Mets  6    Brewers  10

New York Mets (37-37) at Milwaukee Brewers (40-35), 7:08 p.m.

Sports Network | June 29, 2009

(Sports Network) - The Milwaukee Brewers are not alone atop the National League Central division, but hope to be after this three-game series versus the New York Mets at Miller Park.

Milwaukee is tied with St. Louis for the lead in the NL Central, with Cincinnati just 2 1/2 games behind and the Chicago Cubs 3 1/2 games off the pace. The Brewers failed in their bid for a three-game sweep of San Francisco over the weekend after Sunday's 7-0 loss in the series finale. Ryan Sadowski pitched six shutout innings for the Giants in his major league debut and the Brewers were held to just four hits.

Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Casey McGehee and Mike Cameron each had a hit for Milwaukee, which has dropped six of the last nine contests and fell to 3-3 on a nine-game homestand. Brewers starter Jeff Suppan was pounded for five runs and nine hits over 5 2/3 innings to absorb the loss.

"We're having a hard time getting six innings," Brewers manager Ken Macha said on the team's site. "Yesterday, four innings, today [5 2/3 innings]. We have to get these guys out there a little further."

Macha hopes that Braden Looper can give him a lengthy outing when he takes the ball Monday night. Looper is just 0-1 in his previous five starts and did not record a decision the last time out in a 4-3 victory versus Minnesota. He allowed three runs and five hits in six innings of work, and is 5-4 with a 5.16 ERA in 15 trips to the hill this season.

Looper, who is 3-1 in nine home starts in 2009, owns a 3-1 mark and a 2.35 earned run average in 47 career games (1 start) against the Mets. The righty played for New York in 2004 and 2005.

The Mets were just swept in three games by the crosstown-rival Yankees over the weekend at Citi Field, and have lost four of six and 12 of their last 18 games to fall 2 1/2 games off the lead in the NL East standings.

In Sunday night's 4-2 defeat to the Yankees, starter Livan Hernandez was dealt the loss for permitting three runs in seven innings. Gary Sheffield had two of the Mets' five hits and Fernando Martinez had the only extra-base hit with a double for New York, which will open a seven-game road trip this evening in Milwaukee. The Mets will also visit Pittsburgh for one game before taking on NL East-leading Philadelphia for three games on the road swing.

Taking the mound for the Mets tonight will be Fernando Nieve, who is aiming to win his fourth consecutive trip to the bump. Nieve is 3-0 with a 1.31 earned run average in four games (3 starts) and last pitched on Wednesday in an 11-0 triumph over St. Louis.

Nieve tossed six shutout innings of three-hit ball and has lasted at least six innings in each of his three starts this season. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA in three career games, one of which was a start, against the Brewers.

New York took two of three meetings versus Milwaukee from April 17-19 at Citi Field and has won eight of the past 11 matchups between the teams.