Mets-Brewers Preview
MILWAUKEE -- After his first bad outing of the season, Jimmy Nelson will look to get back on track Thursday night when the Milwaukee Brewers open a four-game series with the defending NL Champion New York Mets at Miller Park. If there's one thing the Milwaukee Brewers have been able to count on this season, it's been the consistency of Nelson, a 27-year-old right hander. In just his second full MLB season, the 27-year-old has emerged as a staff ace, leading the team in victories (5), ERA (3.43), strikeouts (60) and innings pitched (76.0) with a team-high eight quality starts. "I think he could be the Cy Young Award winner," pitching coach Derek Johnson said during spring training. "I think he's that kind of guy. Will he be? I don't know. He's got that kind of talent. I know he certainly has that kind of drive. The work ethic is there and the (body) frame is there and he loves to pitch, so the sky's the limit." He lasted just four innings his last time out, giving up six runs on seven hits -- including two home runs -- and three walks with only one strikeout. In his six starts before that, Nelson had gone 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings of work. "He was behind a bunch of hitters," manager Craig Counsell said. "I don't think his breaking ball was quite as sharp as we've seen in some outings. This certainly wasn't his best outing." Nelson has made three career starts against the Mets, posting a 1-1 record and 1.80 ERA. The Mets will send veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon to the mound in Milwaukee, where he's 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA in three career starts at Miller Park and 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts at the Brewers' previous home, County Stadium. Colon has gone 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last three starts and has allowed more than three earned runs just once in 12 outings this season. The Mets come to Milwaukee riding high, having snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Pirates with a 6-5, 10-inning victory Wednesday night. Since holding the Brewers to just seven runs on 18 hits in a three-game sweep last month, the Mets had gone 6-8 prior to their victory at PNC Park, including a double-header sweep by the Pirates earlier this week. "We had to work hard for everything we got," manager Terry Collins said told ESPN.com. "And then to make it stand up was a struggle. We'll take it and get out of here." Milwaukee has gone 10-5 since that series in New York. |