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Padres-Brewers Preview

Aug 13, 2009 - 5:25 AM By DAN PIERINGER STATS Writer

San Diego (48-66) at Milwaukee (55-57), 2:05 p.m. EDT

With first place in the NL Central slowly slipping further away from them, the Milwaukee Brewers made some major changes Wednesday. Immediate returns on the moves weren't exactly what the team had hoped.

The reshuffled but still struggling Brewers look to rebound from their latest loss and avoid getting swept in a three-game series against the surging San Diego Padres on Thursday at Miller Park.

After entering July with a two-game lead in the division, Milwaukee (55-58) has dropped 23 of 36 to fall into fourth place, 7 1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis.

General manager Doug Melvin responded to his team's nosedive in the standings Wednesday, sending former All-Star shortstop J.J. Hardy to the minors, designating veteran Bill Hall for assignment and firing pitching coach Bill Castro, who'd been with the organization for 18 years.

"It's not all gloom and doom - we can make it gloom and doom if you want to make it gloom and doom, but it's not," Melvin said. "It's a matter of making changes."

The changes didn't help the Brewers snap out of their slump Wednesday night. Prince Fielder hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to cut their deficit to one run and reach 100 RBIs in the fewest games in team history, but Milwaukee fell short in the 6-5 defeat.

"With everything that went on, (a win) would've been like the cherry on top of the sundae, but it didn't work out that way," manager Ken Macha said.

While the Brewers are scuffling, the Padres (49-66) have won 11 of 15. Adrian Gonzalez hit a go-ahead double during San Diego's four-run seventh inning as the team improved to 4-1 against Milwaukee.

"For me, personally, I'd be lying if I said this didn't mean a little extra," said Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn, who was traded from the Brewers on May 21. "We may not have a chance to make the playoffs, but we can have a say in who doesn't."

The Brewers hope to help their postseason chances Thursday by handing the ball to Manny Parra (7-8, 6.26 ERA), looking to win his fourth straight start. The left-hander is 4-0 with a 5.04 ERA in five games since the All-Star break, including a 12-5 win at Houston on Saturday in which he gave up four runs in 5 1-3 innings.

Parra lost his only previous start against San Diego on Sept. 7, allowing six runs - one earned - in five innings of a 10-1 defeat.

Cesar Carrillo will take the mound for the Padres in his major league debut. The right-hander, a first-round pick in 2005, has come back from Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow and gone 8-6 with a 4.47 ERA in 23 starts in the minors this season.

The Brewers expect to start Alcides Escobar on Thursday, giving their top prospect a chance to show he's their shortstop of the future. He batted .298 with four homers, 34 RBIs, 76 runs scored and 42 stolen bases in 109 games with Triple-A Nashville.

Escobar went 2 for 4 with two runs scored in parts of nine games with the Brewers last September, the first major league action of his career.