St. Louis @ Milwaukee preview
Miller Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 3, 2014 ) Milwaukee 2, St. Louis 3
The St. Louis Cardinals have flipped the script in the National League Central over the past week and they can start penning the final chapter Thursday. The surging Cardinals travel to Milwaukee for a four-game set with the Brewers, who have lost eight straight to put their playoff hopes in danger. The Brewers, who have been outscored 55-16 during their skid, are only a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the second wild card.
The Cardinals, who were three games behind the Brewers as recently as Aug. 17, finished off a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh with a 1-0 win Wednesday and have won five straight to open a three-game cushion. Milwaukee's 149-day reign atop the division ended Monday and, barring a sweep of St. Louis, the Brewers won't regain the top spot this weekend. Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta looks to stop the slide and beat the Cardinals for the fourth time this season — he's 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three starts against them in 2014.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (5-5, 2.79 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Wily Peralta (15-9, 3.82)
Wacha is poised for his first big-league action since June 17, but his pitch count will be limited in his return from a stress reaction in his right shoulder. The 23-year-old hopes to pick up where he left off before the injury, as he held the New York Mets to one run over six innings in his last start before going on the shelf. Wacha picked up a win in relief against the Brewers last season despite giving up three runs in one inning, and he made his first start against them this year, allowing three runs over 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision.
Peralta's breakout campaign has taken a wrong turn in his last two starts, as he has allowed 14 runs (13 earned) over eight innings in consecutive losses. The rough patch comes on the heels of a stretch in which he won six of his previous seven starts and recorded six quality starts over that span. Despite his success against the Cardinals this season, Peralta is just 4-3 with a 4.61 ERA in seven career starts against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. St. Louis CF Jon Jay, who is 9-for-22 during a six-game hitting streak, is 5-for-17 versus Peralta.
2. Brewers RF Ryan Braun missed Wednesday's game after returning to Milwaukee to be with his wife for the birth of their first child and his status for Thursday is uncertain.
3. Cardinals LF Matt Holliday has 12 RBIs during the five-game winning streak and leads the majors with 21 game-winning RBIs, four shy of Albert Pujols' franchise record set in 2006.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Brewers 3