:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14545539/151658302.0.jpg)
The bad news: Despite having won three straight games, the Brewers are still tied for the NL's second worst record. The good news: Tonight they open a series with the only team behind them.
This weekend's extra inning games jumbled the Marlins rotation a bit, so instead of Tom Koehler tonight the Brewers will see veteran righthander Ricky Nolasco (3.61 ERA, 3.54 FIP) in his 14th appearance of what will almost certainly be his last season as a Marlin. Nolasco last pitched against the Phillies on Tuesday and allowed two runs on four hits over 6.2 innings, walking two and striking out six.
Nolasco is making $11.5 million from the Marlins this season, making him their highest-paid active player multiple times over. He'll be a free agent following the season, though, so he's likely to be one of the most popular available players on the trade market this July. He has a career 4.43 ERA over eight major league seasons and has made 30 or more starts in four of the last five seasons.
Nolasco last pitched against the Brewers on September 3, allowing three runs (one earned) on nine hits over seven innings in a game the Marlins won 7-3. Three current Brewers have faced him ten times or more:
| Player | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Rickie Weeks | 19 | .444 | .474 | .722 | 1.196 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 17 | .313 | .353 | .500 | .853 |
| Ryan Braun | 15 | .333 | .333 | .400 | .733 |
He'll face Yovani Gallardo (5.25 ERA, 4.21 FIP), whose 2013 season has been somewhere between "disappointing" and "disaster." He seemed to be doing better for the first six innings on Wednesday but got knocked around in the seventh and ended up allowing five runs on six hits in a game the Brewers lost 6-1.
Gallardo has never lost to the Marlins, but also hasn't pitched against them since 2011. The only current Marlin who's faced him ten times or more is Logan Morrison, who owns a .000/.100/.000 line against him.
As of this writing I haven't seen today's lineup. If you have, please drop it in the comments.
The bullpen is nice and fresh today. Jim Henderson pitched an inning yesterday but everyone else is on a day's rest or more.
It's a hot day in Miami tonight but should be a nice night for baseball. Expect a game-time temperature around 80 with no precipitation in the forecast.