Fernandez Making First Career Start Against Brewers
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Milwaukee Brewers took full advantage of the Cincinnati Reds' porous bullpen to earn a split of a four-game series over the weekend and will try to carry that momentum to the next stop on a seven-game road trip when they visit the Miami Marlins on Monday.
The Brewers dropped two of three at home to the Marlins bridging April and May but have won five of their last eight overall.
Milwaukee slugger Chris Carter recorded a pair of home runs in a 14-5 win over the Marlins on May 1 and has five blasts already in May after posting five in all of April.
Ryan Braun, Hernan Perez and Jonathan Lucroy each homered in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Reds, helping the Brewers overcome a 4-1 deficit one day after Milwaukee put up eight runs against the Cincinnati bullpen in a 13-7 triumph.
The Marlins had won 11 of 12 before dropping a pair of one-run decisions to the surprising Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday and Sunday. Miami's bullpen is not nearly as bad as Cincinnati but endured an off day on Sunday when David Phelps yielded two runs and was charged with a blown save.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers Wily Peralta (2-3, 7.50 ERA) vs. Marlins Jose Fernandez (3-2, 4.28)
Peralta had his start pushed back after leaving the team for the birth of his child but will take the mound on Monday in search of his third straight win. Peralta was knocked around for five runs on 13 hits in 5 2/3 innings and did not record a strikeout on May 1 against Miami but still came away with the victory as the Brewers offense exploded for 14 runs. Peralta has only completed six innings in one of his six starts but the team is 3-3 when he takes the mound.
Fernandez is looking for his third straight win as well but is also struggling to go deep into games. The Cuba native needed 99 pitches to get through five innings against Arizona on Tuesday but limited the damage to three runs and managed to pull out the win in a 4-3 final. Fernandez is making his first career start against Milwaukee.
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami 3B Martin Prado went 4-for-5 on Sunday and leads the majors with a .396 batting average.
2. Braun has hit safely in each of the last eight games and homered in two straight.
3. Milwaukee 3B Aaron Hill is enjoying a nine-game hitting streak and homered three times on Saturday.
PREDICTION: Marlins 6, Brewers 3
By SportsDirect Inc.
