San Diego @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 10, 2012 ) San Diego 5, Milwaukee 6
Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the Milwaukee Brewers attempt to finish the campaign strong as they begin a season-ending three-game series against the visiting San Diego Padres on Monday. Milwaukee dropped a 7-0 decision to Houston on Sunday, officially ending its hopes for a postseason berth. The loss was the sixth in nine games following a 24-6 run that got the Brewers within 1 1/2 games of St. Louis for the second wild-card spot in the National League.
San Diego enters having lost four of its last five. Sunday's 7-5 loss to NL West champion San Francisco concluded the Padres' 2-4 homestand. Everth Cabrera registered four stolen bases in the defeat, the most in a game by a Padre since Damian Jackson swiped five on June 28, 1999, against Colorado. Cabrera has 41 steals, the club's highest total by a player in a campaign since Dave Roberts recorded 46 in 2006. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun leads the NL with 41 home runs but trails San Diego's Chase Headley (113) by one for the league lead in RBIs.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN (San Diego, Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Clayton Richard (14-13, 3.91 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Shaun Marcum (6-4, 3.74)
Richard is coming off his shortest start of the season, a 3 2/3-inning loss to Los Angeles on Wednesday in which he surrendered six runs - four earned - and 10 hits. The setback, which halted a personal five-game winning streak, prevented the 29-year-old from recording a career-best 15th victory. Richard is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in five career outings against Milwaukee.
Marcum posted his first win since June 8 on Wednesday, when he allowed one run and four hits in six innings at Cincinnati. The 30-year-old had gone 0-1 in seven starts since yielding three runs over 5 2/3 frames in a triumph over San Diego. Marcum, who missed more than two months with hip and shoulder injuries, is 3-0 with a 3.51 ERA in four career starts versus the Padres.
WALK-OFFS
1. Richard has lost only twice in his last 11 starts, going 7-2 in that span.
2. The Brewers (81-78) need to win just one of the three games to guarantee a winning record.
3. San Diego is the first major-league team since 1900 to have three players make at least 50 starts at catcher in a season. Nick Hundley has started 56 games behind the plate, John Baker has made 51 and Yasmani Grandal hit the 50-start mark Sunday.