Minnesota @ Milwaukee preview
Miller Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 17, 2012 ) Milwaukee 4, Minnesota 5
If any team can appreciate the recent struggles of the Minnesota Twins, it might be the Milwaukee Brewers. Minnesota, which will open its two-game interleague road set against Milwaukee Monday, has dropped 11 of 12 due mostly to an offense which has batted .214 and averaged 2.7 runs during its slide. The Twins’ pitching has struggled every bit as much over the same span, registering a 6.11 ERA while getting only two quality starts from the rotation.
Milwaukee ended April with a 14-11 record, but fell to a league-worst 5-18 in May with Sunday’s 5-4 home loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Brewers have scored two runs or fewer five times – and 18 runs total – over the last seven games. Overall, Milwaukee has dropped five straight series since splitting a two-game series with the Texas Rangers from May 7-8 and has not won consecutive games since the end of April.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports North (Minnesota), Fox Sports Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Kevin Correia (4-4, 3.90 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Wily Peralta (3-5, 6.45)
After posting a solid April (3-1, 2.23 ERA), Correia has seen his fortunes change dramatically in May (1-3, 6.75). The right-hander was roughed up in last Monday’s 5-1 loss to Atlanta after allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk without a strikeout over a season-low four innings. Correia made four appearances against the Brewers as a member of the Pirates in 2012 – winning both of his starts – but is only 4-6 with a 4.58 ERA in 20 career appearances (11 starts) against them.
Peralta was saddled with his third loss in as many turns and is 1-4 with an 8.27 ERA in five May starts following Wednesday’s 9-2 setback against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has struggled mightily in his last two outings, giving up a total of 10 earned runs and 18 hits over 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander has allowed opposing hitters to bat .345 against him at Miller Park, but could catch a break against a Twins team that went 13-for-93 and scored four runs over their last three games versus Detroit.
WALK-OFFS
1. Twins C Joe Mauer – batting 14-for-43 during Minnesota’s 1-11 stretch – is a career .359 hitter against the Brewers.
2. Milwaukee LF Ryan Braun has only two home runs in May. The last time he failed hit to hit more than five in a full month was in May of 2011.
3. Minnesota has surrendered a major league-high 53 runs in the first inning while the Brewers have outscored opponents 36-16 in the opening frame.
PREDICTION: Brewers 7, Twins 6