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Brewers host Padres in lone NL set

Jun 8, 2012 - 3:08 PM (Sports Network) - Aramis Ramirez hasn't been in the starting lineup for the Milwaukee Brewers in almost a week because of a strained left quadriceps.

The Brewers are hoping their cleanup hitter will be ready for Friday's opener of a three-game series versus the San Diego Padres at Miller Park. Ramirez suffered the injury in Saturday's 5-1 win over Pittsburgh and made a pinch-hit appearance in yesterday's 4-3 win in 10 innings versus the Chicago Cubs. Ramirez drew a walk in the bottom of the eighth and is batting .249 with five homers, 30 RBI and 35 runs scored this season.

Norichika Aoki belted a pair of homers, including the game-winning shot off Cubs reliever Casey Coleman to lead off the bottom of the 10th. Aoki ended with three hits and three runs scored, while Corey Hart added two hits and an RBI for Milwaukee, which took the last two meetings with the Cubs after losing the opener, 10-0, and won for the seventh time in 10 tries.

"(Aoki) is swinging the bat well, he's confident, and he's learned a lot," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He's been consistent against left-handers. It's pretty amazing what he does. When he goes against left-handers, I know he's going to get hits."

Randy Wolf started for Milwaukee and held the Cubs to an unearned run in 6 2/3 innings. John Axford picked up the save with two scoreless innings of relief to help Milwaukee improve to 3-3 on a nine-game homestand.

Shaun Marcum will try to push the Brewers over the .500 mark on their residency when he makes his 12th start tonight. Marcum has won back-to-back starts with seven innings of one-run ball in each after losing consecutive outings, and previously toed the rubber in Saturday's 5-1 win versus the Pirates. He held the Buccos to a run and five hits in seven innings to push his 2012 record to 4-3 with a 3.39 earned run average.

Marcum struck out eight Pittsburgh batters and issued no walks. The right- hander has fanned at least five batters in five straight starts and will face San Diego for a second time this season. In a 2-0 loss at Petco Park on May 1, Marcum did not factor in the outcome and tossed seven scoreless innings. He is 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in three career starts against the Padres.

Meanwhile, the banged-up Padres will open a nine-game road trip tonight against Milwaukee, Seattle and Oakland, and have dropped six in a row as the visitor.

The Padres just went 2-4 on a recent homestand versus Arizona and San Francisco. After defeating the Giants in the series opener on Tuesday, San Diego dropped the next two matchups, including Thursday's 8-3 setback in the series finale. Jason Marquis made his first start as a Padre and suffered the loss after giving up four runs -- two earned -- and nine hits in six innings.

"I put my team in a hole early on, but for the most part, I settled in," Marquis said. "I made my pitches when I needed to, got the outs I needed to, got the contact I wanted to. So it was around that third inning that I got settled; obviously it was too late at that point."

Chase Headley had three hits and knocked in two runs for the Padres, who lost for the 13th time in the last 16 tries and still couldn't pull off the win despite four San Francisco errors. Everth Cabrera ended 3-for-4 in defeat.

Edinson Volquez will try to pitch himself and the Padres back into the win column when he toes the rubber this evening. Volquez is 0-3 with a 4.76 earned run average in his last four starts -- all San Diego losses -- and did not post a decision in Saturday's 4-2 setback to Arizona. He lasted six innings and was reached for two runs and four hits with five strikeouts and five walks to remain at 2-5 in 12 starts with a 3.42 ERA.

Volquez did not figure into the outcome of a 2-0 win versus Milwaukee on May 1, when he countered Marcum with seven shutout innings. The right-hander and first-year Padre is 3-2 with a 5.17 ERA in nine career starts against the Brewers.

San Diego won two of three meetings with Milwaukee from April 30-May 2 at Petco Park after losing three of five matchups a season ago.