St. Louis @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 5, 2014 ) St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 6

With their lengthy losing streak now behind them, the Milwaukee Brewers look to make it two wins in a row as they continue their four-game set against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Milwaukee dropped nine consecutive contests, including the series opener, before posting a 6-2 victory on Friday. Scooter Gennett collected two hits and three RBIs while Jean Segura went 3-for-4 and scored twice as the Brewers climbed within three games of first-place St. Louis in the National League Central and moved one ahead of Atlanta for the second wild-card spot.

The divisional showdown has kicked off an 11-game homestand for Milwaukee and an eight-game road trip for the Cardinals, who hope to put some distance between themselves and their rivals before they begin a three-game series in St. Louis on Sept. 16. Jhonny Peralta homered and Oscar Taveras added a pinch-hit RBI single Friday as the Cardinals had their season-high six-game winning streak come to an end. Slugger Ryan Braun returned to Milwaukee's lineup and went 1-for-4 after missing two contests to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (14-8, 2.85 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Kyle Lohse (12-8, 3.68)

Lynn's unbeaten streak reached six starts Monday as he settled for a no-decision against Pittsburgh after allowing three runs in six innings. The 27-year-old has been in a groove over the last two months as he has yielded fewer than four runs in 11 consecutive outings since surrendering seven in a road loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 28. Lynn is 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 12 career games - eight starts - against Milwaukee, including a 1-0 mark in two turns this season.

Lohse suffered his fourth loss in five decisions on Sunday, when he was tagged for seven runs in 5 2/3 innings at San Francisco. The 35-year-old has failed to go more than six innings in any of his last six outings as his ERA has risen from 3.07 in that span. Lohse fell to 3-6 in 11 career starts against the Cardinals when he surrendered nine runs - seven earned - in four frames at St. Louis on Aug. 2.

WALK-OFFS

1. More than half (41) of St. Louis' 77 victories have been by one or two runs.

2. Taveras is 5-for-11 as a pinch-hitter this season.

3. Milwaukee OF Carlos Gomez (wrist) hopes to participate in on-field batting practice Saturday.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Brewers 4