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Brewers-Diamondbacks Preview

May 9, 2010 - 5:40 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Milwaukee (13-16) at Arizona (14-16), 4:10 p.m. EDT

The longest road trip of the Milwaukee Brewers' season couldn't end soon enough after they were shut out three times in their first four games.

Suddenly, they probably wouldn't mind it continuing.

The Brewers' feast-or-famine offense has scored in double digits three times in five games, and they'll try to close the trip by building on a 17-run outburst and recording a seventh straight victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Milwaukee (14-16) totaled two runs in losing three of four at San Diego to kick off its 10-game swing, which was hard to imagine considering manager Ken Macha's team had scored 20 and 17 runs in games against Pittsburgh the week before heading west.

It turns out the Brewers didn't forget what it was like to have a big night at the plate. They scored 11 runs in back-to-back games at Los Angeles earlier this week, and after hanging on for a 3-2 win in Arizona on Friday, pounded out 17 hits Saturday in a 17-3 victory.

Ryan Braun homered and had four RBIs, while Jody Gerut became the first Brewer since Chad Moeller on April 27, 2004, to hit for the cycle.

"The momentum that is created when things start going, it's amazing," winning pitcher Randy Wolf said. "I've never seen a team that when they start scoring runs, you really can't stop the bleeding. I've never really seen anything like that this often."

Milwaukee is just 3-16 when it fails to score at least seven runs, and with the way Ian Kennedy (2-1, 3.65 ERA) has been pitching for the Diamondbacks, it can't count on another big offensive effort Sunday.

Kennedy missed nearly all of last season due to an aneurysm under his right biceps, but his comeback has been impressive. He's 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA in his last four starts after pitching 6 2-3 innings Tuesday in a 1-0 victory at Houston.

"My confidence never went away," Kennedy, who has never faced the Brewers, told the Diamondbacks' official website. "You know when you believe in your ability."

Milwaukee's Casey McGehee had three hits and two RBIs Saturday - he's second on the team with 25, three behind Braun - and has been key to the team's six consecutive wins over Arizona (14-17), five of which have come at Chase Field. McGehee has two homers and nine RBIs during the streak in Phoenix.

The Brewers will give the ball to Chris Narveson (2-0, 6.00) as they look to complete a 6-4 trip, and the left-hander has pitched reasonably well in two starts since taking over for Jeff Suppan in the rotation.

Narveson gave up three runs over five innings in a 6-5, 14-inning loss to Pittsburgh on April 28, then allowed three runs over six innings Tuesday in an 11-6 victory over the Dodgers.

Narveson made one start against the Diamondbacks last season, and it didn't go well. He gave up three hits, three walks and a two-run homer to Chris Young while last three innings on Sept. 13 at Chase Field, where Milwaukee rallied for a 5-3 win.

While the Brewers have totaled 45 runs in their last five games, Arizona has been held to 14 in that same stretch.

Three of the team's big bats have contributed to the slump. Mark Reynolds, Adam LaRoche and Justin Upton are a combined 9 for 54.