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Phillies-Brewers Preview

May 13, 2010 - 5:27 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Philadelphia (20-13) at Milwaukee (15-19), 8:10 p.m. EDT

Philadelphia Phillies starter Jamie Moyer continues to amaze with his consistency. That has not been the case for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Moyer looks to build on one of the best starts of his 24-year career when the Phillies try to extend the Brewers' struggles at Miller Park on Friday night.

Moyer (4-2, 4.38 ERA) was scheduled to start the nightcap of a doubleheader at Colorado on Wednesday, but that contest was postponed due to rain and snow. Philadelphia (20-13) decided to keep its rotation intact, giving Moyer his first start in a week in the opener of this series.

Moyer, 47, became the oldest player in major league history to throw a shutout his last time out, pitching a two-hitter in a 7-0 win over Atlanta last Friday. The left-hander earned his 262nd victory.

"Jamie carved us tonight," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "The guy is 87 years old and he's still pitching for a reason. He stays off the barrel. He changes speeds, changes the game plan and keeps you guessing."

Moyer is 9-5 with a 3.81 ERA in 18 starts against Milwaukee, and his teams have gone 9-1 in his last 10 starts versus the Brewers.

He'll face a Milwaukee team among the NL leaders with a .272 batting average and 5.5 runs per game. The Brewers (15-19), though, scored seven times while getting swept in three games by Atlanta, which won the series finale 9-2 on Wednesday.

Milwaukee is one of four teams since 1900 to have scored 17 or more runs three times, and get shut out three times, within a 30-game stretch.

"It's extremely weird," outfielder Ryan Braun said. "I don't think there's any rhyme or reason for it right now. I don't think there's really any logical explanation. ... I wish we can say 'Let's only score five today and five tomorrow,' but it just doesn't work that way."

Braun missed the last two games after getting hit on the elbow by a pitch, but is expected to return Friday. He has batted .415 with three home runs and eight RBIs in nine career home games against the Phillies and is 6 for 10 with two homers versus Moyer.

With a league-worst 4-11 home record, the Brewers could use that kind of production against the two-time defending NL champs.

"I don't think anybody can explain why we're having a tough time getting wins at home," said third baseman Casey McGehee, batting .526 with two homers and nine RBIs in the last five games. " We have to figure out something to do, recharge the batteries (on an off-day Thursday) because we've got Philly coming in, and it's not going to get any easier."

After his bullpen gave up 17 runs and walked seven against the Braves, Brewers manager Ken Macha is looking for an extended outing from Randy Wolf (3-2, 3.95). The veteran left-hander, who went 69-60 with a 4.21 ERA for Phillies from 1999-2006, gave up three runs in six innings to beat Arizona 17-3 on Saturday.

Ryan Howard, 1 for 9 with four strikeouts versus Wolf, went 8 for 18 with a homer and seven RBIs as Philadelphia and Milwaukee split four games at Miller Park from Sept. 24-27.