Cardinals at Brewers
Jesus Aguilar is swinging a powerful bat and looks to follow up a magical performance when the Milwaukee Brewers host the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday in the third contest of a four-game set. Aguilar hit a game-tying homer in the seventh inning and the decisive walk-off blast in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Cardinals and has matched his career high of 16 homers.
Aguilar has been on a roll over his past six games by slamming five homers and driving in 12 runs as he solidifies his hold as the team's first baseman. His first homer on Friday halted 6 1/3 no-hit innings by St. Louis rookie Jack Flaherty and his second was an opposite-field blast deep into the right-center field bleachers as first-place Milwaukee won its third straight contest to take a two-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. The painstaking defeat was the third straight and eighth in the past 10 games for the Cardinals, who are 6 1/2 games behind the Brewers. St. Louis right fielder Dexter Fowler was hitless in three at-bats on Friday and is a meager 4-for-42 in June.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Miles Mikolas (7-2, 2.69 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Chase Anderson (5-6, 4.54)
Mikolas has just one victory over his last five starts after opening the season by winning his six first decisions. The 29-year-old has displayed impeccable control with just 10 free passes in 90 1/3 innings and walked more than one batter just twice in 14 starts. Mikolas' first two starts of the season came against the Brewers and he went 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA, giving up four runs on each occasion.
Anderson was roughed up for six runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings by Philadelphia on Sunday to suffer his third loss in his past four outings. The 30-year-old is 3-3 in eight home outings but owns a porous 5.70 ERA and has allowed 13 homers compared to just two in six road turns. Anderson received a no-decision against the Cardinals on April 3 when he gave up four runs and eight hits over four innings and is 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 10 career starts against St. Louis.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals 1B Jose Martinez is hitless in seven at-bats in the series and just 3-for-27 over his past seven games.
2. Milwaukee LF Ryan Braun (right thumb) sat out his second straight after undergoing a cryotherapy injection to relieve nerve pain on Wednesday but is available to play if needed.
3. St. Louis SS Paul DeJong took batting practice Friday for the first time since breaking his left hand on May 17.