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Gallardo and Brewers try to get untracked at Wrigley Field

Jun 14, 2011 - 2:44 PM (Sports Network) - Right-hander Yovani Gallardo and his Milwaukee Brewers will be seeking a return to the winning formula tonight when they visit Wrigley Field for the second of four games with the host Chicago Cubs.

The Brewers had won three straight games and taken over sole posession of first place in the National League's Central Division before Monday night's series opener, won by the Cubs, 1-0.

Darwin Barney scored the only run of the game on a fielder's choice and Ryan Dempster mystified Brewers hitters over seven innings for Chicago.

As a result, Milwaukee slid back into a first-place tie with the St. Louis Cardinals atop the Central, while the Cubs sit fifth in the division, 11 games back.

Starlin Castro collected a pair of hits while Carlos Pena ripped a double for Chicago, which snapped a three-game skid.

Jeff Samardzija (4-2) tossed a perfect eighth in relief of Dempster to pick up the win, while Carlos Marmol mowed down the heart of the Brewers' order in the ninth to seal his 13th save of the season.

Yuniesky Betancourt and starter Randy Wolf smacked doubles for Milwaukee.

Gallardo, a 25-year-old Mexican export, had been streaking himself prior to his last start - winning six straight outings and trimming his earned run average to 3.72. The run ended June 9 against the New York Mets, when he was tagged for 10 hits and four runs in just four innings of a 4-1 loss.

It was his first defeat since May 2, when he'd dropped a 6-2 verdict to the Atlanta Braves.

Gallardo faced the Cubs in his third start of the season on April 10 in Milwaukee and got a no-decision in a game the Brewers won, 6-5. He is 3-1 against Chicago in eight starts with a 3.61 ERA.

The Cubs go with 28-year-old righty Randy Wells, who's made just four starts in an injury-plagued early season.

The Illinois native won a 4-1 decision over Arizona on April 4, then was shelved until returning for a 10-0 loss to Pittsburgh on May 28.

He's started twice and picked up a pair of no-decisions since, going 5 2/3 innings in a 5-4 Cubs loss at St. Louis and 2 1/3 innings in Chicago's 4-3 defeat of Philadelphia on June 9.

Wells is 2-2 with a 4.54 ERA in eight games against Milwaukee.

The Brewers took two of three at home over the Cubs in early April, while the teams split six meetings last year at Wrigley Field.