Brewers (56-46) @ Cardinals (46-52) - Series Preview

The Brewers finish up their eight-game roadtrip with a four-game weekend series in St. Louis against the Cardinals. The Reds took three of four from the Brewers in the first series of the roadtrip. The Brewers and Cardinals will play a doubleheader Saturday to make up a rained out game from April.

New Brewer reliever Scott Linebrink will join the team in St. Louis and wear number 40. Linebrink is expected to be in uniform and be ready to pitch Friday.

Pitching match ups:

Friday - 7:10 PM CDT:

RHP Claudio Vargas (8-2, 4.47) vs. LHP Mike Maroth (5-5, 5.82)

Vargas pitched six innings and gave up three runs in his last start against the Giants to pick his eighth win of the season. He threw 87 pitches, gave up five hits, struck out four and walked one. The Brewers are 14-3 in games that Vargas starts. In his career against the Cardinals, Vargas is 1-4 with a 7.89 ERA in seven appearances, six of which were starts. He has yet to face the Cardinals during this season. Albert Pujols is 6-11 with three homers and seven RBI against Vargas in his career.

Maroth has struggled in the month of July. He is 0-3 with an ERA of 11.00 in four starts. In his last start, Maroth gave up 11 hits and ten runs in five innings of work against the Braves. Obviously, he picked up the loss in that game. Maroth faced the Brewers earlier this year when he was a member of the Tigers. He pitched seven innings and gave up just one run in a no-decision. The Brewers ended winning the game on a eighth inning two-run homer by Bill Hall off Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney. Maroth was traded to the Cardinals a couple weeks later. This will be Maroth's second career start against the Brewers. Tony Graffanino is 14-37 with a double, a triple, a homer and three RBI off Maroth in his career.

Saturday - Game 1 - 12:10 PM CDT:

LHP Manny Parra (0-0, 3.86) vs. RHP Brad Thompson (6-4, 4.93)

Parra gets the call as the Brewers needed someone out of the pen to start the first game of this doubleheader. This will be Parra's first big league start. Parra has made two appearances out of the pen, giving up one run in two and a third innings of work. He will be facing the Cardinals for the first time in his career. Earlier this year, Parra pitched a perfect game for the Nashville Sounds, the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate.

Thompson pitched six innings and gave up two runs in his last start against the Braves. The Cardinals won the game but Thompson received a no-decision. Lefties are hitting .355 against Thompson this season compared to .309 for his career. This will be Thompson's first ever start against the Brewers. He has made 13 relief appearances against the Brewers in his career. Three of those appearances came earlier this year. Thompson is 0-0 with a 2.60 ERA and a .161 batting average against in those appearances against the Crew. Graffanino is 3-6 with a double, a homer and four RBI against Thompson in his career.

Saturday - Game 2- 7:10 PM CDT:

LHP Chris Capuano (5-6, 4.64) vs. RHP Anthony Reyes (0-10, 6.40)

Capuano has pitched very nicely in his last two starts. Last time out, Capuano went eight innings and gave up one run against the Reds. However, Reds starter Aaron Harang was just as good as Capuano and the game went into extra innings. The Reds won the game in the 12th inning on a Javier Valentin single. The Brewers have lost 11 straight games that Capuano has started. In his career against the Cardinals, Capuano is 4-3 with a 5.14 ERA in ten starts. Pujols is 13-22 with two doubles, three homers and ten RBI in his career against Capuano. In his only start against the Cardinals this year, Capuano left after three innings of work because his right calf was struck by a batted ball. Capuano gave up no runs and two hits in those three innings.

Reyes will called up from Triple-A Memphis to make this start for the Cardinals. It has been a rough go of it for Reyes this year in the big leagues as his win-loss record demonstrates. In six starts at Triple-A, Reyes is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA. His last start in the big leagues was June 27th against the Mets, he pitched five innings and gave up two runs. Reyes also opposed Capuano earlier this year and gave up four runs, three earned in six innings of work in a loss. In his career against the Brewers, Reyes is 2-2 with a 4.94 ERA in six appearances, five of which were starts. Geoff Jenkins is 4-12 with three homers and four RBI against Reyes in his career.

Sunday - 1:15 PM CDT:

RHP Yovani Gallardo (3-1, 2.18) vs. RHP Kip Wells (4-13, 5.57)

Gallardo has given up just one run since replacing Sheets in the rotation when Sheets left his start against the Rockies July 14th early with an injured right middle finger. In his last start, Gallardo pitched six and two thirds innings and gave up one run against the Reds to pick up his third win of the year. Lefties are hitting just .167 against Gallardo in the bigs this year. This will be Gallado's first career start against the Cardinals.

Wells is coming off a solid start against the Cubs in which he threw six and two thirds innings and gave up two earned runs. He did pick up the loss in game though. In the month of July, Wells is 1-2 with a ERA of 2.79 in five appearances, three of which were starts. Wells has faced the Brewers twice this season and is 0-2 with a 6.92 ERA in those two starts. In his career against the Brewers, Wells is 6-8 with a 4.30 ERA in 19 stats. Wells has pitched more innings against the Brewers than any other opponent he has faced. Johnny Estrada is 5-12 with three doubles and two RBI against Wells in his career.