Cardinals-Brewers Preview

The Milwaukee Brewers finally figured out how to score some runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in their latest game. To capture the three-game series, however, they'll have to hope Manny Parra has solved his problems on the mound.

Parra has spent the last four weeks in Triple-A trying to correct his control issues, but he'll be back in the majors Thursday afternoon hoping to pitch the Brewers past the visiting Cardinals and into a first-place tie in the NL Central.

Milwaukee (44-40) was counting on Parra to be one of the anchors of its rotation following the offseason departures of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, but instead the promising left-hander's season has been a disaster.

Parra (3-8, 7.52 ERA) went 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in five starts from May 22-June 13, with a 1 2-3-inning outing against the Chicago White Sox serving as the tipping point toward a demotion to Triple-A Nashville.

"He's got the stuff. I'm going to say right now his confidence level is low," Brewers manager Ken Macha said after Parra's loss to the White Sox. "No matter how hard you throw, if you're throwing in the 90s, 92, 93, and you throw it in the middle of the plate it gets hit, and he understands that."

Following a poor start from fill-in Seth McClung last Thursday, Parra is back after going 1-2 with a 2.92 ERA in four starts in the minors, but walked 13 in 24 2/3 innings. He tossed seven scoreless innings on Friday.

Parra might have a better chance of picking up his first win since May 17 at St. Louis (46-40) considering the Brewers broke out of a hitting slump against the Cardinals on Wednesday. Milwaukee had been held to two or fewer runs in four straight games against St. Louis, but Mat Gamel's two-run homer and Prince Fielder's eighth-inning RBI made the difference in a 5-4 comeback win.

"We're battling our way here," Macha said after Fielder's fifth hit in 25 at-bats against the Cardinals. "Coming back and tying the ball game up after they'd scored four was huge."

The Brewers continued their relative mastery of Albert Pujols on Wednesday, holding the NL's reigning MVP hitless in four at-bats. Pujols, who's hitting .208 (5 for 24) with no homers and two RBIs against Milwaukee, is 6 for 15 (.400) with a homer and six walks against Parra.

Parra, however, is 1-1 with a 3.70 ERA in eight career games -- seven starts -- versus St. Louis. He gave up three runs and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings against the Cardinals at Miller Park on May 27 -- walking five -- in a 3-2 loss.

Joel Pineiro (6-9, 3.39), meanwhile, has spent the whole season in the St. Louis rotation, yet this will be his first start against Milwaukee. Pineiro has been the victim of poor run support, going 1-6 in his last eight outings despite a 3.29 ERA.

The Cardinals didn't score during Pineiro's seven innings Friday at Cincinnati as the right-hander allowed three runs. They did put up four runs for him in the eighth, yet the back-and-forth final innings left Pineiro without a decision in St. Louis' 7-4 win.

Pineiro is 1-0 with a 3.26 ERA in three starts against Milwaukee, and he's done a fine job against the Brewers' two biggest sluggers. Fielder is 1 for 9 (.111) against Pineiro, while fellow All-Star Ryan Braun is 2 for 9 with a pair of strikeouts.