(SportsNetwork.com) - The Milwaukee Brewers hope that starter Wily Peralta can get locked in on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a quick two-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Though Peralta has won five consecutive starts, he has posted a 4.22 earned run average over that span, one in which Milwaukee has scored at least seven runs four times.
The right-hander's past two wins both came against Colorado, including Thursday's 7-4 decision at home. Peralta gave up all four runs on eight hits and two walks over six frames, striking out seven.
While he improved to 9-5 with a 3.20 earned run average on the year, manager Ron Roenicke still thinks the hurler can improve on the mound.
"I thought the last three outings, (Wily) has pitched well, but he's not locked in," said Roenicke. "Now he's struggling to get through the lineups."
The 25-year-old Peralta has never faced the Blue Jays, who send left-hander J.A. Happ to the mound today.
Happ is 2-1 over his past three starts, charged with eight earned runs over that time. However, seven of those came in an 11-1 loss at Cincinnati on June 21.
Happ then rebounded on Thursday to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-0 behind 7 2/3 scoreless innings of four-hit ball. The 31-year-old struck out eight, moving to 7-4 with a 4.29 ERA on the year.
"The goal was to be aggressive, to force contact early, use all four quadrants and just be aggressive," noted Happ, who is 3-3 with a 5.93 ERA in his career versus the Brewers.
The Blue Jays halted a three-game skid by taking Tuesday's opener 4-1. Drew Hutchison yielded just one run over seven innings while striking out a season- high 10 batters in his first victory since June 13.
Jose Bautista, starting for the first time since June 22 due to a strained left hamstring, and Colby Rasmus each homered for the Blue Jays. Starting as the designated hitter, Bautista hit his 16th homer of the year.
Ryan Braun drove in the lone run for the Brewers, who have lost two in a row after winning four straight.
Marco Estrada started for Milwaukee and suffered the loss, allowing two runs on six hits over six-plus innings of work. He struck out two and walked one, losing for the first time since June 15.
"Things just started going south for me," Estrada said. "I just wasn't really locating. I really didn't know what I was doing, how I was missing and the way I was missing. I was just out there throwing the ball around."
Milwaukee could be without outfielder Khris Davis today as he injured his left shoulder on Tuesday diving into second base.
The Brewers, who are making their first trip to Toronto since 2005, are 7-3 against the Blue Jays since moving to the National League in 1998.
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