Milwaukee @ Los Angeles preview
Dodger Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 5, 2010 ) Milwaukee 11, LA Dodgers 3
In dispatching the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first two games of their three-game set, the Milwaukee Brewers pounced on a pair of highly-thought of starting pitchers.
A day after tagging Clayton Kershaw for seven runs in 1 1/3 innings, the Brewers put four on the board in the first inning against Chad Billingsley and didn’t look back in an 11-3 win on Wednesday.
Milwaukee will aim for another early offensive outburst as they go for the sweep in Thursday’s finale.
The Brewers have now scored 22 runs in the two wins after coming off their worst cold spell of the season. The Brewers had scored just one run in the previous four games heading into this series.
They have received little resistance from a Dodgers club that has been hard to figure out. The defending National League West champs lost five straight and then won three in a row heading into their matchup with Milwaukee.
With their top two pitchers unable to figure out the Brewers, the Dodgers will turn to a rookie to try to stop the bleeding.
Jon Ely, who was acquired over the winter from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Juan Pierre, will be making just his second career start.
The 23-year-old began the season in Triple-A and was called-up because of injuries in the rotation. He was dealt the loss against the New York Mets last week, surrendering five runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts in six innings.
Prior to his debut, Ely - a third-round pick in 2007 - had made just three starts above Double-A.
Facing him for Milwaukee will be veteran Dave Bush. He will be looking for some run support after getting none during his previous outing, a 3-0 loss in which the right-hander was charged with all the runs on seven hits in six innings.
The performance was a marked improvement from his previous start in which he was shelled for nine runs and 10 hits in only 3 2/3 innings.
For the season, Bush is 1-2 with a 4.60 ERA. He has made three career starts against the Dodgers, holding a 3.98 ERA when facing them.
Los Angeles second baseman Ronnie Belliard has enjoyed great success in his career against Bush, recording six hits with a home run and four RBIS in 13 at-bats.
The Dodgers committed an error in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s loss, breaking a streak of six consecutive errorless games.