DeJong, Cards look to complete sweep vs. Brewers

With so many eyes trained on Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers and Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals in their early-season matchups, Paul DeJong has quietly inked his signature on a few wins.

The Cardinals shortstop will try continue doing his part on Wednesday afternoon when St. Louis goes for the three-game sweep against the visiting Brewers.

DeJong is batting. 378 in nine games against Milwaukee this season, hitting three home runs and driving in six.

He's hitting .337 overall with five home runs and 12 RBIs.

DeJong broke a 2-2 with a solo home in the eighth inning on Tuesday night and the Cardinals went on to win 4-3 for their third straight win against the Brewers.

"Just taking what they give me," DeJong told Fox Sports Midwest after the game.

DeJong said he has benefited from hitting third in the lineup behind leadoff batter Matt Carpenter and Goldschmidt.

"Get a lot of intel on the pitcher," he said. "And not trying to do too much, stay hard through the middle."

DeJong will get his second look this season at Brewers starter Jhoulys Chacin on Wednesday.

Chacin (2-2, 5.92 ERA) started the season opener against the visiting Cardinals on March 28 and earned the win in the 5-4 victory. He went 5 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

DeJong went hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts against Chacin in that game. He went 0-for-4 overall with three strikeouts in the game, one of only three hitless games for DeJong this season and the only time he has struck out three times.

DeJong, who has 17 extra-base hits this season, said it will take a team effort to complete the sweep of the Brewers. That's when the Cardinals are at their best, anyway, he says.

"Putting pressure on the pitcher, trying to go first to third, getting guys on base and into scoring position, trying to get the next guy up, so that's our offense," DeJong said. "We'll hit some homers, but moving guys over and getting guys first to third is really how we score a bunch."

Chacin won his first two starts before taking back-to-back road losses in Los Angeles -- one to the Angels and another to the Dodgers. He faced the Dodgers again last Friday in Milwaukee and gave up two runs and five hits in five innings, but did not receive a decision in the 5-3 loss.

The Brewers haven't had a pitcher make it through six innings since.

"I still feel as a starting pitcher we have to get a little deeper in the games and give a break to the bullpen," Chacin told reporters. "They've been working a lot."

Adam Wainwright is scheduled to take the mound for the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Wainwright (1-2, 4.74) hasn't faced the Brewers this season, but is 15-9 in his career against Milwaukee with three shutouts and a 2.36 ERA.

Yelich, who is 3-for-9 in his career off Wainwright, has dropped off in recent games against St. Louis.

Yelich was 11-for-21 in the first six games against the Cardinals this season with eight home runs and 18 RBIs, but he's 0-for-6 in this series and 1-for-9 in the past three games overall against St. Louis.

--Field Level Media