Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Monday, July 27, 2015 MLB.com • Lineup hits cold stretch at end of red-hot July • Brewers’ offense skids in series loss • Lohse faces Giants in final start before Deadline

Journal Sentinel • Brewers bats are silent once again in loss to Diamondbacks • Adam Lind sits one out because of lower back tightness • Brewers at Diamondbacks: Sunday game report

FOX Sports • Brewers’ Gomez drawing interest from contenders, non-contenders

AP • Crew suffers another shutout at hands of Diamondbacks • Brewers-Giants Preview

St. Louis Post-Dispatch • Cards have talked to Brewers about Lind

http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/138948686/brewers-offense-struggles-in-series-loss Lineup hits cold stretch at end of red-hot July

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | July 26, 2015

PHOENIX -- After being shut out for the second straight day in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the D-backs, the Brewers' red- hot July is threatening to end with a deep freeze.

After going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, the Brewers were hitless in their last 19 at-bats in the clutch. In losing consecutive shutouts over the weekend for the first time since April 2013, the Brewers went 0-for-16 in those situations.

"We just haven't been able to put innings together," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We just haven't been able to keep the line moving the last couple of days. We're in a little bit of a drought here, but I'm confident we'll score runs."

That's because Counsell's club has shown it is capable of scoring runs in bunches. From the start of July through Thursday, the Brewers owned baseball's best OPS (.859), second best scoring rate (5.88 runs per game, tops in the National League) and fifth-best batting average with runners in scoring position (.287).

On Friday, Jimmy Nelson was able to pitch the Brewers to a 2-1 win. But with no Brewers' offense on Saturday and Sunday, the D-backs won games by scores of 2-0 and 3-0. On Sunday, the Brewers were without regular first baseman Adam Lind(back), center fielder Carlos Gomez (day off) and Jean Segura (sick).

"Obviously our offense was pretty bad," said Jonathan Lucroy, who started at first base on Sunday and accounted for one of Milwaukee's four hits. "We weren't very good in the clutch, and we weren't very good with less than two outs and a runner on this. And I'm including myself there."

Lucroy's biggest missed opportunity came in the third inning, when Brewers starter Matt Garza and leadoff man Gerardo Parra began with successive singles against Arizona starter Jeremy Hellickson. Lucroy flew out to medium right field, too shallow to score Garza, who was then thrown out at the plate on 's bouncer to third. Khris Davis ended the inning with one of his four strikeouts. "You can't go out there and put runners on and not get them in and expect to win games," Lucroy said. "We have to be better at that. It's all contagious. You can't take anything away from their pitchers, because they did a good job of mixing and executing in situations, but we need to put some better swings on the ball in those situations.

Especially myself. I left a lot of guys stranded, and I'm not too happy about that." Lucroy's results in clutch situations have suffered this season along with the rest of his numbers. He is hitting .250 with 17 RBIs in 56 at-bats with runners in scoring positon. Last season, Lucroy batted .265 in those situations, with 53 RBIs in 136 at-bats.

http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/138915702/jeremy-hellickson-leads-d-backs-in-shutout Brewers’ offense skids in series loss

By Adam McCalvy and Jake Rill / MLB.com | July 26, 2015

PHOENIX -- Jeremy Hellickson pitched six scoreless innings and Jake Lamb andChris Owings provided run- scoring, extra-base hits in the D-backs' 3-0 win over the Brewers on Sunday at Chase Field. It was Arizona's third victory in the four-game series and second consecutive shutout.

"His off-speed stuff today was really good, changeup, breaking ball, it threw them off down at the bottom of the order especially," D-backs manager Chip Hale said of Hellickson. "He's able to throw pitches that aren't predictable."

Hellickson and Brewers starter Matt Garza dodged traffic all afternoon. Hellickson held Milwaukee hitless (0-for-9) with runners in scoring position over his six innings of work, while Garza also had Arizona at 0-for-9 with RISP before Owings finally broke through with a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning to chase Garza from the game. Lamb's RBI triple in the fourth inning came with a runner at first base.

Hellickson improved to 5-1 with a 2.33 ERA in his last six starts at Chase Field while Garza lost for the fourth time in his last five decisions after allowing three earned runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. The Brewers were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

"You felt like [Garza] deserved a little better outcome than he got," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "He was one pitch away from a really nice outing. I know he's frustrated, because he pitched well."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Out at home: Garza put the Brewers in business by singling to open the third inning, and was at third base with one when he broke home on contact with Ryan Braun at the plate. But Braun's bouncer went right to third baseman Lamb, who threw home to make Garza an easy out in what became a scoreless inning.

Not so rare: While triples are the rarest type of hit, the D-backs have been collecting a bunch of them this month. In the fourth inning, Lamb tripled in A.J. Pollock for the first run of the game. The D-backs have 28 triples this season with 12 of them coming in July. It was Lamb's fourth triple of the year.

"We need him to hit," Hale said of Lamb. "That's something we've been waiting on, for him to get back to where he was before the injury and I think he's starting to get comfortable."

Tough day for Davis: With Adam Lind, Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura all out of Sunday's lineup, Brewers left fielder Khris Davis made his third start of the season in the cleanup spot. Davis had a difficult day, striking out in each of his first three at-bats with two runners aboard, including an inning-ending whiff in the third inning. Davis struck out again with the bases empty in the eighth for the third four-strikeout game of his career. Davis did make a pair of nice running catches in the outfield, but he also muffed a fly ball for an error. Coming in cold: With two outs in the sixth, Owings entered as a pinch-hitter for Hellickson with runners on first and second. Owings doubled down the left-field line to give the D-backs a cushion, pushing their lead to 3-0. Although Owings is 6-for-24 in his career as a pinch-hitter, he is 3-for-7 this season.

"He had good numbers against Garza," Hale said. "I knew when we got into a situation where we could do some damage off the bench that C.O. would be the guy."

QUOTABLE

"It's coming back, but it's still not where I want to be. The ball is staying in the yard more, it's down. I'm just not turning my luck around. You just have to keep grinding, keep pushing." -- Garza on his two starts since a stint on the disabled list for a sore shoulder

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The Brewers led Major League Baseball with an .859 OPS and ranked second with 5.88 runs per game from July 1-23, but endured an offensive outage over the final three games of this series. They scored two total runs and went 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position from Friday through Sunday. More >

The D-backs had back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since June 3-4, 2011.

WHAT'S NEXT

Brewers: The Brewers' westward swing continues at 9:15 p.m. CT Monday night in San Francisco, where Kyle Lohse will take a 6.29 ERA into his final scheduled start before the nonwaiver Trade Deadline. With Wily Peralta rejoining the rotation from the disabled list the following night, the Brewers have some decisions to make, and Lohse's spot is in question.

D-backs: The D-backs open a 10-game road trip with a three-game series against the Mariners that begins on Monday at 7:10 p.m. MST. Robbie Ray takes the mound for the D-backs coming off his toughest outing of the season, when he gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Marlins.

http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/138889660/lohse-faces-giants-in-final-start-before-deadline Lohse faces Giants in final start before Deadline

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | July 26, 2015

Brewers manager Craig Counsell made the case that Monday will be just another start for veteran right-hander Kyle Lohse.

"He's a member of the rotation, and he's taking his turn just like they all are," Counsell said.

The question is whether there will be more turns for Lohse after Monday night, when he starts opposite right- hander Chris Heston at AT&T Park.

Lohse has struggled to a 5-11 record and a 6.29 ERA, denting the team's hopes of trading Lohse in the final year of his contract. Monday is Lohse's final scheduled start before the nonwaiver Trade Deadline, and with Wily Peralta coming off the disabled list to pitch Game 2 of the series on Tuesday, there also exists the possibility that Lohse could be moved to the bullpen or even removed from the roster.

He's 3-2 with a 4.78 ERA in five career starts at AT&T Park. Things to know about this game

• Heston, a rookie, will make his 20th start of the season. He has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts, going 5-1 with a 1.83 ERA during that span.

• Brewers athletic trainers will evaluate first baseman Adam Lind on Monday after Lind exited Saturday's game early and missed a start Sunday because of lower back stiffness. Shortstop Jean Segura also could return for the Brewers after he was scratched Sunday with an illness.

• Of Giants batters, Hunter Pence has seen Lohse most often and is 18-for-53 (.340) against the right-hander.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/milwaukee-brewers-vs-arizona-diamondbacks- b99544741z1-318553561.html Brewers bats are silent once again in loss to Diamondbacks

By Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel July 26, 2015

Phoenix — The ' offense has been a no-show so far out west.

Trying for a series split with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field, the Brewers instead managed just four singles in being shut out for the second straight game, this time by a score of 3-0.

Over four games, Milwaukee totaled five runs on 23 hits against an Arizona pitching staff that ranks in the bottom fourth of the National League.

Four of those runs were driven in on two Ryan Braun homers — a three-run shot in the ninth inning of an 8-3 loss Thursday and a solo shot in a 2-1 victory Friday.

In the two shutout losses Saturday and Sunday, the Brewers managed 10 singles. They had a total of five extra-base hits — three doubles and the two Braun homers — over the four games.

All told, the Brewers went 3 for 26 with runners in scoring position in the series.

"Obviously our offense was pretty bad," said Jonathan Lucroy, who singled five times in the four games. "We weren't good in the clutch, we weren't good with less than two outs and a runner on third. I'm including myself there.

"That's what happens. You can't go out there and put runners on and not get them in and expect to win games. We've got to be better than that."

The performance was in stark contrast to the way they swung the bats for the better part of July in putting together an 11-5 record for the month heading into their two-city, seven-game road trip.

"We just haven't been able to put innings together," Counsell said. "We just haven't been able to keep the line moving the last couple days. We're in a little bit of a drought here, I'm confident we'll score runs."

The Brewers were playing without three starters, as Adam Lind (back) and Jean Segura (sore throat) were out due to health reasons and Carlos Gomez was given the day off.

Each team botched scoring opportunities early.

Arizona came first, with A.J. Pollock trying to score on a bunt by Nick Ahmed in the second. But Ahmed's bunt was right back to starter Matt Garza, who made an underhand flip home to a waiting Martin Maldonado for the easy out. Oscar Hernandez then grounded out, leaving the Diamondbacks scoreless after having runners on second and third with one out.

Milwaukee followed by opening the third with singles by Garza and Gerardo Parra. Lucroy flied out to right, but not deep enough for Garza to try to tag and score. Braun, up next, hit a chopper to third and Garza tried scoring, only to be thrown out easily at home. Khris Davis then struck out to keep the Brewers scoreless.

The Diamondbacks finally broke through in the fourth when Pollock drew a leadoff walk and scored on a triple off the wall in center by Jake Lamb to grab a 1-0 lead.

The Brewers put two on with one out in the fifth against Arizona starter Jeremy Hellickson after Lucroy singled and Braun walked, but Davis struck out for the third time on the day and Scooter Gennett grounded out.

That left them 0 for 9 on the day with runners in scoring position.

"You can't take anything away from their pitchers; they did a good job executing and making pitches," Lucroy said. "But we've got to put some better swings on the ball."

Arizona, which was 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position itself entering the sixth, chased Garza with a pair of runs manufactured by the bottom half of the order.

Lamb led off with a double, and after Yasmany Tomas grounded out, Ahmed walked to put two on. Hernandez struck out to leave Garza one out away from escaping the jam, but pinch-hitter Chris Owings — batting for Hellickson — doubled just over Hernan Perez at third and into the left-field corner to stretch the Diamondbacks' lead to 3-0.

"Owings, in that sixth inning, slider in the dirt — just tip your cap," Garza said. "The guy hit a good pitch. It was down in the dirt. It is what it is. That's all there is to it."

That ended the day for Garza (5-11), who otherwise pitched well. He allowed seven hits and three walks (one intentional) to go along with five strikeouts over 52/3 innings (96 pitches).

"I felt like he deserved a little better outcome than he got," Counsell said. "He was one pitch away from a really nice outing. I know he's frustrated because he pitched well.

"He's one pitch away, really. Ball goes just off the glove (of Perez). It was frustrating."

Milwaukee managed only a ninth-inning walk over the final four innings against Hellickson (7-6) and three Arizona relievers. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/adam-lind-sits-one-out-because-of-lower-back-tightness- b99544743z1-318595801.html Adam Lind sits one out because of lower back tightness

By Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel July 26, 2015

Phoenix — Adam Lind was out of the lineup with lower back tightness on Sunday as the Milwaukee Brewers closed their four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 3-0 loss.

Jonathan Lucroy slid over to first base, giving manager Craig Counsell an easy one-day fix. But what if Lind winds up being out several days as the team heads to San Francisco?

"I haven't even thought about that yet, and I don't think I will," he said. "We're not there yet.

"Look, when a regular player goes down, there's not going to be a player on the roster necessarily that just fills in (perfectly). If that happens, we'll have to come up with a plan.

"But I'm not at a point where I'm considering that now."

Lind was lifted from Saturday's 2-0 loss heading into the third inning, leaving Counsell to move backup outfielder Shane Peterson there to get the Brewers through the game. Peterson actually came up as a first baseman before moving to the outfield, with his first two major-league appearances coming there with the Oakland A's in 2013.

"I don't have any problem with playing Shane at first base," he said. "Shane could play some first base in Adam's absence. That's certainly a possibility.

"But let's not put the dirt on Adam yet. It's only been one day."

Peterson, who's been the Brewers' top pinch-hitter of late, has done regular work at first base before games since the Brewers optioned Jason Rogers— the only other experienced first baseman on the roster — to Class AAA Colorado Springs on July 3.

"It takes a while," Peterson said when asked if the position has come back quickly to him. "The game speed is hard to replicate. You can take ground balls off a fungo, Mike (Guerrero) can throw me picks, but it's hard to get that same speed that you can really only get in a game.

"It's hard to be bad at first, but it's also hard to be good at first. Everybody can catch a ball if a guy throws you a four-seamer. But that doesn't always happen. Some guys throw two-seamers, sometimes the ball cuts. You have to be able to move your feet around.

"There's a lot more to it than just catching it."

Big day for Big Unit: With Randy Johnson being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Sunday was a big day for Diamondbacks fans.

The induction ceremony was broadcast live on the big screen at Chase Field before the game, and earlier in the series Counsell — a former teammate of Johnson's in Arizona — spoke about the big left-hander's big day.

"You're happy for him. It's a deserved honor," he said. "To me, any time you look back and say, 'I got to be a teammate of a Hall of Famer, I got to watch a guy win three Cy Youngs and be a small part of it,' you feel blessed you were able to be a small part of it."

Counsell was asked if he had any special memories of playing with Johnson, who becomes the first player to be inducted as a Diamondback. "There's several, but the first thing that comes to my mind was just him walking out of the dugout in Game 7 of the World Series (in 2001), going down to the bullpen," he said. "In Game 6, he had started and thrown (104) pitches, and you didn't want him to have to go down to the bullpen — it was kind of a precarious moment in the game and everything — but it just kind of gave you chills to see the big man going down there, knowing he said, 'Look, I'm available.'

"He's a great competitor, but you expose yourself there, you know? It's Game 7 of the World Series, and he's not operating on a full tank right there, but he went down and pitched a huge inning."

Johnson was tough on the Brewers throughout his career, going 18-10 with 269 strikeouts in 33 career starts against them. His 18 victories were his second-most against any team and his 269 strikeouts were the most.

Day to forget: Khris Davis, hitting cleanup with both Lind and Carlos Gomez out of the lineup, had a day to forget by striking out in all four at-bats — the dreaded Golden Sombrero — while also committing an error in left when he dropped an easy fly ball in the third inning.

"Khris just had a rough day," Counsell said. "Nothing more than that." Davis did redeem himself somewhat later in the game by making a couple of nice running catches.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/brewers-at-diamondbacks-sunday-game-report- b99544745z1-318602161.html Brewers at Diamondbacks: Sunday game report

By Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel July 26, 2015

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

■ Sunday was the five-year anniversary of Matt Garza's no-hitter for Tampa Bay, which still stands as the lone such performance in Rays history. Garza walked just one and struck out six in a 120-pitch outing as he beat the , 5-0.

■Yhonathan Barrios, the reliever acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the trade of Aramis Ramirez last week, allowed a hit and a walk but still recorded his first save for Class AA Biloxi on Saturday.

STATITUDES

■Gerardo Parra extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a third-inning single. He's now one game shy of tying Adam Lind for the longest hitting streak by a Brewers player this season.

■ The Brewers did a good job of containing Paul Goldschmidt over the final two games of the series. He went 2 for 6 with a double, RBI and run scored, which was a definite victory for a pitching staff that found it almost impossible to get him out in the teams' first five games.

RECORD

THIS YEAR: 43-56

LAST YEAR: 55-44

HOME: 20-29 (roof open, 8-9; roof closed, 12-20)

ROAD: 23-27 COMING UP

Monday: 9:15 p.m. at AT&T Park. RHP Kyle Lohse (5-11, 6.29) vs. San Francisco RHP Chris Heston (10-5, 3.18). TV — FS Wisconsin. Radio — AM-620.

Tuesday: 9:15 p.m. at AT&T Park. RHP Wily Peralta (1-5, 4.00) vs. San Francisco RHP Matt Cain (2-1, 4.09). TV — FS Wisconsin. Radio — AM-620.

Wednesday: 2:45 p.m. at AT&T Park. RHP Mike Fiers (5-8, 3.94) vs. San Francisco RHP Jake Peavy (2-4, 4.86). TV — FS Wisconsin. Radio — AM-620.

IN THE MINORS

COLORADO SPRINGS (AAA): Jason Rogers and Pete Orr combined for four of the Sky Sox's five hits in a 3-1 loss to the Omaha Storm Chasers.

BILOXI (AA): Victor Roache hit a three-run homer in the Shuckers' 10-2 dismantling of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

WISCONSIN (A): Tucker Neuhaus and Omar Cotto had two RBI apiece in the Timber Rattlers' 6-4 victory over the Clinton Lumber Kings.

HELENA (Rookie): Steven Karkenny's home run provided the only scoring for the Brewers in an 11-1 loss to the Missoula Osprey.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/milwaukee-brewers-garlos-gomez-trade-deadline-drawing-interest-072715? vid=491643971740 Brewers’ Gomez drawing interest from contenders, non-contenders

By Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports July 27, 2015

Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez is one of the most intriguing players on the trade market – a right-handed hitter who is affordable and under club control through next season.

Not surprisingly, Gomez is drawing interest -- and not only from teams in obvious contention.

The Rangers and Indians are among the clubs that have reached out to the Brewers about Gomez, according to major-league sources.

Both teams rank near the bottom in the majors in OPS from the center-field position – the Indians are 23rd, the Rangers 28th.

The Giants, who rank 24th, and Astros, who rank 25th, are two other clubs that find Gomez appealing, but the Giants might not have the prospects to land him and the Astros appear more focused on bullpen help, sources say.

Gomez, 29, is earning $8 million this season and $9 million next season. A team could gain control of him for two pennant races and also have two opportunities to trade him – this offseason and next July.

The Rangers, who badly want a right-handed bat, are operating aggressively as both buyers and sellers, trying to acquire players such as Gomez and Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels while fielding offers for right-hander Yovani Gallardo and lefty Wandy Rodriguez, sources say. Rookie Delino DeShields, a Rule 5 pick from the Astros, has performed well for the Rangers after taking over for Leonys Martin in center. But DeShields also can play left and still be part of the future outfield equation; the team is expected to trade right fielder Shin Soo-Choo this off-season.

The Indians also are looking at additions and subtractions, exploring deals for players who could fit for next season and beyond while listening to proposals for their starting pitchers and corner players such as David Murphy and Ryan Raburn, sources say.

Michael Bourn, the team’s current center fielder, is under contract for $13.5 million next season. The Indians, however, could look to move him this winter – Bourn is batting only .230 with a .576 OPS and has stolen only seven bases in 11 attempts.

http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-suffer-another-shutout-at-hands-of-arizona- diamondbacks-072615 Crew suffers another shutout at hands of Diamondbacks

By Associated Press July 26, 2015

PHOENIX -- The Milwaukee Brewers must wonder what's with the vanishing offense.

Just a few days ago, they were knocking it all over Miller Park. They come to Arizona and it disappears like a drop of rain in the desert sand.

And this is supposed to be a hitter-friendly ballpark.

Jeremy Hellickson was the latest starter to stifle them, pitching out of trouble through six innings in the Diamondbacks' 3-0 win on Sunday. It comes on the heels of a 2-0 loss Saturday night, Arizona's first consecutive shutouts in four years. In all, Milwaukee lost three of four in the series.

"We just haven't been able to put innings together" Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We had a good opportunity in the third inning, but we just haven't been able to keep the line moving the last couple of days. We're in a little bit of a drought here, but I'm confident we'll score runs."

Jake Lamb tripled, doubled, drove in a run and scored another for the Diamondbacks, who put a successful finish to an otherwise disappointing 4-6 homestand. Lamb, returning to his Seattle hometown for a series starting Monday, is getting back to the form he had before going down with a foot injury.

"I was a little rusty and I wanted to be hitting .400 like I was at the beginning," Lamb said. "I had a bunch of meetings with Turner Ward our hitting coach and it was just a matter of just having trust. I had a plan but I was never trusting it."

After scoring 27 runs in the four games before coming to Arizona, the Brewers managed just five in four against the Diamondbacks.

Hellickson (7-6) allowed four hits, struck out six, walked three and hit a batter. Relievers Andrew Chafin andDavid Hernandez threw a perfect inning apiece before Brad Ziegler completed the shutout for his 17th save, the last 15 in a row.

Matt Garza (5-11) gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings for Milwaukee. He struck out five, walked three and hit a batter. Garza is 1-4 in his last five starts but was coming off a six scoreless-inning effort against Cleveland.

"I feel like he deserved a little better outcome than he got," Counsell said. "He was one pitch away from a really nice outing." With Arizona nursing a 1-0 lead, Lamb opened the sixth inning with a double down the right field line. Nick Ahmed drew a one-out walk, then Oscar Hernandez struck out. That brought up pinch hitter Chris Owings, who doubled just inside the left field line to clear the bases and make it 3-0.

"Their guy threw the ball well and kept us off-balance, and they came up with big hits when they needed to," Garza said. "Owings in the sixth inning with that slider in the dirt, just tip your cap. The guy hit a good pitch. It was down in the dirt. It is what it is. That's all there is to it."

Milwaukee's Gerardo Parra, a leading candidate to be traded before Friday's deadline, singled in the third to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

Brewers left fielder Khris Davis dropped a routine flyball to prolong the third but Paul Goldschmidt struck out to end the inning. Davis also struck out four times.

UP NEXT

Milwaukee moves to the second leg of its seven-game trip, opening a three-game series Monday night in San Francisco. Kyle Lohse (5-11, 6.29 ERA) starts for the Brewers, Chris Heston (10-5, 3.18) for the Giants.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/brewers-giants-preview-072615 Brewers-Giants Preview

By Associated Press July 26, 2015

Led by baseball's hottest hitter, the San Francisco Giants are on the brink of overtaking first place in the NL West.

There's little to reason to think the streaking Giants' hit parade won't continue Monday night against struggling Kyle Lohse and the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.

The Giants (54-44) won 4-3 against Oakland on Sunday for their 11th victory in 12 games. They're hitting .332 in that span, trimming their deficit behind the first-place from 5 1/2 games to one.

Buster Posey, who had a season-high four hits Sunday, is 23 for 45 with 10 RBIs during that stretch. He's batting a major league-leading .452 since June 25, raising his season average from .287 to .328.

Lohse (5-11, 6.29 ERA) owns baseball's highest ERA, which would be the worst for a full season since Detroit's Nate Robertson posted a 6.35 mark in 2008. The right-hander has failed to record a quality start in five consecutive games.

Manager Craig Counsell cited Lohse's track record, which boasts 147 career wins including 24 over the previous two seasons in Milwaukee, as one of the biggest reasons he's still in the rotation.

"He's had two darn good years here, and you hope he gets it going," Counsell said.

Lohse is 3-4 with a 5.08 ERA in eight career outings against San Francisco and gave up five runs in 5 1-3 innings of an 8-4 loss on May 25.

The Brewers (43-56) have dropped four of five while being shut out in two straight for the first time since April 12-13, 2013, at St. Louis. They've been blanked for three consecutive games once in franchise history, May 3-6, 1972, once against Minnesota and twice against the California Angels.

"We're in a little bit of a drought here, but I'm confident we'll score runs," Counsell said. It's unclear if Adam Lind, who owns a team-leading .865 OPS, will rejoin the lineup after sitting out Sunday due to back stiffness.

Milwaukee hit .194 while being swept in three games by the Giants at Miller Park from May 25-27, extending San Francisco's winning streak to six in the series. A seventh straight victory would match the longest winning streak in series history, with both teams accomplishing that once previously. The Giants have also taken seven of the last nine meetings at AT&T Park.

San Francisco's Chris Heston (10-5, 3.18 ERA) looks to win a third straight start for the first time in his first matchup with Milwaukee.

Heston is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA in his last six games, allowing one run over 21 1-3 innings in the last three. He limited San Diego to one hit and two walks in 7 1-3 shutout innings of a 9-3 road victory Tuesday, taking a no-hitter into the sixth and becoming San Francisco's first rookie with 10 wins since Matt Cain in 2006.

Opponents are hitting just .196 against Heston going back to his no-hitter against the New York Mets on June 9.

Nori Aoki, who was 9 for 14 in the first series with a homer off Lohse, could return to the lineup pending a medical examination. He hasn't played since June 20 due to a fractured right fibula but is 3 for 7 against Lohse.

Khris Davis, who is 3 for 22 over his last 10 games and struck out four times in Sunday's 3-0 loss at Arizona, has batted .414 with nine extra-base hits in 11 career meetings with the Giants.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cards-have-talked-to-brewers-about-lind/article_310403ec- a9d0-50af-a624-c68c0af1c742.html Cards have talked to Brewers about Lind

By Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch July 27, 2015

With the trade deadline arriving Friday, the Cardinals have had conversations recently with Milwaukee, and the Brewers are believed to be willing to trade first baseman Adam Lind.

Lind has 16 homers, a .549 slugging percentage against righthanded pitchers, and the lefthanded swing the Cardinals prefer. That’s the profile — pop potential, and from the left side.

Lind, 32, left Saturday's game after one at-bat because of tightness in his back; he received treatment Sunday and was not in the lineup against Arizona. Lind has 58 RBIs and is batting .285 with a .365 on-base percentage and .865 OPS. His career year occurred in 2009, when he hit 35 homers and batted .305 with 114 RBIs for Toronto.

The preference, general manager John Mozeliak has said, is to add a short-term contract if the Cardinals are going to acquire offensive help via trade. Lind is signed through 2015, with a team option for 2016 ($8 million salary; $500,000 buyout).

There remains the possibility that other options, such as Baltimore’s Chris Davis, will become available in the coming days. Davis, 29, is a lefthanded slugger on the rebound from a 2014 season in which he batted .196 with 173 strikeouts. He is hitting .242 with 22 homers and 60 RBIs, and will be a free agent after this season.

Or, the Cardinals might simply turn inward for the offensive bounce, as they have already with the recent return of Matt Holliday from the disabled list and the promotion of .

“I don’t know if there’s another player who will produce and help our ballclub. I do know we have a good thing going with what we have here,” right fielder Jason Heyward said. “That may be the lightning that helps. (Matt Carpenter) is one of our guys who can carry a team on his own. "What’s awesome about our lineup is you can go through spells. I can go through a spell. Yadi (Molina) can go through a spell. (Matt Holliday) can go through a spell. And we always pick each other up. That’s the testament of our season right now.”

The Cardinals’ .224 average in July ranks in the bottom six of the majors. They have averaged 3.82 runs per game in their past 48, most of which were played with left fielder Holliday on the disabled list. Only three teams in the National League scored fewer than their 101 runs in June, a month that saw Carpenter hit .190.

The Cardinals have gone 7-2 since the All-Star break, but subtract a 12-run bonanza against the Mets and they’ve won despite averaging 3.25 runs in the other eight games.