Brewers at Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta's 4-1 record suggests he's off to a solid start this season, although his 5.19 ERA and 1.50 WHIP leave a bit to be desired. After allowing four solo homers in his last outing, Peralta looks to keep the ball in the park at Busch Stadium on Tuesday in the second contest of a four-game series against a team that traditionally has given him trouble over the years in the St. Louis Cardinals.
St. Louis launched four solo homers in the series opener but fell victim to a pair of blasts by Milwaukee, which upped its major league-best total to 47 after Travis Shaw's three-run shot in the 10th inning gave it a 7-5 victory. Jonathan Villar launched a two-run homer and joins Shaw in enjoying success versus struggling Tuesday starter Carlos Martinez, with the former batting .375 in 16 plate appearances while the latter has taken the right-hander deep in one of his three career at-bats. Milwaukee has erupted for 51 runs while winning five of its last seven, but St. Louis has dropped two in a row on the heels of emerging victorious in nine of its previous 11. Jedd Gyorko belted a pair of homers to highlight his four-hit performance in the series opener and also has gone deep while batting .417 in 12 career plate appearances versus Peralta.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Wily Peralta (4-1, 5.19 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Carlos Martinez (0-3, 4.71)
Peralta overcame the all-too-frequent homers and eight total hits in five innings to pick up the win in a 9-4 triumph over Cincinnati on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Dominican has allowed 10 earned runs and 17 hits in his last two outings after permitting five and 11, respectively, during a three-game winning streak. Peralta owns a 4-11 career record and 5.10 ERA versus the Cardinals and was shellacked for six runs and nine hits in four innings on April 21 in a 6-3 setback at Miller Park.
Martinez saw his losing streak reach three starts on April 20 after yielding five runs and seven hits in five innings of a 7-5 setback to Milwaukee. The 25-year-old Dominican surrendered two homers in that contest and also was taken deep on Thursday but walked away with a no-decision against Toronto after allowing three runs and five hits in six innings. Martinez struck out eight in that contest and 26 over his last three starts but still is looking for his first win of the season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee RF Domingo Santana is 5-for-11 with three homers, seven RBIs and four runs scored in his last four games.
2. Cardinals OF Dexter Fowler is 1-for-15 with seven strikeouts versus the Brewers this season.
3. Milwaukee owns a 7-3 mark on the road as opposed to 7-10 at Miller Park.