While CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets have garnered most of the attention at the front of the Brewers' starting rotation, Suppan (10-7, 4.49 ERA) has proven just as valuable over the last month, going 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last six starts.

"You always want to contribute, and sometimes regardless if you win or lose, just going out there and throwing quality innings up there gives your team a chance," the 33-year-old Suppan said. "For whatever reason, that's where the streak has come from."

Suppan allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings of an 11-3 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Also during his current run, the right-hander allowed two runs in eight innings of a 5-2 win at San Diego on Aug. 12.

Milwaukee (80-59) could use a another good outing from Suppan after falling 9-2 at home to the New York Mets on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep - the first for the Brewers since they dropped four in a row to the Chicago Cubs from July 28-31.

"Yeah, we got swept but we didn't want to get swept but we did," said manager Ned Yost, whose club allowed the Mets to score six runs in the first inning off Dave Bush. "It was just a series."

Thanks to the Cubs' current five-game losing streak, though, the Brewers remain within 4 1/2 games of the NL Central leaders. They also hold a 4 1/2-game edge over Philadelphia in the NL wild-card standings.

On Wednesday, J.J. Hardy hit his 21st homer for Milwaukee, which stranded 26 runners and was outscored 19-9 in the series with the Mets.

"It is not something you dwell on," Brewers outfielder Gabe Kapler said. We haven't dwelled on it in the past and we have come back and played well following some times when we've played poorly."

Hardy is batting .400 (28-for-70) with four home runs and 15 RBIs in his last 17 games overall, but has just a .203 average with 15 strikeouts in 18 career games against San Diego.

The Padres (53-86), who lost two of three to Milwaukee from Aug. 12-14, also enter this contest after being swept in three games. They lost their series finale 6-4 at Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Rookie Chase Headley had three hits and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit his 20th homer, but the team with the worst record in the majors saw its season-high road losing streak reach nine games.

After spending the last three months on the disabled list with a broken thumb, veteran Shawn Estes (1-1, 3.33) returns to make his fifth start of the season for the Padres.

The 35-year-old left-hander, who allowed four runs in five innings of 6-4 loss to Washington in his most recent start on May 28, is 5-6 with a 6.01 ERA in 14 career starts against Milwaukee.