San Diego @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2018 ) San Diego 11, Milwaukee 5

The Milwaukee Brewers have a crucial road trip on the horizon, which makes their ugly loss to the last-place San Diego Padres on Tuesday that much more difficult to swallow. The Brewers will try to rebound when they play the second of the three-game series with the visiting Padres on Wednesday.

Five Milwaukee pitchers combined to give up 14 hits - three home runs - and the defense behind them committed two errors in an 11-5 loss to start the set. The Brewers - who visit fellow playoff hopefuls in the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals on a trip that begins Friday - also had a 4-0 lead after the first inning due to home runs by Jesus Aguilar and Mike Moustakas. Manuel Margot went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs to lead the way for the Padres, who have put together consecutive wins for the first time in nearly two months. They will try for three victories in a row behind highly-touted prospect Brett Kennedy, who makes his big-league debut opposite Jhoulys Chacin for Milwaukee on Wednesday.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Brett Kennedy (NR) vs. Brewers RH Jhoulys Chacin (10-4, 3.89)

Kennedy was 10-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 16 starts at Triple-A El Paso before being brought up and figures to get a long look in the majors. "We didn't bring him up for one outing and that's it; we bought him up with that anticipation of 'Let's see what you can do here,'" manager Andy Green told reporters. "He's earned that right." The 24-year-old out of Fordham was drafted in the 11th round in 2015.

Chacin will be trying to recover from a difficult outing at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, when he gave up three home runs and eight earned runs over 4 1/3 innings of what resulted in a 21-5 loss to Los Angeles. He held his previous three opponents to one earned run apiece while striking out 17 and walking one. The Venezuela native gave up four runs across 3 1/3 innings March 30 at San Diego but is 6-2 with a 3.44 ERA lifetime versus the Padres.

WALK-OFFS

1. Milwaukee placed RHP Matt Albers (hamstring) on the 10-day disabled list and activated RHP Jordan Lyles, who was claimed off waivers from San Diego on Sunday.

2. Padres RF Franmil Reyes is 5-for-6 with two homers and four RBIs in the last two games.

3. Moustakas has six RBIs in six games this month.

PREDICTION: Brewers 6, Padres 4