Padres vs. Brewers Preview
MILWAUKEE, WI (AP) – Zack Greinke’s debut with the Milwaukee Brewers failed to live up to the expectations the club had for its big offseason acquisition.
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Greinke will hope to bounce back in his first home start Monday night when the Brewers, coming off a miserable road trip, open a three-game series against the San Diego Padres.
Milwaukee (14-20) acquired Greinke from Kansas City in a six-player deal in December. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner then suffered a cracked rib playing pickup basketball at the start of spring training, delaying his debut.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGLOBAL.com have made the Brewers -142 money line favorites for Monday’s game against the Padres. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 77% of more than 229 bets for this game have been placed on the Brewers -142.
Greinke (0-1, 9.00 ERA) struggled in his first start, allowing five runs and five hits while striking out six over four innings of an 8-0 loss at Atlanta on Wednesday.
Manager Ron Roenicke said Greinke will come around eventually.
“It’s in the long haul that Greinke is going to help us,” he told the Brewers’ official website. “Right when he came back, I would have been surprised if he had been just locked in. He’s got good stuff, he’s a great competitor, but he needs to build up arm strength and command. That may take three to four outings or maybe it’s the next one. I hope it is, but it may take awhile.”
Greinke’s disappointing outing was one of many problems the Brewers encountered on their road trip. They concluded the 2-8 stretch with a 3-1 loss at St. Louis on Sunday, managing only five hits. They were outscored 40-17 during the trip.
Ryan Braun batted .189 during the trek while Prince Fielder hit .171, with the duo a combined 3 for 34 (.088) with no RBIs in the last five games.
“I haven’t seen anything like this from these guys, that’s for sure,” infielder Craig Counsell said. “It’s all of us. Braun and Prince aren’t going to be the guys every single day.
“That’s not how it’s going to work, so we’ve all got a job to do.”
The Brewers will try to turn things around during a six-game homestand. They are 8-5 at Miller Park.
San Diego (14-20) begins an eight-game road trip having won five of eight. The Padres took two of three at home against Arizona over the weekend, including a 4-3 victory Sunday.
Jorge Cantu hit a three-run homer in a four-run first inning.
“When you score first, especially a big number like that, it sets up a lot of things as the game goes on,” manager Bud Black said.
The Padres are 7-6 on the road, averaging 3.9 runs compared to 2.6 at home.
They’ll hand the ball to Mat Latos (0-4, 4.55) to open the series.
Latos is still looking for his first victory since defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 7. He was in line for the win against Pittsburgh on Tuesday after allowing two runs and five hits in six innings, but the bullpen squandered the lead before the Padres recovered to win 6-5.
While he didn’t receive the decision, Latos snapped a nine-start losing streak.
“Something just clicked,” catcher Rob Johnson told the Padres’ official website. “His fastball was tight and his slider had a lot of life to it.”
Latos made his only appearance against the Brewers last May, allowing two solo home runs in six innings of a 2-1 defeat.
Despite that loss, San Diego averaged 5.6 runs while going 4-3 against Milwaukee last year.
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