• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Brewers hope to gain ground in NL Central, face Padres

Sep 4, 2008 - 10:14 AM San Diego (53-86) at Milwaukee (80-59) 8:05 p.m. EDT

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers look to close the gap in the National League Central when they play the San Diego Padres on Thursday.

Milwaukee, which has lost three straight, trails the Chicago Cubs (85-55) by 4 1/2 games in the division. The Cubs have lost five in a row but the Brewers squandered a golden opportunity to move closer as they were swept by the New York Mets.

The sweep was the second the Brewers suffered at home. Milwaukee, which still has seven contests left on its 10-game homestand, leads the Philadelphia Phillies (76-63) by 4 1/2 games in the NL wild-card race.

Brewers starter Jeff Suppan (10-7, 4.49 ERA) is hoping to win his sixth consecutive decision. The righthander posted a 5-0 record with a 3.00 over his six August starts.

Suppan pitched seven solid innings during Saturday's 11-3 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates, yielding two runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

The Padres will counter with veteran lefthander Shawn Estes (1-1, 3.33), who is making his fifth start. A 12-year veteran, Estes has not taken the mound since May 28 while recuperating from a broken left thumb.