Milwaukee @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 5, 2013 ) Milwaukee 2, San Francisco 4

A pair of teams well out of playoff contention continue their four-game series when the San Francisco Giants host the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. San Francisco won the opener 4-2 on Monday as pinch hitter Jeff Francoeur snapped a 1-1 tie with a broken-bat single in the eighth inning. The Giants' Matt Cain, who is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three starts, will try to continue salvaging his sub-par season when he opposes Wily Peralta, who has lost his last two outings.

San Francisco has scored the seventh-fewest runs in the major leagues and the problems start with the leadoff spot. Manager Bruce Bochy moved Marco Scutaro to the top of the order Monday after Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres combined to go 6-for-61 with four runs and a .174 on-base percentage in 16 games since the All-Star break. Scutaro, however, went 0-for-5 and if he doesn't produce soon, Bochy may consider giving Hunter Pence a shot.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Wily Peralta (7-11, 4.57 ERA) vs. Giants RH Matt Cain (7-6, 4.57)

Peralta yielded 12 runs (eight earned) and 12 hits over 8 1/3 innings in road losses to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday and Colorado on July 26. The 24-year-old, who was 2-0 with an 0.31 ERA in his previous four starts, is 3-5 with a 4.57 ERA in 11 road outings. Peralta faced the Giants once, allowing six runs (five earned) and seven hits in four innings in his third start of the year, and didn't receive a decision in Milwaukee's 10-8 victory.

Cain has been plagued by five outings in which he allowed six or more runs and without those blemishes, his ERA would be 2.51. The 28-year-old, who won 55 games in his previous four seasons, allowed one run and six hits while striking out seven in eight innings in a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia on Thursday. Cain is 3-6 with 5.05 ERA in 10 starts against Milwaukee, including a 7-2 loss April 18 when he yielded seven runs in six innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pence went 0-for-1 with three walks Monday and has reached base in all 17 games since the All-Star break.

2. Milwaukee made two errors Monday to increase its major league-leading total to 85.

3. Brewers RHP Brandon Kintzler (3-0, 2.63 ERA, 0.92 WHIP) has not yielded a run in his last 15 innings covering 12 outings.

PREDICTION: Giants 3, Brewers 2