Milwaukee @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 17, 2021 ) Milwaukee 2, St. Louis 0
The Milwaukee Brewers will try to extend their good fortune on the road when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals again on Wednesday night.
Corbin Burnes and three relievers blanked the Cardinals 2-0 on a four-hitter Tuesday in the opener of their three-game series at Busch Stadium.
The Brewers are 7-1 on their 10-game trip through National League Central cities. That success boosted their division lead to 8 1/2 games over the second-place Cincinnati Reds and 11 games over the third-place Cardinals.
The Brewers play the Cardinals 12 more times this season.
"For them to get back in it, they're going to have to win a lot of baseball games, and that's going to include beating us to get back in it," Burnes said. "Their path to the postseason is probably going to come through us."
On Wednesday, the Brewers will start right-hander Freddy Peralta (9-3, 2.26 ERA), who has a 1.85 ERA in his past 15 starts.
"Those guys, they've got some great pitchers over there," Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said after Tuesday's loss. "They're a great team, and they have amazing pitching. Those guys just throw up a lot of zeros. So we're going to have push a couple across these next couple of games and win a couple of tough ones."
Peralta threw seven scoreless innings, giving up only one hit, in his previous start against the Cardinals -- a 6-1, 11-inning loss on May 11. Peralta is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in eight career outings against them, including four starts.
Paul Goldschmidt (4-for-8, two homers, four RBIs) and Paul DeJong (3-for-10, homer, two RBIs) have had success against him, but Tyler O'Neill (0-for-6), Harrison Bader (1-for-9) have struggled.
The Cardinals, who had their six-game winning streak snapped Tuesday, will give right-hander Jack Flaherty (9-1, 2.65) his second start since he missed 2 1/2 months with an oblique muscle strain.
Flaherty scattered two hits over six innings in a 6-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
"It just took one pitch," he said. "Once I threw that first strike, I felt everything was pretty normal."
Flaherty struck out five and walked none.
"He said he had more in the tank, but it was a perfect outing for what we needed out of Jack," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "He was fantastic. We're glad he's back. Everybody has a little more bounce in their step."
In his previous start against the Brewers this season, Flaherty blanked them for six innings in a 2-0 victory on May 13. He struck out six and allowed four hits and two walks.
But Flaherty is just 3-6 with a 5.21 ERA in 13 career starts against the Brewers. Christian Yelich (8-for-25, two homers, three RBIs), Eduardo Escobar (3-for-5, RBI) and Omar Narvaez (3-for-9, homer, four RBIs) have hit well against him.
The Cardinals could get DeJong (back stiffness) back in the lineup for the game. But outfielder Dylan Carlson (sprained right wrist) went on the 10-day injured list as was replaced on the active roster by Austin Dean, who was recalled from Triple-A Memphis.
--Field Level Media