Brewers hope to bounce back against Cubs

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Milwaukee Brewers will try to bounce back against the Chicago Cubs when the NL Central rivals resume a four-game series Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

The Brewers dropped a 3-0 decision Tuesday and Wily Peralta was aiming for his 15th win of the season, but he allowed all three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and two walks.

"He struggled with his command," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of Peralta. "He made some great pitches but overall he battled."

Mark Reynolds had two of Milwaukee's six hits and the Brewers suffered their second loss in the last three tries following a three-game win streak.

Milwaukee, which is 1 1/2 games ahead of Pittsburgh for the NL Central lead, will send Kyle Lohse to the mound Wednesday and he is 11-6 with a 3.33 earned run average in 24 starts. Lohse is 2-4 in his last six decisions and did not factor in the outcome of a 9-3 win over Los Angeles on Friday.

Lohse limited the Dodgers to a run in six innings, one start after giving up nine runs -- seven earned -- in a loss at St. Louis on Aug. 2.

The right-hander is 7-4 in 14 road starts and 7-6 with a 4.71 ERA in 22 career starts against the Cubs. Lohse has won both of his starts against the Cubs this season.

Chicago has won two of three and nine of its last 15 games.

Anthony Rizzo homered and both Arismendy Alcantara and Justin Ruggiano finished with two hits and an RBI. Starlin Castro extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a 1-for-4 performance.

Kyle Hendricks improved to 4-1 with 7 1/3 shutout innings, five strikeouts and one walk. Pedro Strop got the final two outs of the eighth and Hector Rondon recorded his 15th save in the ninth.

"That's something I've always done since I was little, is pitch quick," Hendricks said. "The pace of the game is big for me."

Tsuyoshi Wada will resume his first year in the majors and is 1-1 with a 3.25 earned run average in five starts. He hasn't posted a decision in the last two trips to the mound and threw six innings in a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Friday, charged with two runs and four hits with six strikeouts and a walk.

Wada is 1-1 in three home starts and the Cubs have a 1-4 record in his five appearances. The Japanese lefty will face Milwaukee for the first time.

Milwaukee has a 6-5 lead in the season series with Chicago.