Milwaukee @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 8, 2012 ) Milwaukee 6, St. Louis 3

The Milwaukee Brewers are starting to make things interesting - and a win in Sunday’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals would certainly get everyone’s attention. The Brewers stand five games behind St. Louis in the race for the second wild card in the National League after moving within one game of .500 for the first time since April 30. Milwaukee has used a 15-4 run over its last 19 games to make a surprising charge at the postseason, while the Cardinals have lost eight of their last 11 games. St. Louis will attempt to avoid the three-game sweep without third baseman David Freese, who sprained his left ankle when hitting a double in the eighth inning on Saturday.

Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez returned to the lineup Saturday after missing two games with a tight back and had three hits, including a solo home run. Ramirez is batting .333 with 20 homers over his last 89 games, raising his overall batting average from .218 to .300. While Ramirez is having a huge second half, St. Louis outfielder Carlos Beltran is stuck in a lengthy slump. Beltran was held out of the starting lineup on Saturday by manager Mike Matheny after going hitless in his last 13 at-bats. He’s mired in an 11-for-81 slump after popping out as a pinch hitter on Saturday. Beltran has been dealing with a sore left hand and left knee, and Matheny may rest him again on Sunday.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FS Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Shaun Marcum (5-4, 3.53 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Joe Kelly (5-6, 3.54)

Marcum is 0-1 with a 4.30 ERA in three starts since coming off the disabled list, and he gave up four runs over 5 2/3 innings last Tuesday at Miami. The Brewers are 6-10 in his starts, and opponents are batting .236 (87-for-369) against Marcum. He’s 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals.

Kelly is 1-1 with a 3.86 in his two previous starts against Milwaukee, and he turned in a quality outing last Monday against the Mets when he allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings. The rookie has a 3-3 record with a 3.02 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) at Busch Stadium this season. He’s 2-3 with a 4.26 ERA in six games (four starts) against teams from the NL Central.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals RF Matt Carpenter left Saturday’s game in the third inning with small lacerations in both hands, but he’s expected to be available for the series finale.

2. The Brewers have an extra-base hit in 78 consecutive games.

3. St. Louis has won 14 of the last 21 regular season meetings against Milwaukee.