Astros  0    Brewers  6

Houston Astros (70-78) at Milwaukee Brewers (73-75), 2:05 p.m.

Sports Network | September 20, 2009

(Sports Network) - The Milwaukee Brewers will shoot for their fifth straight win when they close out a three-game series Sunday afternoon versus the NL Central-rival Houston Astros at Miller Park.

Milwaukee is 10 1/2 games off the Wild Card lead with 14 to play, and has won four straight and seven of its last nine games, including Saturday's 7-2 victory behind Jeff Suppan's seven innings of two-run ball and seven K's. David Weathers and Todd Coffey both pitched perfect innings of relief to preserve Suppan's seventh win of the season.

"Strong outing for Suppan," said Brewers manager Ken Macha. "He's a guy we don't score too many runs for...I thought his changeup was working very well, he also had some pretty good sink on the ball. He got seven ground balls and had seven strikeouts."

Prince Fielder set a franchise record with his 127th RBI of the year and passed Cecil Cooper for the single-season RBI club record. Cooper, who currently manages the Astros, recorded 126 in 1983. Ryan Braun had three hits and an RBI, while Jody Gerut and Casey McGehee both had two RBI in the win.

The Brewers are 2-0 so far on a 10-game homestand versus the Astros, Cubs and Phillies. Yovani Gallardo is slated to take the hill for the Brewers on Sunday and he is 12-12 with a 3.84 earned run average in 29 starts this season. Gallardo has dropped two straight starts and is 2-5 in his past seven decisions. He last took the hill in a 13-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, as the righty surrendered seven runs over 5 1/3 innings.

Gallardo beat Houston on August 14 and is 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA in six career starts against the Astros.

Houston has dropped six in a row and will try to avoid suffering its second consecutive sweep. In Saturday's five-run loss to the Brewers, Hunter Pence homered and Chris Johnson knocked in the other run for the Astros, who were swept in three games at Cincinnati before traveling to Milwaukee.

Brian Moehler started for Houston and recorded a no-decision after allowing two runs -- one earned -- in six innings of work. Tim Byrdak gave up two runs in the five-run seventh inning to absorb the loss and Samuel Gervacio did no better by surrendering a pair of runs after that.

Felipe Paulino takes the ball for the Astros on Sunday and he has lost three straight trips to the hill. Paulino is 0-5 in the past eight outings -- all Houston losses -- and pitched a decent game the last time out in a 2-1 setback versus Pittsburgh on September 13.

Paulino limited the Pirates to a run in five innings of a 2-1 setback. The righty is 0-2 with a 9.69 earned run average in three career games (2 starts) against Milwaukee.

The Brewers have won nine of 14 meetings versus the Astros this year.