Sunday, April 10, 2011
Posted: 10:53 a.m.
Associated Press
Yovani Gallardo has not wasted any time building on his solid 2010 season.
The Milwaukee right-hander has a good chance to continue his success overall and against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday at Miller Park.
Gallardo (1-0, 1.20 ERA) won a career-high 14 games and made his first All-Star team last season. That effort also got him a contract extension that has not hindered his performance through two 2011 starts.
After allowing two runs in six innings of a 7-6 opening-day loss at Cincinnati, Gallardo recorded his fourth complete game when he allowed two hits and scored in a 1-0 win over Atlanta on Tuesday.
"I'm amazed," first-year Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "Knowing when to throw offspeed pitches, knowing when to elevate in the zone, he's got a great feel for it, a great athlete. He's going to help himself win other ball games with the bat and with his fielding.
MLB
"He's a special guy."
The Cubs (4-4) know that first hand.
Gallardo is 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA in seven starts versus Chicago, including 2-0 with an 0.95 ERA in three at Miller Park. He allowed eight hits over 14 scoreless innings in two home starts against the Cubs in 2010.
Milwaukee (4-5) gave starter Chris Narveson more than enough support in Saturday's 6-0 win to even the series. Prince Fielder had a career-high three doubles with four RBIs and Ryan Braun added two hits as the Brewers won for the fourth time in five games since starting 0-4.
Fielder started the season 3 for 17 without driving in a run the first five games, but is 8 for 14 with a homer and nine RBIs the last four.
"It's always good having a guy like Braun in front of you because he can go deep, get base hits and steal bases," Fielder said.
Braun is batting .367 with six RBIs this season, and is 4 for 5 against scheduled starter Casey Coleman.
With Randy Wells on the disabled list because of a forearm strain, Coleman will make his 2011 debut after going 4-2 with a 3.33 ERA in eight starts for the Cubs last season.
The right-hander was one of the last players sent to the minors in spring training.
"I understood I needed to go down and get work in and get back up here soon," Coleman told the Cubs' official website. "It stinks the reason I'm up here."
Coleman allowed a run and five hits in six innings of a 2-0 road loss in his only previous start against the Brewers on Sept. 12.
His teammates will need to find a way to break out of their road funk against Gallardo and provide some support after recording six hits while being shut out for the first time in 2011.
Shortstop Starlin Castro is 4 for 9 with three doubles against Gallardo, and batting .353 this season. He's hitting .348 in 11 games versus Milwaukee.
Chicago's biggest offseason acquisition, slugger Carlos Pena, has struck out five times in the series and is batting .222 without a homer for his new club.
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