Milwaukee @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 18, 2013 ) Milwaukee 6, St. Louis 4
Kyle Lohse enjoyed the best season of his career pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals a year ago, but he hopes to end his current struggles when he and the Milwaukee Brewers face his former team in the rubber match of a three-game series Sunday afternoon. The Brewers snapped a four-game skid with a 6-4 win in 10 innings Saturday, evening the series after St. Louis posted a 7-6 triumph in the opener. Milwaukee has won only three of its past 16 games and sits in the National League Central cellar.
The Cardinals have won seven of nine meetings with Milwaukee this season - and 13 of their last 17 overall - and lead the division by 1 1/2 games over Cincinnati. Lohse will make his third start of the season against the Cardinals and is trying to avoid his third loss to his former mates. Lohse held the Cardinals to two runs over seven innings on April 12 but was on the wrong end of a shutout. He was also tagged for four runs on 11 hits over five innings in a 6-1 loss May 3.
TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Wisconsin (MIlwaukee), Fox Sports Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Kyle Lohse (1-4, 3.49 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH John Gast (1-0, 6.00)
Lohse has lost three straight decisions and the Brewers have dropped the last four games he has started. He didn't factor in the decision last time out but couldn't get out of the sixth, allowing two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings with a season-high five walks.
Gast picked up the win in his major-league debut Tuesday, allowing four runs over six innings but getting plenty of support in a 10-4 victory over the New York Mets. The 24-year-old lefty held the Mets scoreless for five innings before they got to him in the sixth.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals RF Carlos Beltran is 23-for-45 (.511) with four home runs against Lohse, and LF Matt Holliday is 8-for-15 with a homer against him.
2. Brewers SS Jean Segura, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs Saturday, leads the National League with 19 multi-hit games.
3. Milwaukee is 0-16 when scoring four runs or fewer and 2-16 when allowing more than four.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Brewers 5