(SportsNetwork.com) - The Milwaukee Brewers hope the comforts of home will get them back on track and they will start a nine-game stay Monday with the first of three straight games versus the Arizona Diamondbacks at Miller Park.
The Brewers have lost two in a row and four of the last five games, and dropped three of four against the Cincinnati Reds. Sunday's 4-3 setback in 10 innings was a tough pill to swallow, as Todd Frazier stroked the game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Tyler Thornburg gave up Frazier's big hit to absorb the loss and Brewers starter Kyle Lohse pitched well in the no-decision, permitting a pair of runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.
"(Lohse) battled with his command some," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. "He keeps us in ball games. He gives us a chance, he comes out with the lead and with our bullpen we feel really good about that. We're been pitching great, we just made a couple mistakes today in the bullpen."
Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis both homered for the Brewers, who went 3-4 on a recent road trip and will start an 11-day residency versus Arizona. The Brewers, who are 7-3-0 in series play this season, will also host New York (Yankees) and Pittsburgh.
Matt Garza gets the call for Milwaukee in the opener with Arizona and is 3-1 with a 2.48 earned run average in four career starts against the Diamondbacks. Garza, though, was touched for five runs in a season-low three innings his last time out in a 9-3 loss at St. Louis last Wednesday. He is now 1-3 in six starts with a 5.00 ERA and has allowed four or more runs three times.
Garza left the game with a right thumb contusion and the Brewers are 3-3 in his starts this season. The right-hander and first-year Brewer is 1-2 in three outings at Miller Park.
Arizona was aiming for four straight wins and a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres, but suffered a 4-3 loss on Sunday. Cameron Maybin scored on a fielder's choice by Yonder Alonso and D'Backs reliever Oliver Perez was saddled with the loss.
Wade Miley pitched well in the start for Arizona and gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked one. Miley had a 3-0 lead until the Padres evened the score with two runs in the fourth inning on Rene Rivera's two-run double.
"They gave me three runs and I went in there and gave up some runs," said Miley. "I needed that inning to shut the door and I let them answer right back, giving them the momentum back."
Paul Goldschmidt homered and Tuffy Gosewisch had two RBI in defeat.
The D'Backs will also visit the Chicago White Sox on this current sojourn and are 8-8 on the road as opposed to a 3-15 mark at Chase Field.
Arizona will send rookie Mike Bolsinger to the mound Monday and he is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in four games (3 starts). Bolsinger last took the hill in a 5-4 loss to Colorado and did not record a decision, as he was reached for four runs and nine hits in five innings.
Bolsinger pitched well in an April 24 road win over the Chicago Cubs and limited the hosts to an unearned run in 6 2/3 frames. The right-hander will face the Brewers for the first time in his third road assignment.
Milwaukee lost six of seven meetings with Arizona last season, including a three-game sweep at Miller Park from April 5-7. The Diamondbacks are 9-3 in the last 12 meetings with the Brewers and 11-5 in the past 16 trips to Milwaukee.
Goldschmidt is a career .390 hitter with three home runs and 10 RBI in 12 games versus Brewers.
[SportsNetwork.com]
