After taking two of three games at Miller Park from the Reds, the current National League Wild Card leaders, the Brewers headed out for a six-game trip to Colorado and St. Louis. Milwaukee is 32-23 on its home turf but 18-32 everywhere else, and went 3-6 on a dismal road trip coming out of the All-Star break.
"As dumb as it sounds with two months left, every win is important," said manager Ned Yost, whose Brewers are five games behind the Reds.
The Rockies are one of the teams in the way, a half-game better than the Brewers after a win over the Padres on Sunday. Milwaukee left-hander Chris Capuano will face Colorado right-hander Aaron Cook in Monday's series opener at Coors Field.
Capuano, Dave Bush and Tomo Ohka are scheduled to start in the series out of a Brewers starting rotation that finally seems to have stabilized. Ohka and Ben Sheets missed more than two months with shoulder injuries, but Ohka has made three starts off the DL and Sheets two, including a promising win over the Reds on Sunday.
"I like it now more than I did two months ago, that's for sure," pitching coach Mike Maddux said of the rebuilt rotation. "If we have all five guys perform we've got a chance to win every night. I think all of the additions we've made have made us stronger. I like where we're going right now."
Capuano went 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five June starts but has not been nearly as effective in July, going 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA. Opponents batted .263 against Capuano in June with one home run and 35 strikeouts; this month they're hitting at a .355 clip with seven home runs and just 16 whiffs.
One of the highlights of Capuano's 18-win 2005 season came at Coors Field. Last Aug. 18, Capuano pitched seven shutout innings and relievers Dana Eveland, Jose Capellan and Derrick Turnbow finished off what was, at the time, the seventh shutout by a Rockies opponent in the 11-year history of Coors Field.
In two career starts at the Rockies' mile-high home, Capuano is 2-0 with an 0.69 ERA (one run in 13 innings) and no home runs.
The Brewers will try to build on two straight wins over the Reds.
"This was a big game for us," Yost said Sunday. "I mean, this was a really, really big game for us to win. We pick up another game on the Wild Card, get back in the right direction [to] get back over that .500 mark."
Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Chris Capuano (10-6, 3.74 ERA)
Right-handers are hitting only three points better than left-handers but have 15 of the 17 homers against Capuano this season.
COL: RHP Aaron Cook (6-9, 3.88 ERA)
Is 3-1 with a 4.21 ERA in five games, four starts against the Brewers despite a .343 batting average against.
Player to watch
Brewers newcomer David Bell, the starter at third while Corey Koskie remains sidelined with a concussion, is 7-for-12 (.538) lifetime against Cook. Bell has two doubles, two RBIs, two walks and no strikeouts against the sinkerballer.