St. Louis @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 18, 2010 ) Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 2
The St. Louis Cardinals need their dreadful August to give way to a sensational September if they're going to play deep into October.
The month is off to a solid start for the Cardinals, who took two of three from NL Central leader Cincinnati over the weekend. They need to take that success on the road when they begin a seven-game road trip on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
St. Louis had a half-game lead in the division when August began, but it trailed Cincinnati by seven games by the end of an 11-15 month. That's where the Cardinals stand after beating the Reds twice this weekend - and with 28 games to play, they're running out of time to make their charge.
It won't be easy to make a surge on the road - the Cardinals are 28-39 away from Busch Stadium - but they did take two of three in their last visit to Miller Park from April 9-11.
First baseman Albert Pujols has been a big part of the Cardinals' success in Milwaukee - he has hit .343 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs in 69 career games at Miller Park. The trip to Milwaukee couldn't come at a better time for Pujols, who is 1-for-20 in his last six games.
Jake Westbrook (7-10, 4.51 ERA) would like to see the three-time National League MVP snap out of that slump when he makes his first career start against the Brewers on Monday.
The 32-year-old right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.03 ERA in six starts since the Cardinals acquired him from the Cleveland Indians on July 31.
He has lost his last three starts, in large part because the Cardinals have had difficulty scoring runs for him. In his last three outings, St. Louis has scored a total of five runs, spoiling two quality starts.
That includes a 3-0 loss at the Houston Astros on Monday in which Westbrook allowed three runs on nine hits over seven innings.
The Brewers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-2 win at the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Prince Fielder hit his 30th homer of the season in the first inning of the victory, making him the second Brewers player with four consecutive season with 30 or more home runs. Fielder is a career .280 hitter with 16 homers and 45 RBIs in 78 games against the Cardinals.
Milwaukee sends Yovani Gallardo (11-7, 3.86 ERA) to the mound, and the 24-year-old right-hander is looking to regain his All-Star form.
Gallardo hasn't posted a quality start since Aug. 2 against the Cubs. He is 1-2 with a 9.11 ERA in five starts since and has given up a total of 20 runs in his last three outings.
Gallardo is 0-4 with a 6.32 ERA in six career starts against St. Louis, including an 0-2 mark this year. He allowed six runs over five innings in a 7-1 loss April 10 in Milwaukee. On July 4, Gallardo yielded six runs - but only one earned - in 2 2/3 innings in another 7-1 defeat in St. Louis. The latter was his shortest outing of the season.
Pujols (5-for-15, one home run) and Colby Rasmus (4-for-9, one home run) have contributed to Gallardo's struggles against the Cardinals, and recently acquired third baseman Pedro Feliz is 3-for-9 with two homers against Gallardo.