• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Brewers-Dodgers Preview

Aug 5, 2009 - 7:28 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Milwaukee (53-54) at Los Angeles (66-41), 10:10 p.m. EDT

The series finale between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers may be more interesting than originally expected.

After some late and post-game antics in the last contest, the clubs could be in for an eventful conclusion to this three-game series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Moments after Los Angeles' 17-4 rout of Milwaukee evened the series on Tuesday, Brewers slugger Prince Fielder was stopped by several security guards and teammates at the Dodgers' clubhouse door after he attempted to challenge reliever Guillermo Mota, who hit him with a pitch with two outs in the ninth inning.

Mota was ejected after a move that was apparently a form of retaliation after the Brewers' Chris Smith hit Los Angeles star Manny Ramirez in the seventh inning of a nine-run game.

"It's a part of the game I don't like," Brewers manager Ken Macha said of Fielder getting hit. "We're just trying to get out of the game after getting our butts kicked pretty good. I thought it was pretty obvious."

While Fielder, who had two hits with an RBI on Tuesday and is 6 for 16 (.375) against Los Angeles this year, downplayed the post-game incident, the Dodgers weren't happy with his antics.

"Our premier hitter gets hit, and he gets protection," Dodgers catcher Russel Martin said of hitting Fielder. "I understand (Fielder) is frustrated, but you don't take care of that after the game."

Ramirez ended his 10-game RBI slump by homering and driving in three runs while Matt Kemp added four hits with five RBIs for Los Angeles (66-41), which scored its most runs at home since a 17-6 win over Cincinnati on May 25, 1979.

Ramirez is 8 for 20 with two homers and five RBIs against Milwaukee this season.

Kemp, who homered Tuesday and has 14 RBIs in his last seven games, is 10 for 21 (.476) with two home runs and nine RBIs versus the Brewers this year.

The potential for some fireworks in this contest could overshadow Jason Schmidt's attempt at another strong outing for the Dodgers.

Looking to remain in the rotation after two subpar starts in his first major league action in over two years, Schmidt (2-1, 4.50 ERA) allowed one hit and walked five in six innings of a 5-0 victory at Atlanta on Friday.

"This is the kind of pressure he has handled very well in his career," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said of the 36-year-old right-hander, who missed 2008 after surgery on June 20, 2007, repaired a torn labrum and a frayed biceps tendon in his right shoulder. "I thought I spied his juices coming back."

Schmidt is 7-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 14 starts against Milwaukee (53-54), which counters with Braden Looper.

Since winning four in a row, Looper (9-5, 5.03) has allowed 11 runs in 11 innings while going 0-1 over his last two starts. He gave up six and 10 hits in five innings, but couldn't hold a six-run lead and didn't factor in the decision of an 11-7 loss at San Diego on Friday.

"I don't know if it was mechanics or what," said the right-hander, who's won 12 games in each of his last two seasons.

Looper is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts versus the Dodgers. He allowed five runs off four homers in six innings of a 12-8 loss to them July 10 in Milwaukee.

The Brewers, who are five games out of first in the NL Central, have a 7.97 ERA while losing six of their last 10 contests.