Pirates at Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are showcasing an odd pattern of beating up on good teams and struggling against bad ones, a trend they hope to reverse Tuesday night in the second game of three straight against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. After taking three of four from National League East champion Washington, the Brewers were swept three straight at last-place Cincinnati.
They bounced back for an impressive three-game sweep at Wrigley Field to close the gap on the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central but laid an egg again in the series opener with the Pirates, falling 7-0. Milwaukee managed only three hits while falling 2 1/2 games behind the idle Cubs and 3 1/2 in back of Colorado for the second wild card in the NL. Pittsburgh improved to 9-5 in the season series and snapped a five-game slide behind six stellar frames from lefty Steven Brault and home runs from three players. Ace Gerrit Cole will try to match Brault's effort when he gets the nod Tuesday opposite Brent Suter for the Brewers.
TV: 7:40 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (11-9, 3.93 ERA) vs. Brewers LH Brent Suter (2-2, 3.55)
Cole has not allowed a run in two of his last three starts, spinning eight scoreless against the Cubs his last time out. He yielded two hits, struck out eight and did not allow a home run for the third straight outing after serving up seven long balls over his previous five starts. The former first-round pick was taken deep three times in six shaky innings at Miller Park last month but held the Brewers to one run in seven innings in each of his three previous meetings with the Brewers this season.
Suter made one start after coming off the disabled list earlier this month and then threw an inning of relief at Cincinnati on Wednesday. He is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 10 starts this year, including one at Pittsburgh on July 17, when the Harvard product allowed two runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Suter has seven strikeouts against eight walks over his last four appearances (three starts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Pirates RF Andrew McCutchen slugged his 199th career home run Monday.
2. Brewers 2B Neil Walker is batting .356 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in 12 career games against Pittsburgh, with whom he played from 2009-15.
3. Milwaukee has yet to name a starter for Wednesday's series finale. Jimmy Nelson was in line for that one before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury Friday against the Cubs.