Brewers’ Corbin Burnes tries to end Astros’ seven-game hitting streak

THE Milwaukee Brewers Ace right-hander Corbin Burnes will look to provide run support against the visitors Houston Astros on Monday in the opener of the three-game series

Burnes (4-3, 3.48 ERA) will face right-hander Cristian Javier (4-1, 3.25).

Milwaukee salvaged the final game of a three-game sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, winning 6-4 behind six solid innings from Freddy Peralta. Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez and William Contreras all homered Brewers

THE Astros He extended his hitting streak to seven in a 2-0 victory over Oakland on Sunday as Framber Valdez threw a four-hitter for his second career shutout.

Despite going 2-4 on the last road trip, the Brewers remained atop the National League Central, one game ahead of Pittsburgh, which had lost seven of its last 10. They are the only two teams with a winning record in the division.

THE Brewers 21-4 when scoring at least four runs, 4-17 when scoring three or fewer. They were shut out twice on the trip, losing the first game 18-1 in St. Louis

THE Brewers they start a farm of seven games like the Astros They are in Milwaukee for the first time since September 2019

Burnes took the loss in his last start, allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings in a 3-0 loss at St. Louis, with the big hit being Paul De Jong’s two-run home run in the sixth.

“I felt great. I thought I threw the ball well,” Burnes said. “Other than the walk to (Paul) Goldschmidt in the first inning that led to that run, from there to the home run, I thought I pitched the ball pretty well.”

Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, is 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA in his last seven starts. Burnes struck out 46 in 51 2/3 innings with 19 walks. Last season Burnes struck out 243 in 202 innings and in 2021 he fanned 234 in 167 innings.

“It’s really good stuff,” Burnes said after the Cardinals game. “The cutter has come out really well the last couple of outings. Curveball was great tonight, we went to it when we needed to. We’re starting to get more swings and misses and obviously a lot of weekly contact, so we want to be there.”

Opponents are hitting .218 against Burnes this season with five homers.

Burnes only faced the Astros pitched one scoreless inning in 2019 in his career

Javier allowed just one run over six innings in a 7-3 win over the Cubs in his last start.

In three starts in May, Javier is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA, allowing just eight hits in 19 innings with 24 strikeouts. Javier never faced it Brewers

THE Astros He was bolstered early in the series in Oakland by the return of Jose Altuve, who was 2-9 in the first three games this season.

Altuve is hitting .328 with three homers and nine RBIs in 32 games against Milwaukee. All three homers came at American Family Field, where he is hitting .355 in 16 games.

— Field Level Media