Cardinals at Brewers
The St. Louis Cardinals' success inside their division since the All-Star break has played a key role in their ability to go from a team hovering around .500 to a club on the verge of creating some separation in the National League Central. The Cardinals seek their 14th victory in 17 contests Monday when they open a three-game set in Milwaukee against the Brewers.
St. Louis finished the first half of the season with a 44-44 record and sat 3 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs after dropping five a row from Aug. 3-7. Despite their up-and-down play since the break, the Cardinals have consistently feasted on their division rivals over that span - going 18-6 against them - and own a 2 1/2-game edge in the division after completing a four-game home sweep of Colorado over the weekend. Milwaukee avoided a three-game sweep in St. Louis early last week by roughing up Monday's scheduled starter Adam Wainwright, sparking a three-game winning streak that helped the club remain within an earshot of the Cardinals inside the division. The Brewers remained two games out in the wild-card chase but fell 4 1/2 back in the Central on Sunday, however, wasting a chance to complete a three-game home sweep of Arizona with a 5-2 loss.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (9-9, 4.51 ERA) vs. Brewers LH Gio Gonzalez (2-1, 3.64)
Wainwright is set to face Milwaukee for the second time in less than a week after he surrendered five runs on eight hits and four walks in a losing cause at home Wednesday. The three-time All-Star has struggled mightily on the road this season, going 3-6 with a 6.64 ERA in 12 trips to the mound (as opposed to 6-3, 2.67 in 12 home turns). Wainwright gave up a three-run homer to Mike Moustakas in last week's loss and is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two starts against the Brewers this season.
Gonzalez is winless over his last eight starts dating back to May 15 and did not factor into the decision for a seventh straight outing Tuesday at St. Louis after yielding one run on three hits and four walks over six innings. The two-time All-Star has permitted two or fewer runs in four of his last five turns but failed to pitch past five innings in seven of his last eight trips to the mound. Paul Goldschmidt is 10-for-20 versus Gonzalez, who is 3-4 with a 3.11 ERA in 11 career starts against the Cardinals.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee OF Christian Yelich stole his 25th base Sunday, becoming the youngest player (27 years and 263 days old) to record 40 homers and 25 steals in a season since Atlanta's Chipper Jones in 1999.
2. The Cardinals' 5-3 rain-shortened loss to the Brewers in the series finale last week ended St. Louis' six-game winning streak in the series.
3. Milwaukee OF Ryan Braun has at least one hit in 17 consecutive starts - the third longest such streak of his career and his best mark since a 19-game run in 2012.