Arizona @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 12, 2011 ) Arizona 4, Milwaukee 6

THE STORY: If anyone can beat the Milwaukee Brewers at home, it’s Arizona Diamondbacks ace Daniel Hudson. He will try to win a seventh straight decision Monday against the Brewers, who could be without All-Star Ryan Braun for a second straight game. Milwaukee is glad to be home after a disastrous 1-5 road trip, but the Brewers will be going up against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Milwaukee has won nine of the last 12 meetings against Arizona.

TV: 4:10 pm. ET, Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Wisconsin

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Shaun Marcum (7-3, 3.16 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Daniel Hudson (9-5, 3.49 ERA).

The good news is Marcum made it through his latest start without aggravating the hip injury that limited him to four innings over two previous outings. The bad news is he wasn’t very sharp, allowing four runs and five hits in five innings of a 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday. In his lone start against Arizona, Marcum allowed three runs and five hits in six innings of 12-4 win in May 2010 with Toronto.

Hudson, who was acquired last July in the deal that sent Edwin Jackson to the Chicago White Sox, has come into his own this season. The 24-year-old righthander is 6-0 with a 2.77 ERA in nine starts since his last loss on May 12. Furthermore, he is 9-1 with a 2.85 ERA over his last 13 starts. Hudson hasn’t fared well against Casey McGehee (3-for-3, HR, four RBIs), however. He limited the Brewers to two runs and seven hits in seven innings of an 8-2 win last August.

ABOUT THE BREWERS (45-40): Milwaukee, which went 1-5 on its recent road trip, has the second-most home wins in baseball (29-11). The Brewers are the only team in baseball yet to lose consecutive home games. Milwaukee was without Braun (strained calf) on Sunday, and his replacement, Mark Kotsay, committed a costly two-run error in the decisive seventh inning. Braun, in the midst of a 22-game hitting streak that is the longest active in the majors, is day-to-day. McGehee has been mired in a season-long slump (.221, 4 HRs, 33 RBIs), but he could help pick up the slack if Braun sits out again. The slugger is hitting .525 (21-for-40) with five homers and 16 RBIs in 11 games against the Diamondbacks. He recorded a hit in a franchise-record nine straight at bats against Arizona last August.

ABOUT THE DIAMONDBACKS (45-40): Despite Sunday’s 7-2 loss to Oakland, Arizona still has the second-most wins in baseball since May 13 (30-18). Sadly for fans of mammoth homers, Wily Mo Pena returns to the bench now that interleague play has concluded. Pena, called up on June 21 to serve as a designated hitter, belted four home runs in 30 at-bats. The All-Star teams were announced Sunday and Justin Upton, a reserve, is the team’s lone representative. Ian Kennedy (8-3, 3.38 ERA), a candidate for the five-man final vote contest, didn’t help his case Sunday. He allowed seven runs and a season-high 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings to the light-hitting A’s.

FINAL PITCH: The Brewers have three starters on the National League All-Star team (Prince Fielder, Braun and Rickie Weeks) for the first time in franchise history.