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Brewers commence set at Boston's Fenway Park

Jun 17, 2011 - 3:14 PM (Sports Network) - Winning on the road has been a challenge for the Milwaukee Brewers this season. That could be an even harder task than usual this weekend, considering how the Boston Red Sox have performed over the past few weeks.

The Brewers head to historic Fenway Park this evening to begin a three-game interleague series of division leaders with a scorching Red Sox team that's coming off a dominating road trip.

Boston won eight of nine games during its just-completed swing and improved to 11-1 over its last 12 overall contests with Thursday's 4-2 victory at Tampa Bay. The 8-1 record on the trek was the Red Sox' best of a road trip of nine games or more since they went 9-0 on a sequence of away tilts during the 1977 season.

Adrian Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and Dustin Pedroia added an RBI double to back five solid innings from Clay Buchholz in last night's win, which maintained Boston's 1 1/2-game advantage on the rival New York Yankees for the best mark in the American League.

Three games under the .500 mark in mid-May, the Red Sox have put together an outstanding 24-7 record since.

Boston didn't come out of Wednesday's test unscathed, however. Buchholz was pulled after the fifth after experiencing tightness in his lower back, while shortstop Jed Lowrie exited after just one inning due to a left shoulder injury that could land him on the disabled list.

Buchholz held the Rays to one run and only two hits while striking out five batters before leaving.

"It's the nagging back that's been the same since last year," he said afterward. "I felt like I was in a better position tonight to come out a little early and not put any more stress on my body than I have to. The way we're playing right now, no one definitely wants to go on the DL. That was my first thought, try to get through five innings and give it to the bullpen."

John Lackey, who will start for Boston in tonight's opener, has also been plagued by injury problems this season, having missed nearly a month earlier in the year with a strained right elbow. He's won both starts since returning from the DL, however, in part due to ample run support by the highest scoring offense in the majors.

That was the case in Lackey's last outing, a 16-4 rout at Toronto last Saturday in which he gave up four runs but struck out a season-best eight batters over six innings. Six days earlier, the veteran righty permitted three runs over 5 2/3 frames to defeat Oakland in his first game back from the DL.

Lackey, who will be opposing the Brewers for the first time in his career, has been hit hard at Fenway this season, having allowed 19 runs and 27 hits over 20 2/3 innings in four home starts. He's still managed a 2-2 record in those games, however.

He'll be taking on a strong-hitting Milwaukee squad that currently holds a one-game edge on St. Louis for the top spot in the NL Central, despite a poor 14-22 road record for the season. The Brewers' struggles as the visitor continued in their recent stop at Chicago's Wrigley Field, where the club lost three of four bouts with the division-rival Cubs.

Chicago battered Brewers' co-ace Zack Greinke for eight runs (six earned) in 5 1/3 innings en route to a 12-7 win in Thursday's finale. Milwaukee also committed a pair of errors that aided the Cubs' offensive outburst.

"It was tough for me to watch that game," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke admitted. "I didn't like the way we were pitching, we didn't field well."

Milwaukee did receive two-run homers from both Ryan Braun and George Kottaras in the loss, while Rickie Weeks and Nyjer Morgan each collected a pair of hits on the afternoon.

The Brewers now have to face a Boston club that's won 11 of its last 15 games at home, but will have one of their top pitchers at their disposal tonight. Shaun Marcum is putting together an excellent first season in Milwaukee thus far, as the offseason acquisition has compiled a 7-2 record and presently ranks sixth among NL hurlers with a 2.68 ERA.

Marcum has even had success on the road, where he's gone 3-1 with a terrific 1.38 ERA in seven starts and has held opposing hitters to a .187 average.

The right-hander is coming off a big home win over St. Louis on Sunday in which he limited the Cardinals to three runs and fanned eight in seven sharp innings of work.

Marcum is no stranger to the Red Sox or Fenway Park, as he spent his first five major league seasons with AL East occupant Toronto before being traded to the Brewers over the winter. The 29-year-old is 5-5 with a 4.38 ERA in 16 lifetime appearances (11 starts) against Boston and 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA over eight trips (six starts) to the Fenway mound.

Milwaukee will be seeking its first victory in Boston since Sept. 5, 1997, when the Brewers then still resided in the AL. The Red Sox swept a three-game set between the teams in Fenway during the 2008 season.