Milwaukee @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( May 29, 2013 ) Milwaukee 1, Minnesota 4

The Milwaukee Brewers will attempt to avoid setting a franchise record for most losses in one month when they visit the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. The Twins have won the first three meetings of the home-and-home series, extending Milwaukee's losing streak to five games and dropping them to a wretched 5-21 in May. Kyle Lohse, who has only one win in his first season with Milwaukee after collecting 30 victories in his previous two years, will look to end the drought.

The Twins have gotten well at the expense of the Brewers, going 4-1 in their last five games on the heels of a 10-game losing streak. After averaging a paltry 2.8 runs during the 10-game skid, Minnesota has scored 16 runs in the three wins over Milwaukee. Rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks is batting only .165, but he's showing why he's such a coveted prospect by hitting a homer and making a spectacular catch in each of the past two games.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Kyle Lohse (1-5, 3.76 ERA) vs. Twins RH P.J. Walters (1-0, 3.00)

Lohse missed his last turn due to soreness in his pitching elbow. He'll be trying to end a five-start drought during which he has gone 0-4 and allowed four runs on three occasions. He has more losses during the recent skid than he did in the entire 2012 season, when he went 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA. Lohse spent his first six seasons with the Twins but he has never faced his former team. Jamey Carroll is 3-for-7 against Lohse but Josh Willingham is hitless in six at-bats against him.

Walters turned in a successful - and much-needed - performance in his season debut, holding Detroit to two runs on eight hits over six innings to help the Twins snap the 10-game losing streak. Walters went 2-5 a year ago and was winless in his last nine starts. He had trouble keeping the ball in the park in 2012, surrendering 12 homers in only 61 2/3 innings. That has been a recurring theme for Walters, who has yielded 25 homers in 118 2/3 career innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Brewers have not held a lead in the past 50 innings, dating to May 24.

2. Minnesota's Ryan Doumit has three straight two-RBI games after driving in only one run in his previous nine.

3. Milwaukee's worst record in any month is 6-21, set in September 1995 and matched in August 2004.

PREDICTION: Brewers 4, Twins 2