Brewers turn to Estrada against Cubs

Righty Marco Estrada can make it seven straight starts without a loss on Tuesday night when his Milwaukee Brewers host the Chicago Cubs in game two of a four-game series at Miller Park.

A 30-year-old native of Mexico, Estrada last lost on June 3 when Oakland compiled nine hits and five runs over four innings in a 10-2 rout.

He's 2-0 with four no-decisions in six outings since, in which the Brewers have gone 3-3 and he has allowed one run or fewer four times.

His last start resulted in a tough-luck no-decision after he gave up just two hits and a run in 6 2/3 innings of a Sept. 11 game in St. Louis that the Brewers ultimately lost, 5-1.

In 10 career meetings with the Cubs, Estrada is 5-4 with a 3.72 earned run average in 36 1/3 innings.

For Chicago, skidding righty Jeff Samardzija aims to snap a three-start drought in which he's lost just once but been hit hard in each outing.

Samardzija tossed eight innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 defeat of San Diego on Aug. 24, but has since given up 17 runs in 18 1/3 innings of games against Philadelphia, Miami and Cincinnati.

The meeting with the Reds was the only loss of the three - the Cubs are 1-2 in the starts - and Samardzija was tagged for six runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-0 decision.

He last faced Milwaukee on July 29 and was superb while giving up three hits in seven scoreless innings of a game the Cubs eventually lost, 5-0, at Wrigley Field.

In 19 career meetings with the Brewers, Samardzija is 2-4 with a 3.54 ERA.

On Monday, Caleb Gindl finished a double shy of the cycle as the Brewers bested the Cubs, 6-1.

Gindl went 3-for-3 with a three RBI and three runs scored for Milwaukee, which won for the fourth time in five games. The Brewers' rookie has homered in consecutive games for the second time in his career.

Wily Peralta (10-15) gave up just an unearned run on five hits while striking out seven. It was his first start since July 21 without surrendering an earned run.

Cubs starter Edwin Jackson (8-16) absorbed the loss after yielding two runs on two hits in four innings. Starlin Castro had a pair of hits and the lone Chicago RBI.

The Brewers won 10 of the first 15 games with the Cubs this season, after winning the 2012 season series 13-4.