Brewers at Mariners Game Preview

Tonight at 8:10 CST on Fox Sports Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Brewers (50-66) visit Safeco Field to take on the Seattle Mariners (53-62). This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Milwaukee came away with a 10-5 win last night. Yuniesky Betancourt hit a grand slam in the 5th inning to run the Brewers' lead to 10-2 and blow the lead open. Kyle Lohse picked up the win after going 7 innings of 6 hit ball with 3 earned runs. Tom Gorzelanny is the starting pitcher for Milwaukee tonight. He will be starting for the first time since being hit on the forearm by a line drive last Friday. He left the game after being injured. Shortstop Jean Segura leads the team in batting average with a .313 average. Outfielder Carlos Gomez has 18 home runs to lead the team, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy has 60 RBI, tops on the club. Seattle had their one game winning streak snapped last night with the loss. First baseman Justin Smoak hit a two run home run in the 8th inning last night, the only long ball of the night for Seattle. Smoak also led the team in total bases with four.  He also is riding a 9 game hitting streak. Hisashi Iwakuma is the starter for the Mariners tonight. He has a record of 10-5 with an ERA of 2.75. Iwakuma is 5-2 on the season at home. Outfielder Carlos Peguero leads the team with a .333 batting average, but he only has 6 at bats. Catcher Humberto Quintero has a batting average of .320, but he has just 25 plate appearances. Infielder Kendrys Morales has a batting average of .297, and he has 431 at bats, second on the team. Outfielder Raul Ibanez has 24 home runs to lead the team, and Morales has 64 RBI to pace Seattle. This should be an entertaining pitching matchup, but look for the offense to provide just enough run support for Gorzelanny in a series-clinching win.

Dodgers at Cubs Game Preview

Tonight at 7:10 CST on Prime Ticket, the Los Angeles Dodgers (57-49) visit Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs (49-58). The Dodgers come into this game after splitting a two game series at home against the Yankees. Los Angeles was were shutout yesterday night by a score of 3-0. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw started the game for the Dodgers, and went 8 scoreless innings. New York scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th, and career save leader Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for the Yankees to earn a split. Ronald Belisario took the loss for Los Angeles to drop his record to 4-6. Ricky Nolasco will be on the hill for the Dodgers tonight. He has a record of 6-9, with an ERA of 3.72. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is the team leader in batting average for position players at .374. Pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Zack Greinke have averages of .667 and .400, respectively, but Nolasco has only 3 at bats, and Greinke only has 35 at bats. Chicago enters this four game series with the Dodgers after losing three of four at home against the Brewers this past week. Starting pitcher Edwin Jackson, who has been traded three times at the trade deadline, including twice in one day, overcame a 66 minute rain delay yesterday to pick up the win for the Cubs. He pitched 8 innings of one run ball. First baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Starlin Castro homered for Chicago. Chris Rusin will be the starting pitcher for the Cubs tonight. He has a record of 2-1, with a decent ERA of 2.93. Outfielder Junior Lake leads the team in batting average at .310. Rizzo leads the team in home runs at 15, and RBI with 60. Outfielder Alfonso Soriano was the team leader in home runs with 17, but he was traded to the Yankees last week. This is an interesting matchup. Look for the experienced hitters of Los Angeles to force Rusin into an early exit. I think Nolasco will be dominant, and the Dodgers will collect a road win.

Reds at Dodgers Game Preview

Today at 3:10 CST, the Cincinnati Reds (59-46) visit Dodger Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (55-48). Cincinnati enters the final game of this four game set on a two game losing streak after winning the series opener. The Reds were defeated 4-1 yesterday. They were held to just two hits, one of them to pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was the winning pitcher for the Dodgers. Bronson Arroyo took the loss for the Reds. He scattered 8 hits over 5 1/3 innings. Kenley Jansen picked up his 14th save of the season. Tony Cingrani will be on the hill for Cincinnati today. He has a record 4-1 with an ERA of 3.18. First baseman Joey Votto leads position players with a batting average of .317. Pitcher Manny Parra has an average of .500, but he has only had two at bats. Right fielder Jay Bruce leads the team with 26 home runs, and second baseman Brandon Phillips has a team high 81 RBI. Since the All-Star break, the Dodgers have a record of 8-1. The Dodgers' record of 25-6 the last 31 games is tied for the best start in the team's history. That feat was accomplished in 1962, 1976, and 1977. Source: Elias Sports Bureau. Chris Capuano will be on the hill for Los Angeles today. He has a record of 3-6 with an ERA of 5.03. The Dodgers are fifth in the Majors with a team ERA of 3.57. The starters are fourth in MLB with an ERA of 3.43. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez leads position in batting average at .383. Pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Zack Greinke have averages of .667 and .394, respectively, but Nolasco only has three at bats and Greinke only has 33 at bats. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez leads the club with 15 home runs as well as 65 RBI. This should be a great series finale between two powerhouse franchises and clubs, but look for the power in the Los Angeles lineup to wear down Cingrani. I expect the Dodgers to continue their hot streak and pick up the win today.

Brewers at Rockies Game Preview

Tonight at 7:40 CST on Fox Sports Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Brewers (42-59) visit Coors Field to take on the Colorado Rockies (49-54). Milwaukee enters this three game series after losing three out of four games at home against the San Diego Padres. The Brewers lost 10-8 yesterday. They scored five runs in the 7th inning to make it 10-8, but they were unable to finish the comeback attempt. Yovani Gallardo took the loss after allowing six runs over 3 2/3 innings. Wily Peralta will make the start for the Brewers tonight. He has a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 4.30. Milwaukee is trying to cope with the season-ending suspension of Ryan Braun. According to MLB.com, he came clean about "violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program." Shortstop Jean Segura leads the team in batting average at .313. Centerfielder Carlos Gomez leads the team with 16 home runs, Jonathan Lucroy is the team leader in RBI with 55. Colorado enters the final series of their 10 game homestand on a one game losing streak. The Rockies dropped a 5-3 decision to the Miami Marlins yesterday. The Rox scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th but they couldn't finish complete the rally to earn a four game split in the series. Tyler Chatwood will be on the hill for the Rox tonight. He enters this game with a record of 6-3 and an ERA of 2.48.  This is the first and only time the Rockies will host the Brewers this season. Milwaukee hosted Colorado for the first series of the season. Milwaukee won Opening Day on a walkoff sacrifice fly by Jonathan Lucroy, but Colorado won the final two games to earn a series win. Michael Cuddyer, a participant in the MLB Home Run Derby last week, leads the team with a .331 batting average. Carlos Gonzalez is the team leader with 26 home runs, and he also leads the team with 67 RBI. This should be a great game, but look for the pitching of Chatwood and the home field of Colorado to get the job done tonight.