St. Louis @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2010 ) St. Louis 8, Milwaukee 6
It seems the St. Louis Cardinals might be shaking out of the offensive slump that saw their deficit in the NL Central grow to eight games last week.
They can only hope it isn't too late.
Trailing the division-leading Cincinnati Reds by six games, the Cardinals will vie for their third consecutive win on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
Before Yadier Molina's grand slam powered the Cardinals to an 8-6 victory in Monday's series opener, St. Louis had hit .200 as a team and averaged 2.3 runs in its previous nine games, going 3-6 during that stretch.
Molina snapped out of a 1-for-18 slump with two hits on Monday. First baseman Albert Pujols followed suit, going 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and is showing signs of pulling out of a 1-for-20 slide.
Outfielder Matt Holliday has been one of few Cardinals swinging a hot bat lately. Holliday is 12-for-35 (.342) with three homers and nine RBIs in the past 10 games.
The Cardinals look to keep it going against Chris Narveson, who is 3-1 with a 4.14 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break. He has won his last two decisions and hasn't taken a loss since July 28 against Cincinnati.
Narveson (10-7, 5.33 ERA) was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round in 2000, but he appeared in just one game for St. Louis in 2006.
The 28-year-old left-hander has made two starts and one relief appearance against his former team this season, going 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA. Narveson allowed four runs over six innings and took a no-decision in a 5-4 loss on June 5, and he gave up four runs over five innings for the loss in a 5-0 defeat July 2. Both starts were in St. Louis.
Pujols has worn out Narveson, going 3-for-7 with two home runs against him, and Colby Rasmus also has given him problems, going 4-for-11.
After skipping his last turn in the rotation, the Cardinals hand the ball to Kyle Lohse, who has posted only four quality starts in 12 outings this season.
Lohse (2-6, 7.12 ERA) has struggled since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 15, going 1-2 with an 11.48 ERA in his first three starts from a right forearm strain that kept him on the shelf for nearly three months. He was rocked for eight runs on 11 hits over five innings in Saturday's 14-5 loss at the Washington Nationals.
The 31-year-old right-hander faced the Brewers on April 9 in Milwaukee, allowing four runs over six innings and settling for a no-decision in a 5-4 victory.
Lohse is 3-5 with a 5.24 ERA in 15 career appearances (13 starts) against the Brewers. He hasn't beaten them since 2007. Craig Counsell (10-for-22, one home run) and Ryan Braun (7-for-17, one home run) have given Lohse the most trouble.
Lohse has allowed only one hit in nine at-bats against All-Star outfielder Corey Hart, who hit two home runs on Monday and is 7-for-12 with four homers and six RBIs over the past three games.