Milwaukee at St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a good spot, leading the NL Central by four games over Pittsburgh and 7.5 over the Cubs. They will entertain Milwaukee tonight while the Cubs and Pirates beat themselves up in a three-game series starting tonight. The Brewers have to feel good about the work of Ariel Pena, who is 2-0 in four starts with an ERA of 3.50. Pena has allowed just four hits in each of his last two starts, and has allowed two runs or fewer in three of his four starts. Carlos Martinez has certainly had a very strong season for the Cardinals, but not a lot of that has been done recently, as he has won just one time since September 27th. Friday night is typically a series opener, and St. Louis have failed five straight times in this setting to record a win. The Cardinals are on cruise control, while Milwaukee serves up a competent pitcher to a very high line. Take Milwaukee as a road dog.