Arizona @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 13, 2013 ) Milwaukee 0, Arizona 7

The Arizona Diamondbacks have had a day to recover from their 16-inning marathon win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday and head into the first weekend of the season with a winning record. The Diamondbacks will try to keep it going when they open a three-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. The Brewers lost their opening series to the Colorado Rockies due in large part to a pitching staff that allowed 19 runs.

Milwaukee’s staff yielded 41 hits in the first three games, capped by 15 in a 7-3 setback on Wednesday. The Brewers will turn to their newest addition to stop the flood of hits when late free-agent signee Kyle Lohse makes his debut. Arizona put up 17 runs in its first three games and has not missed a beat without Justin Upton in the lineup. Cliff Pennington delivered the walk-off hit on Wednesday and Gerardo Parra went 8-for-16 with a home run in the series. Parra and company will try to provide some support for Wade Miley in his season debut.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks LH Wade Miley (2012: 16-11, 3.33 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Kyle Lohse (16-3, 2.86).

Miley finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Washington’s Bryce Harper after a strong debut season in 2012, when he served as Arizona’s lone All-Star representative. The 26-year-old ran into a bit of a wall at the end of his first full season, posting a 5.15 ERA over his last seven turns to jump his ERA from 2.80 to 3.33. Miley earned a win over the Brewers at home on May 26 but had one of his worst outings at Miller Park on June 30, when he was lit up for eight runs on as many hits in 3 2/3 innings. Ryan Braun homered twice off Miley in that meeting.

Lohse posted his best season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 but sat around all winter without a job until Milwaukee called and gave him a three-year, $33 million contract in the last week of spring training. Lohse had been working out on his own all spring and is expected to be ready for the start. The veteran right-hander is 3-2 with a 4.48 ERA in 10 career starts against the Diamondbacks and faced them twice last season, allowing a total of one run 11 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks is 6-for-11 with five runs scored and a home run.

2. Diamondbacks prospect Adam Eaton (elbow) began hitting in the cage on Thursday. Eaton was expected to be the opening day center fielder before suffering the injury in spring training.

3. Milwaukee and Arizona split six games in 2012, with the Brewers taking two of three at home.

PREDICTION: Brewers 5, Diamondbacks 3