The Milwaukee Brewers will look to bounce back from their first home loss when they close out the weekend series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will be opposed by fellow right-hander Jake Woodford (0-1, 12.46).
St. Louis blanked the Brewers 6-0 on Saturday night, snapping Milwaukee’s six-game winning streak that included four victories at home. Nolan Arenado hit his 300th career home run and Jordan Montgomery allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings to pace the Cardinals.
Montgomery struck out nine and walked two for the Cardinals’ first quality start of the season as St. Louis snapped a four-game skid. The Cardinals pounded out 12 hits, marking the sixth time this season they have recorded at least 10 in a game.
Arenado has hit safely in all eight games, as has rookie phenom Jordan Walker, who also had a two-run homer Saturday.
“That’s big. This is a guy that works at it every day,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Arenado. “He’s all business and to be able to see that, I know he’s super excited about it and the dugout was super excited to see it as well. Fun to watch, for sure.”
The 20-year-old Walker is hitting .355 (11-for-31) with two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs.
“Some really good swings out of him, too,” Marmol said of Walker. “That line drive right field, then the homer obviously, but he continues to take really good swings. He’s in control and he’s slowing everything down. It looks good.”
According to baseball researcher Sarah Langs, Walker is in illustrious company for the longest hitting streak to start a career for a player aged 20 or younger since 1900. Eddie Murphy had a 12-game streak in 1912; Ted Williams had nine games in 1939; and Fred Hutchinson matched Walker’s eight games in 1939.
After Brewers starter Eric Lauer was tagged for six runs in four innings Saturday, three relievers combined for five scoreless innings.
Milwaukee’s bullpen has thrown 20 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings and has allowed just three runs all season, fewest in the major leagues.
“Those three guys did a great job. It was excellent work covering their innings,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Gus (Varland) and Javy (Guerra) getting two innings was really important and puts us in good shape for (Sunday).”
Rookie Joey Wiemer doubled for one of the three hits off Montgomery. Wiemer has hit safely in each of his first seven career games, matching B.J. Surhoff’s start in 1987 for the longest streak by a Brewers rookie to begin his career.
Peralta, who went 4-4 last season in an injury-plagued campaign, allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings in his first start, a 10-0 home-opening victory over the Mets last Monday. He struck out seven and walked three in the 85-pitch outing.
Peralta is 2-4 with 6.59 ERA in 12 career games (eight starts) versus St. Louis.
Woodford allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings, including three homers, in his first start, an 8-4 loss to Atlanta last Monday.
Woodford is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in seven career appearances (one start) against Milwaukee.
After Sunday’s contest, the Brewers head out for a 10-game road trip that features stops in Arizona, San Diego and Seattle.
–Field Level Media
