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Brewers-Cardinals Preview

Jul 4, 2010 - 4:16 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Milwaukee (36-44) at St. Louis (44-36), 2:15 p.m. EDT

After being shut down in St. Louis a day earlier, the Milwaukee Brewers bounced back with an impressive offensive showing.

Duplicating that performance against Adam Wainwright would be even more remarkable.

Wainwright looks to become the first pitcher in nearly two dozen years to win his first nine home starts when he takes the ball for the Cardinals in Sunday's finale against the Brewers.

Milwaukee (37-44) managed just five hits in Friday's 5-0 loss to St. Louis before pounding out 19 - nine off Chris Carpenter - in Saturday's 12-5 win. Jim Edmonds homered among his four hits and had three RBIs, while Ryan Braun had three hits and two RBIs for the Brewers, winners in nine of 13.

Milwaukee has also won 16 of its last 22 in St. Louis, but notching another victory there against Wainwright won't be easy.

Wainwright (11-5, 2.34 ERA), second in the NL in wins and fourth in ERA, has posted a 1.49 ERA in winning his eight starts at Busch Stadium this season. No pitcher has opened a season with nine homes victories in as many starts since Bret Saberhagen for Kansas City in 1987.

In Tuesday's 8-0 win over Arizona at Busch, Wainwright allowed five hits while striking out seven in 6 1-3 innings.

"Just go out and pitch a good quality game and do what I do, throw strikes, get ahead in the count and put them away with my stuff," the right-hander said.

Wainwright's dominance in St. Louis extends back to last season, as he's made a major league-record 23 consecutive quality starts at home, four more than any pitcher in history.

Three of those outings have come against Milwaukee, including a two-hitter last month for his first career shutout. In an 8-0 win over the Brewers on June 4, Wainwright struck out eight, walked one, and retired the last 18 hitters he faced after a leadoff walk to Prince Fielder in the fourth inning.

Wainwright's made six starts against the Brewers since the start of last season, going 4-1 with a 0.99 ERA. He's shut down Milwaukee's top hitters in these games, limiting Fielder to two hits in 14 at-bats and Braun to two in 18

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols homered for the fifth time in seven games Saturday, but St. Louis was trailing 11-2 at the time. The Cardinals (44-37) have lost three of four and trail NL Central-leading Cincinnati by 1 1/2 games.

Pujols, expected to be named to his ninth All-Star Game on Sunday, has six home runs and 14 RBIs in nine games against the Brewers this year, and is 4 for 13 with a homer lifetime against scheduled starter Yovani Gallardo (8-3, 2.56).

While Wainwright has an unblemished record at home, Gallardo has been at his best on the road, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in eight starts away from Miller Park.

Unlike Wainwright, Gallardo hasn't enjoyed the same success in this series. He is 0-3 with a 6.59 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals, and was knocked around for six runs in five innings of a 7-1 loss April 10.

Although he's struggled against St. Louis, Gallardo is in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season, going 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA over his last seven outings. Against Houston on Tuesday, the right-hander gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings of a 7-5 win.