D-backs aim to extend road streak at Brewers' expense

The Milwaukee Brewers will look to bounce back on Tuesday after enduring a rough outing in the series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

Milwaukee's Colin Rea (3-4, 4.71 ERA) will be opposed by Ryne Nelson (3-4, 5.30) in a matchup of right-handers.

The Diamondbacks, who lead the National League West, took the opener of the three-game series 9-1 on Monday night, jumping on Brewers ace Corbin Burnes for six runs in the first inning. Alek Thomas, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Reno, capped the decisive frame with a two-run homer.

Arizona starter Merrill Kelly allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking one.

The Diamondbacks, who have won three of four this season vs. the Brewers, have won six consecutive road games, their longest such stretch since winning six straight in 2019. Prior to Monday, though, Arizona had lost 13 of its past 15 games at Milwaukee.

The Brewers were coming off a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, having scored five runs in each game. Milwaukee is 4-29 when scoring three runs or fewer and 33-6 when scoring at least four.

The loss dropped the Brewers a half-game behind the Cincinnati Reds, who have won nine straight to move atop the NL Central.

"It's just one of those things that it's because a team's hot or whatever it may be," Burnes said. "But it's not us pressing the panic button and worrying about what another team's doing in the middle of June.

"So, we just have to keep our head down and keep doing what we're doing. We're going to have a hot streak just like every other team in baseball has a hot streak. It's going to come, it's just a matter of us playing our best baseball."

Rea will be making his 12th start since being called up to fill a spot in the Brewers' injury-plagued rotation. He took the loss in his latest outing, when he gave up four runs in five innings in a 4-2 defeat against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Rea is 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA in three starts in June, going five innings each time out.

He did not get a decision in his only career appearance vs. Arizona, back in 2016 when he was with the San Diego Padres.

Christian Yelich, who has reached base safely in 12 straight games, accounted for Milwaukee's lone run on Monday with an RBI triple. Yelich is hitting .378 (17-for-45) with seven doubles, a triple, two homers and six RBIs over that span.

Nelson was tagged for five runs on 10 hits in four innings in his latest start, a 5-4 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Nelson, who has never faced Milwaukee, is 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in his past three road starts, having allowed just one run in 17 innings.

Thomas, shipped to the minors on May 17 after batting just .195 through 39 games, was recalled Monday after hitting .348 with three homers in 26 games with Triple-A Reno. He finished 2-for-4 with the homer and two runs on Monday.

"He's having a lot of success," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said prior to the game. "He's having an all-field approach, playing very good defense, playing right and center. I told him let's worry about center field here, and we'll focus there."

Arizona's Ketel Marte extended his on-base streak to 13 games with a single in the first inning. He is batting .326 (15-for-46) over that span with two doubles, two homers and eight RBIs.