MILWAUKEE — Call it the power of friendship, the power of the “pocket pancake” or just good fundamental baseball. Whatever power is at work, it has the Milwaukee Brewers on a roll.

The Crew are winners of 10 consecutive games, undefeated in August and will play for win No. 11 Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a game that will air on Television Wisconsin (Channel 3.2). First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. CT.

This will be the second of a three-game series between the two National League Central Division clubs. The Brewers took Game 1 Monday night, 7-1, thanks to strong hitting from guys like Brice Turang, who hit his first career leadoff home run.

Brewers batters will likely have a much tougher time on Tuesday. Starting for the Pirates will be reigning NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. The 23-year-old sensation continues to be the shining light for an otherwise dismal Pittsburgh team. Through 24 starts this year, he has 162 strikeouts with a 1.94 ERA. He’s averaging over 10 strikeouts per game.

Skenes has had mixed results against the Brewers this season. He allowed just 1 run on 4 hits in 6 innings of work during a May 23 start against the Crew in Pittsburgh. During a June 25 start in Milwaukee, the Brewers figured him out and produced 4 runs on 4 hits. That game remains as one of his worst starts of the season. 

With the Pirates turning to their ace, the Brewers are set to answer in kind. Freddy Peralta, who was scheduled to start Monday, was pushed back to Tuesday to give him some extra rest. The move sets up a marquee matchup.

In 24 starts this year, Peralta as 141 strikeouts with a 3.03 ERA. He allowed just 1 run in 5 innings in his last start on Aug. 5 against the Braves. That was a good rebound from his previous performance on July 30, when he gave up 5 runs in a loss to the Cubs.

Like Skenes against the Brewers, Peralta has had a mixed go of things against the Pirates this season. A May 23 start saw him allow 1 earned run on 5 hits and he was lifted after only 4.1 innings pitched. On June 24, he pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits in a win.

With a 74-44 record, the Brewers are the best team in baseball with a 5-game cushion on the rest of the pack. The Crew lead the Chicago Cubs by 6.5 games for first place in the NL Central.

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