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Jul 11, 2015 - 6:58 AM Two Tommy John surgeries turned Brandon Beachy from a promising young pitcher into a free agent seeking to prove himself.

He now has a spot on one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

Beachy takes the mound for the first time in almost two years Saturday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Milwaukee Brewers.

Beachy spent his first four seasons with Atlanta and was considered one of the club's top prospects. He started to live up to those expectations in 2012, posting the lowest ERA in the majors at 2.00 through 13 starts.

The right-hander's season ended, however, and he underwent his first elbow surgery. He returned in 2013 but only made five starts before going under the knife again.

Still, the Dodgers (50-38) opted to sign him to a one-year contract in February and he went 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA in five starts in the minors.

That's enough for Beachy to get the nod in place of Carlos Frias, who is on the disabled list with a back injury.

"Endless and long. A lot of ups and downs," Beachy told MLB's official website. "At times, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There were some dark days, but it's something I'm glad I've been through and it's something I'll always remember."

Manager Don Mattingly isn't sure what to expect from Beachy, a sinkerballer who last took the mound on Aug. 20, 2013.

"The only reservation I have is that he's going to be a little jacked up and a little nervous and you don't know how it's going to go that very first game," Mattingly said. "That being said, we've been through a lot of different guys, but we feel like he gives us the best chance to win."

Beachy has some tough acts to follow after the Dodgers' last three starters combined to allow two runs over 23 innings during the team's three-game win streak.

Los Angeles did all its scoring in the seventh inning of Friday's 3-2 victory, getting a pinch-hit two-run single from Andre Ethier before Joc Pederson delivered a go-ahead double.

Pederson has homered on half of his six hits with five RBIs in 19 at-bats over five meetings with the Brewers.

Yasmani Grandal has been a huge problem for Milwaukee, going 12 for 21 with two homers and 10 RBIs in his last six meetings. He was walked twice and hit by a pitch Friday in his first meeting with the Brewers since going 4 for 4 with two homers and a career-high eight RBIs in a road win May 7.

The Brewers (37-51) have followed a season-high eight-game winning streak by losing three of four and turning to Taylor Jungmann (3-1, 2.43) could get them untracked.

He's compiled a 1.42 ERA over his last three starts, winning his only decision since he was backed by two runs in the other two games.

The rookie right-hander is coming off his best performance yet, retiring the first 12 batters he faced while yielding one run and four hits in eight innings of Sunday's 6-1 win at Cincinnati.

"I thought I had the changeup going," Jungmann said. "I didn't throw it as much in my first five starts. I was happy for it."

Jean Segura is 15 for 32 in eight games after getting three hits for the fourth time over that stretch Friday. He's 6 for 18 in six games at Dodger Stadium.