Milwaukee @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 21, 2013 ) St. Louis 8, Milwaukee 6
Back on top of the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals have to guard against a letdown as they begin a three-game home series with the fourth-place Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. The Cardinals opened their nine-game home stand with a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh, leaping over the Pirates to take a one-game lead in the division race. The Brewers helped the Cardinals out by winning the finale of their series with Pittsburgh last week, and took two of three from the Chicago Cubs to move out of the division cellar.
St. Louis plays 12 of its final 19 games at home and faces only one team (Washington) with a winning record the rest of the way. The Cardinals lead the season series with Milwaukee 10-3, and three of those wins have come with rookie right-hander Shelby Miller - Tuesday's starter - on the mound. Miller is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in three meetings with the Brewers.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Wily Peralta (9-14, 4.51 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Shelby Miller (12-9, 3.19)
Peralta won for only the second time in his last nine starts when he beat Pittsburgh on Wednesday, allowing three runs on nine hits over six innings. A lack of run support has been the biggest issue for the 24-year-old recently as the Brewers have scored three or fewer runs in eight of his last nine outings. Peralta has faced the Cardinals twice, allowing 12 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings over two losses in May.
Miller hasn't been his sharpest the last two times out, issuing seven walks and allowing eight runs over 10 innings. The 22-year-old battled Wednesday at Cincinnati, though, and kept his team in it for an eventual 5-4 victory Miller has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 10 of his last 11 starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals 2B Matt Carpenter, who leads the majors with 56 multi-hit games, is 4-for-6 with a double versus Peralta.
2. Brewers LF Khris Davis, who missed all three games against the Cubs with a sore left wrist, hopes to return to the lineup Tuesday. Davis is hitting .279 with nine home runs in 123 plate appearances.
3. Milwaukee RF Norichika Aoki is one of few Brewers who have had success versus Miller, going 5-for-9 with a homer.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Brewers 3