Brewers at Cardinals
After having their explosive scoring streak snapped, the St. Louis Cardinals aim to get back to pushing across runs when they host the Milwaukee
Brewers in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday afternoon. St. Louis scored 10 or
more runs in three consecutive games for the first time since 1980
before falling 6-4 to the Brewers on Wednesday.
The Cardinals had their four-game winning streak halted when Milwaukee's Domingo Santana hit a 440-foot, tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Santana recorded two hits for the second time in three games as he attempts to prove he can be a key piece of the Brewers' rebuilding process. "Timely hitting in big spots," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell told reporters while referencing that all six runs came with two outs. "We got the big hits when we needed them." St. Louis' Randal Grichuk is 3-for-7 with three RBIs and two walks in the series after opening the season in a 1-for-15 rut.
TV: 1:45 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Wily Peralta (0-2, 10.80 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (0-0, 6.00)
Peralta served up three homers in 4 1/3 innings while allowing six runs and seven hits in a loss to Houston on Saturday. Since winning a career-high 17 games in 2014, the 26-year-old Dominican is just 5-12 with a 5.15 ERA in 22 starts over the last two seasons. Peralta is 4-8 with a 4.74 ERA in 13 career starts versus St. Louis and has struggled against Matt Carpenter (15-for-33, three home runs) and Matt Holliday (10-for-26, two blasts).
Garcia has performed well against Milwaukee, going 9-4 with a 2.90 ERA in 17 career appearances (16 starts). He has experienced troubles against Jonathan Lucroy (10-for-34) but easily has handled slugger Ryan Braun (8-for-46, one homer). Garcia struggled in his first start of the season but escaped with a no-decision against Atlanta after yielding four runs and five hits in six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. St. Louis has registered 14 extra-base hits in the series and only one is a homer - Brandon Moss' pinch-hit blast on Wednesday.
2. Lucroy extended his hitting streak to seven games Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
3. Cardinals C Yadier Molina is 5-for-8 with three RBIs in the series.