecutive road games and 11 of 15 overall. The Brewers' last win away from home came July 8 at Houston. Reigning NL Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun is on the verge of a pair of personal accomplishments, as he is one stolen base away from his third career 20-20 season and one home run shy of his fifth year with 30 or more.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Marco Estrada (0-4, 4.34 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Kyle Lohse (11-2, 2.91)
Estrada will be making his 13th start in search of his first victory of the season. The 29-year-old Mexican pitched well enough to win Monday against Houston but settled for a no-decision after yielding three runs over seven innings. Estrada made his first career start versus the Cardinals on April 28, yielding five runs over six frames in a loss at Busch Stadium.
Lohse recorded his fifth consecutive win Tuesday at Colorado despite surrendering five runs in six innings. The 33-year-old is four victories away from matching his career high set in 2008, his first season with the Cardinals. Lohse improved to 5-8 lifetime against Milwaukee on April 28, topping Estrada by allowing three runs over six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez missed the first two games of the series with a sore left wrist.
2. St. Louis OF Carlos Beltran's solo homer Saturday gave him an NL-leading 77 RBIs, one more than teammate Matt Holliday and three more than Braun.
3. Cardinals C Yadier Molina has stolen three bases over the first two games against Milwaukee. He had only eight steals in his first 91 games of the season.