Milwaukee @ Minnesota preview
Target Field
Last Meeting ( May 21, 2010 ) Milwaukee 3, Minnesota 15
There's an old adage in baseball that says momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher.
That explains why the momentum the Milwaukee Brewers took into Minnesota lasted less than one inning.
The Brewers broke a nine-game losing streak with a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. Any hope to begin a winning streak ended quickly Friday night as starter Dave Bush retired only one batter in a seven-run first inning as the Twins rolled to a 15-3 victory.
Bush allowed six hits, walked two batters, committed a balk, threw 36 pitches and had a heated argument with home plate umpire Ed Rapuano in the shortest outing of his career.
The Twins eventually took a 15-0 lead before Carlos Gomez put the Brewers on the board with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. Gomez's home run against his former team mattered little as Milwaukee skidded to its 10th loss in 11 games.
Now it's up to Yovani Gallardo to get the Brewers back on the winning track. Milwaukee's most dependable starter, Gallardo has won his last four decisions after starting the season with an 0-2 mark.
Gallardo's last start, against the hot-hitting Cincinnati Reds, reflects the way his team has been playing. The right-hander gave up one run and struck out five in six innings, but walked a career-high six and threw 120 pitches. The high pitch count led to an early hook for Gallardo.
Strikeouts have been a key part of Gallardo's game. He has fanned 61 in 53 innings and has recorded three games of 10 or more strikeouts.
While opposing hitters are batting only .226 against Gallardo, slowing down the Twins' offense won't be easy after Friday night's eruption.
Minnesota hammered Milwaukee pitching for 17 hits and drew eight walks in the easy win. Jason Kubel drove in four runs while Denard Span, Orlando Hudson, Justin Morneau and Delmon Young had three hits apiece.
Despite posting five wins - including three victories in his last four starts - the Twins would like to see more consistency from Kevin Slowey.
The right-hander's inability to pitch deeper into games has put too much of a burden on Minnesota's bullpen. Slowey has failed to pitch six innings in each of his last five starts. He defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in his last outing, despite pitching only five innings.
The fact Slowey is on the mound is even more bad news for Milwuakee. He's undefeated in four career starts against the Brewers, going 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA.