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Brewers open critical nine-game road trip

Aug 20, 2007 - 2:00 PM Milwaukee (63-61) at Arizona (71-54) 9:40 pm EDT

PHOENIX (Ticker) -- If the slumping Milwaukee Brewers hope to regain their lead in the National League Central, they better learn how to win away from Miller Park.

On Monday, the Brewers open a tough nine-game road trip against the surging Arizona Diamondbacks.

Milwaukee enters the contest a game behind the Chicago Cubs (63-59) in the NL Central and is just three games ahead of the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Yovani Gallardo (4-3, 4.84 ERA) takes the mound for the Brewers, who have dropped 10 of their last 13 decisions. The rookie righthander hopes to get back on track after giving up seven runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings of an 8-3 loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Gallardo has given up 18 runs over his last two starts, spanning 8 1/3 frames. But on July 19, he tossed six scoreless innings to defeat Arizona, 10-1, at home.

The Diamondbacks go with Doug Davis (10-10, 3.92), who has gone without a loss since July 5 - a span of seven outings. In his last start, the lefthander allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 9-6 win at the Florida Marlins on Wednesday.

Davis is 6-2 all-time against the Brewers, a club he pitched for the previous three years. In his lone start against them this season, he did not figure in a 5-2 road win on July 18 despite yielding two runs and three hits in six innings.