Milwaukee @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2011 ) Milwaukee 11, NY Mets 9
THE STORY: Nothing can slow the Milwaukee Brewers these days. Even a rare stumble by the pitching staff on Saturday afternoon was quickly erased by their dangerous offense, led by MVP candidates Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. The improved staff has led to a 21-3 record over the last 24 games and a commanding lead in the National League Central. The New York Mets have been streaking in the other direction, falling further away from the .500 mark on their way to a lost season. The Mets hope to avoid a sweep of the three-game set when they send knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to the mound at Citi Field in Sunday afternoon’s series finale against Milwaukee.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FSWI (Milwaukee), WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH R.A. Dickey (5-11, 3.77 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Yovani Gallardo (13-8, 3.55 ERA).
Dickey has put up a quality start in each of his last four turns but has an 0-3 record to show for his effort. The veteran righthander went 6 1/3 innings at the San Diego Padres last Monday, allowing three runs in a no-decision. Dickey has only faced Milwaukee four times - two starts - in his career, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.65 ERA in 17 total innings. He has held Braun and Fielder to a combined 1-for-14.
Gallardo has allowed two earned runs or less in five of his last six starts, including an eight-inning, one-run effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday that included nine strikeouts. The 25-year-old Mexican has not walked more than one batter in any of his last eight outings. Gallardo struggled against New York on June 9, yielding four runs on 10 hits in four innings to suffer the loss.
ABOUT THE METS (60-65): It has been a rough three weeks for New York, which has dropped 14 of its last 19 games to go from four games over .500 to five games under. The absence of superstar Jose Reyes at the top of the lineup is part of the problem, as the offense has averaged less than four runs per game since July 30. The Mets looked to be turning things around on Saturday, storming back from a 7-1 deficit to grab a 9-7 lead on Angel Pagan’s two-run homer in the eighth. But the bullpen let them down in the ninth, as veteran Jason Isringhausen walked three and allowed a hit before Manny Acosta came on and allowed the go-ahead runs to score in a wild 11-9 setback.
ABOUT THE BREWERS (75-52): Braun and Fielder each homered on Saturday, pushing their combined RBI total to a robust 176. While Fielder has his sights set on NL home run and RBI crowns, Braun is inching his way toward a batting title with a .327 average, second only to Reyes’ .336 in the NL. Those two middle-of-the-lineup pillars have certainly pushed Milwaukee forward, but a pitching staff that has allowed an average of 2.65 runs over the last 24 games has been the key. With only 35 games left in the regular season, the Brewers own an 8 1/2-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
FINAL PITCH: It’s not all good news for the Brewers, who learned on Friday that pitching prospect Mark Rogers would be suspended 25 games for a second positive test of a banned stimulant. The former first-round pick, who returned from multiple shoulder surgeries to top the Milwaukee prospect list last offseason, is due to have surgery on both wrists next week to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome.