Royals at Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers got off to a fast start to their homestand with two impressive victories before that momentum was stalled by back-to-back losses. The Brewers aim to regain their footing on Tuesday in the opener of an abbreviated two-game interleague series against the Kansas City Royals.
Ryan Braun had a double and scored a run in Sunday's 8-2 setback to St. Louis as he bids to work his way out of a slump, during which he is 4-for-24 over his last eight games. The 2011 National League MVP went 5-for-8 with three runs scored as Milwaukee swept Kansas City in a brief two-game set on April 24-25. Lucas Duda drove in a run for the second straight day in the Royals' 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday and he has hit safely in all three games since missing 35 contests due to plantar fasciitis. The victory was a rare one for the Royals, who are just 2-11 in their last 13 games while scoring three or fewer runs in each of their past seven.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS Kansas City, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Jakob Junis (5-8, 4.43 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Freddy Peralta (2-0, 2.30)
Junis lost his fifth straight start and saw his winless stretch extend to six outings on Wednesday despite allowing three runs on five hits in six innings of a 3-2 setback versus Texas. The 25-year-old was done in by a solo blast from Rougned Odor, with the homer representing the seventh time he's been taken deep in the last three outings. "I've given up a lot of home runs this year," Junis said. "It's something I'm conscious about. I'm trying to keep in the ball park because when I do that's when I have more success. I can't pinpoint on it on one exact thing."
Peralta will make his Miller Park debut on Tuesday after excelling in his third start on the road for Milwaukee. "I'm very excited. It's like a dream, pitching in Miller Park," said the 22-year-old, who scattered two hits and struck out seven over six scoreless innings in a 3-2 triumph at Pittsburgh last Tuesday. The victory was decidedly better than his previous start with the Brewers, as he walked six batters and yielded four runs in as many innings of a no-decision at Minnesota.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee 2B Jonathan Villar, who is stuck in a 1-for-16 rut over his last five games, went 4-for-8 in the previous series versus Kansas City.
2. Royals SS Rosell Herrera went 3-for-4 on Monday, giving him nine hits in his last seven contests.
3. Brewers CF Lorenzo Cain, who is a former Royal, is questionable to play as he nurses a groin injury.