Milwaukee @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 29, 2013 ) Milwaukee 2, NY Mets 3

The first-place Milwaukee Brewers continue their eight-game road trip against the struggling New York Mets on Tuesday and try to avoid a letdown after taking two of three from National League Central rival Pittsburgh. "It makes you feel good to win a game like this," catcher Jonathan Lucroy told reporters after Milwaukee's 1-0 victory over the Pirates on Sunday. "But we need to go into New York and hopefully get some momentum going toward those guys and win some games there." Milwaukee is unbeaten in its last six series (4-0-2) while going 10-6 during that span and increasing its lead from 1 1/2 games to five over second-place St. Louis.

The Mets concluded an 11-game road trip with six straight losses - three by one run and all by three or fewer - after winning four of five in Philadelphia. New York scored four runs or fewer in each game of the slide and returns home a season-worst seven games under .500 after a 6-4 loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Milwaukee's Marco Estrada leads the majors in home runs allowed (18) and opposes Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is getting another chance to prove he belongs in the rotation.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Marco Estrada (5-2, 4.19 ERA) vs. Mets RH Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-0, 3.21)

Estrada, who hasn't lost in his last three starts (2-0), yielded four runs, six hits (one homer) and three walks in six innings of a 6-4 loss at Minnesota on Wednesday.The 30-year-old Mexican has yielded at least one home run in nine straight starts and in 11 of his 12 turns this season, but the Mets have the fourth-fewest homers in the majors with 45 - with St. Louis (35) the only National League team with fewer. Estrada is 4-1 in his last eight starts despite a 4.93 ERA during that span.

Matsuzaka makes his second consecutive start and third overall to go along with 16 relief appearances, but must perform better if he is to remain in the rotation after allowing four runs and five walks in 4 1/3 innings of a 5-4 loss to the Cubs in Chicago on Wednesday. The 33-year-old Tokyo native, who is 54-39 as a starter - 18-3 in 2008 with Boston one year after going 15-12 and helping the Red Sox win the World Series - is replacing Dillon Gee (strained lat muscle), who is out indefinitely. Matsuzaka, whose other start this season resulted in a 4-2 victory over Arizona on May 25, has allowed only 18 hits in 33 2/3 innings, but has walked 25.

WALK-OFFS

1. Lucroy is batting .335 - third in the majors through Sunday's games - and is 12-for-25 with two homers, eight runs scored and five RBIs in his last seven contests.

2. Anthony Recker and Taylor Teagarden are expected to split time behind the plate for New York after regular C Travis d'Arnaud (.180, three homers, nine RBIs in 128 at-bats) was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas. "I just got work to do," d'Arnaud told reporters. "Gotta find my swing, get it back.”

3. The Brewers are 19-12 against the Mets since the start of 2009 and have not lost a season series during that span (4-0-1).

PREDICTION: Mets 6, Brewers 5