Brewers at Cardinals
The visiting Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals have been working overtime this week at Busch Stadium. After splitting a pair of extra-innings contests, the National League Central rivals play the rubber match of the three-game series Wednesday.
Matt Carpenter’s walk-off two-run home run in the 11th inning Tuesday gave the Cardinals a 5-3 win to even the series. Both teams’ bullpen woes continued Tuesday, as each team gave up a single run in the ninth and the 10th before St. Louis’ Dominic Leone posted a scoreless inning to set up Carpenter’s heroics. The win snapped a two-game skid for St. Louis and marked the third time in five head-to-head meetings this season that the game has been decided in the last at-bat. The Brewers have lost five of their last seven and have scored a total of five runs in the five defeats.
TV: 1:15 p.m. ET, No TV
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Junior Guerra (2017: 1-4, 5.12 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (0-1, 7.36)
Guerra has a breakout season in 2016 and was the Brewers’ Opening Day starter last year, but he did not continue his success and began 2018 at Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 33-year-old looked good in his only start in the minors, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings. Guerra is 1-2 with a 5.59 ERA in four starts against the Cardinals.
Wainwright’s season debut Thursday against Arizona was a rough one, as he allowed three runs and four hits over 3 2/3 innings in a loss. The 36-year-old uncharacteristically struggled with his command, walking four batters. Wainwright is 15-8 with a 2.31 ERA in 37 games (30 starts) against the Brewers, and he hasn’t lost to them since 2015.
WALK-OFFS
1. Brewers CF Lorenzo Cain sat out Tuesday with a strained left quad suffered in the ninth inning Monday when he tripped over Cardinals 1B Jose Martinez’s heel while legging out an infield single.
2. Cardinals C Yadier Molina appealed a one-game suspension from Major League Baseball related to his making contact with an umpire during an on-field skirmish with the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
3. Milwaukee C Manny Pina left Tuesday’s game in the top of the seventh inning with right calf tightness. Pina has started nine of the team’s first 12 games behind the plate.