New York @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2011 ) Milwaukee 0, NY Yankees 5

Masahiro Tanaka looks to remain perfect when he leads the New York Yankees into the opener of a three-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Tanaka worked seven solid innings in a win over Tampa Bay on Saturday, improving to 4-0 with the Yankees and running his personal winning streak to 32 games dating to August 2012, when he was in Japan. Overall, the 25-year-old has made 40 straight regular-season starts without a loss as a professional.

Tanaka will be hoping for some of the same run support the Yankees put forth in a 9-2 win in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. Derek Jeter, who is making his final visit to Milwaukee, had his first home run of the season as part of a 12-hit attack that gave New York two wins in three games in Anaheim. The Brewers have hit their first rough patch after a scorching start, dropping six of their last eight games after a 3-2 loss to Arizona at home on Wednesday.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, MY9 (New York), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (4-0, 2.53 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Yovani Gallardo (2-1, 2.47)

Tanaka's one issue so far has been his inability to keep the ball in the park on a consistent basis. The Rays clubbed two home runs against him on Saturday, which gives opponents five blasts in Tanaka's last three starts and seven overall, tied for the fourth-highest total in the American League entering Thursday. He has 15 strikeouts with zero walks in his two road starts.

Following a phenomenal April, Gallardo opened May with his first loss and first non-quality start of the year, giving up four runs and nine hits in six frames at Cincinnati on Saturday. He has allowed only three runs on 15 hits (no home runs) in 19 innings at home and has lasted at least six innings in each of his seven outings overall. Gallardo, who is 5-5 with a 3.30 ERA in interleague action, has never faced the Yankees.

WALK-OFFS

1. Jeter is a career .337 hitter in 26 games against the Brewers.

2. Brewers closer RH Francisco Rodriguez has yielded eight hits and struck out 26 in 18 scoreless innings this year.

3. New York swept three straight from Milwaukee at Yankee Stadium in the previous meeting in 2011.

PREDICTION: Brewers 4, Yankees 3