Preview: Brewers at Braves

Preview: Brewers at Braves

Published Aug. 12, 2018 6:27 p.m. ET

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Braves left-hander Sean Newcomb allowed five runs in each of his first two starts of July, lasting just a combined 6 1/3 innings.

The second of those poor road outings came in Milwaukee and continued Newcomb's occasional rough games away from Atlanta.

Newcomb gets another shot at the Brewers on Sunday, this time at SunTrust Park, and the hard-throwing 25-year-old comes into the rematch on a roll.



Newcomb (10-5, 3.15 ERA) is 2-0 and has allowed just three runs in 20 2/3 innings of his three most recent starts, which included a near no-hitter against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on July 29.

Right-hander Chase Anderson (7-7, 3.81) will start for Milwaukee in the deciding game of three-game series.

The Brewers (67-53) won 4-2 on Saturday thanks to a three-run eighth inning after a 10-1 loss to the Braves (63-51) on Friday.

Newcomb will be pitching at home for the first time since coming within a strike of no-hitting the Dodgers. He got three days of extra rest before limiting the Washington Nationals to one run in six innings on Tuesday in Washington.

The no-decision came after Newcomb had to apologize for offensive tweets made when he was in high school that surfaced while he was nearly holding Los Angeles without a hit.

"I'm not really focused on anything but doing my job and trying to be a good role model for other people," Newcomb said after his outing against the Nationals. "I'm just sticking to what I have to do at the field each day."

Newcomb, facing the Brewers for the first time, allowed five hits and walked four in 3 2/3 innings while stumbling in Milwaukee on July 8 in the middle of a three-game losing streak before getting back on track his last three starts.

Anderson didn't face the Braves during the earlier four-game series in Milwaukee, but is 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA in three career starts against Atlanta.

Home runs have been a problem for Anderson, who is among the National League leaders with 23 in 125 1/3 innings. He allowed 14 homers in 141 1/3 innings last year, when he was 12-4 with a 2.74 ERA.

"It's the thing that's got him in trouble all season," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of the home runs.

Two of the homers came in his most recent start as the 30-year-old former Arizona draft choice couldn't hold a 4-0 first-inning lead against San Diego at home and got a no-decision in the Brewers' 11-5 loss to the Padres on Tuesday.

Anderson was charged with four runs in 4 2/3 innings, snapping a streak of eight straight starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed.

The Brewers took three of four from the Braves in Milwaukee but have had trouble in Atlanta during recent seasons.

Despite Saturday's comeback, Milwaukee has won just nine of the past 27 games in Atlanta. The Brewers lost two of three a year ago during SunTrust Park's first season.

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