Cardinals head to Milwaukee seeking first 11-4 start since 2008
The Brewers got a much-needed victory to start distancing themselves from the worst start in franchise history.
Matt Garza would like to do likewise to put aside his early season struggles as Milwaukee hosts the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.
Kyle Lohse helped the Brewers (3-13) end an eight-game losing streak and avoid a sweep by Cincinnati with seven strong innings in a 4-2 victory Thursday. His effort gave Milwaukee back-to-back quality starts for the first time this season, as the rotation has posted a 5.42 ERA while going 3-11.
"We have to keep it going," Lohse told MLB's official website. "We can't get them all back right now; we have to keep our heads down and keep grinding it out. That's all we can do."
Garza (1-2, 5.40 ERA) has been grinding with middling results, sandwiching two shaky starts around a victory at St. Louis on April 13. He allowed five runs in six innings of a 5-2 defeat at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The right-hander labored against the Cardinals, walking five and allowing six hits in 5 2/3 innings, but yielded only two runs in the 5-4 win. Garza has struggled against St. Louis' Jhonny Peralta, Matt Holliday, Jon Jay and Matt Adams, who are a combined 41 for 90 (.456) with three homers and eight doubles in the matchup.
Matt Carpenter is 3 for 15 against Garza, but he's the hottest of the Cardinals hitters going into this three-game series. He is batting .429 during a 10-game hitting streak after going 2 for 4 in St. Louis' 4-1 win at Washington on Thursday.
St. Louis -- seeking its first 11-4 start since 2008 and eighth win in nine games -- leads the majors with a 2.06 ERA and has limited opponents to a .142 average with runners in scoring position. The Brewers went 5 for 27 in such situations in losing two of three to the Cardinals earlier this month.
Carlos Martinez (1-0, 2.08) seeks a third straight effective start. The right-hander allowed a solo homer and two other hits over 86 pitches in six innings of a 5-2 victory over the Reds on Saturday. He's struck out 13 in as many innings this season.
"He backed off at times, I think, because he saw he had better control and better movement when he was off his max effort," manager Mike Matheny said. "That is a huge step that is hard to get a young player to take."
If the hard-throwing Martinez has shown a weakness, it has been giving up all three of his runs on solo homers. Though he struggled in his only career start against Milwaukee on July 13 -- allowing four runs in four innings of an 11-2 defeat at Miller Park -- the right-hander has a 1.96 ERA in 12 lifetime appearances against the Brewers.
Catcher Yadier Molina, who had a scheduled day off Thursday, has gone 12 for 28 with six RBIs in his last seven games.
