Braves at Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers have just over two weeks to acquire help for their beleaguered bullpen and open a three-game home series Monday against the Atlanta Braves after a dispiriting weekend. Milwaukee lost two of three games to San Francisco at home as its relievers allowed 16 earned runs on 19 hits in 12 innings, featuring a blown save by Josh Hader on Friday and a six-run seventh Sunday as the Brewers slid 2 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.
Christian Yelich slugged his 32nd homer of the season in Sunday’s 8-3 defeat and is hitting .355 with three home runs and five RBIs in eight games this month, but the Brewers have lost 17 of their past 26 games and face teams with a winning record in 16 of their next 19 contests. It starts against NL East-leading Atlanta, which used Freddie Freeman’s three-run homer in the eighth to beat San Diego 4-1 Sunday and complete a three-game sweep. Freeman’s 24th blast of the season snapped a 0-for-13 skid, while center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. went 2-for-5 Sunday and has three homers during an eight-game hitting streak. The Braves extended their division lead to seven games over Washington and moved 20 games above .500 for the first time this season at 57-37.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Max Fried (9-4, 4.29 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Adrian Houser (2-3, 4.01)
Fried struggled in his final start of the first half July 6 against Miami, giving up five runs on 11 hits with seven strikeouts in a 5-4 loss. The 25-year-old gave up five runs in two of his first three starts in June but closed the month by going 2-0 in three starts and allowing seven runs in 17 innings with 20 strikeouts. Fried made one of his better starts of the season against Milwaukee on May 17, striking out five and giving up two hits in six shutout innings of a 12-8 victory.
Houser takes his fourth consecutive turn in the rotation and makes his sixth start of the season, looking to improve on an 8.47 ERA and 2.18 WHIP in those outings. The 26-year-old held Cincinnati to three runs on six hits over five innings on July 1 but gave up five runs on seven hits with three walks in four innings five days later in a loss at Pittsburgh. Houser has one career appearance against Atlanta last season, allowing three hits in 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
WALK-OFFS
1. Atlanta rookie LF Austin Riley is 5-for-37 in his past 10 games with 16 strikeouts.
2. Milwaukee CF Lorenzo Cain went 2-for-4 on Sunday and is batting .314 with a pair of three-hit games in his past seven contests.
3. The Braves took two of three from the Brewers in Atlanta on May 17-19. Freeman homered in all three games as Atlanta finished the series with eight home runs.