Braves at Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers host the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in the final meeting between the two teams this season, and nobody may be sadder than Keston Hiura. The Brewers rookie second baseman has feasted on Atlanta pitching in five games this season, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs in Tuesday’s 13-1 victory that evened the three-game series, improving to 10-for-19 with two homers, four extra-base hits, five runs scored and four RBIs against the Braves.
Milwaukee won for the just the third time in its past 11 games, as infielder Mike Moustakas recorded his 1,000th career hit with a seventh-inning single and right fielder Christian Yelich scored three times and belted his 33rd homer of the season -- a grand slam in the seventh -- as the Brewers remained 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the National League Central. Atlanta lost for the first time in five games on its current six-game road trip, shaving its lead in the NL East to 6 ½ games over Washington and 8 ½ games over Philadelphia. Center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. singled in four at-bats to extend his hitting streak to a season-best 10 games, but the Braves offense -- which had averaged 5.2 runs on 8.7 hits in the previous 15 games -- finished with just five hits Tuesday. Atlanta’s bullpen, which entered the middle contest of the three-game series owning a 2.81 ERA since May 22, gave up nine runs in four innings Tuesday.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Dallas Keuchel (3-2, 3.09 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Chase Anderson (4-2, 4.27)
Keuchel has made five starts since signing with Atlanta and appears in midseason form, going 2-1 with a 2.11 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through three starts in July. The 31-year-old held San Diego to one run on six hits with four walks and five strikeouts in seven innings Friday to earn the victory, five days after he closed the first half by giving up two runs on five hits with one walk in 7 1/3 innings to beat Miami. Keuchel, who has held opponents to a .205 batting average and .553 OPS in July, makes his 198th career appearance and 189th lifetime start.
Anderson looks to continue his strong July in which he has posted a 3.68 ERA with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 14 2/3 innings across three starts. The 31-year-old began the season in the bullpen but has made 13 starts – pitching to a 4.23 ERA and 1.23 WHIP – allowing only seven earned runs in his past four outings. Anderson, who struck out five in five innings Friday against San Francisco, allowed one unearned run on two hits with four walks in four innings against the Braves on May 18.
WALK-OFFS
1. Brewers starting pitchers have pitched to a 2.77 ERA in their past 16 games, but Brandon Woodruff’s victory Tuesday marked the first win for Milwaukee starters in the past 13 contests.
2. The Braves placed LHP Max Fried on the 10-day injured list with a blister on his left index finger, which knocked him out of the series opener Monday after five innings.
3. Atlanta is 30-19 in road games this season, having gone 22-9 away from home since May 9.