Milwaukee @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 18, 2013 ) Milwaukee 1, Houston 10

Matt Dominguez went six weeks before hitting his first homer of the season but has picked up the pace, going deep 10 times since May 11, including the Houston Astros' first grand slam in Tuesday's 10-1 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. Dominguez drove in a career-high five runs to lift the Astros to their fifth win in six games. Houston has scored 27 runs in the five victories after managing only seven runs during a six-game skid.

Milwaukee will look to get untracked offensively in Wednesday's middle game of the three-game series. The Brewers had won six of eight before dropping their last two games, scoring one run in each. Aramis Ramirez, who has been playing with an ailing left knee, served as designated hitter Tuesday but was hitless in four at-bats and stranded five runners to make it 10 straight games without an extra-base hit.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Wisconsin (Milwaukee), Comcast SportsNet (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Kyle Lohse (2-6, 3.84 ERA) vs. Astros LH Erik Bedard (2-3, 4.82)

Lohse has started to turn his season around, going 1-0 over his last three starts while yielding a total of five earned runs. He has bounced back from a rocky six-start stretch in which he went 0-5 and gave up at least four runs on four occasions. Lohse is 10-8 with a 2.74 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts) against the Astros.

Bedard has quietly put together a string of solid starts, permitting two or fewer runs in six of his last seven outings. He held the Chicago White Sox to an unearned run and three hits over six innings last time out to win for the second time in three starts. Bedard has lost both career starts against Milwaukee, getting battered for 11 runs in 8 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Brewers LF Ryan Braun flew to Arizona to see a hand specialist for his nagging thumb injury.

2. Astros 1B Carlos Pena is 9-for-38 with two homers and 16 strikeouts against Lohse.

3. Brewers CF Carlos Gomez is 4-for-10 and Ramirez 3-for-5 against Bedard.

PREDICTION: Brewers 5, Astros 2