Marcum to pitch for Brewers tonight in Games of NLCS

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MILWAUKEE - Shaun Marcum will try to get his first playoff win for the Milwaukee Brewers tonight, when they host Saint Louis in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.

The right-handed Marcum took the loss in Game-Three of the Division Series at Arizona last Tuesday night. He gave up seven runs in four-and-two-thirds innings. For some reason, Marcum has not shared in the Brewers’ home success this year. The team is 61-and-24 at Miller Park, including all four post-season games there – but Marcum is 0-3 in his last six home starts, with a 5.84 ERA in those outings. Marcum says he’s not worried about it, and he calls it “one of those things.”

The Cardinals will send right-hander Edwin Jackson to the hill. He gave up five hits in six innings last Wednesday in Game-Four of the Cardinals’ Division Series against Philadelphia. Jackson is 1-0 in his last two starts against Milwaukee with a two-point-oh-eight ERA. Ryan Braun went 2-for-10 against Jackson in the regular season. But in his first four playoff games at Miller Park, Braun is 10-for-15 with two homers, four doubles, and seven RBI’s.

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The Brewers say the retractable roof at Miller Park is expected to be open for tonight’s Game-Two of the NLCS against Saint Louis. The roof was open during Game-One yesterday, in which the Brewers topped the Cardinals 9-6. Partly cloudy weather is predicted for Milwaukee, with evening temperatures in the 60’s and overnight lows in the 50’s. The first pitch is at 7:05. The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Mike Kilar, who lost his son Treyton to a drunk driver just over a year ago – a month short of his 17th birthday. Treyton’s favorite Brewer was Prince Fielder, who will catch the first pitch this evening. The Kilar family and others are raising funds to build the Treyton Kilar Field of Dreams in Milwaukee. The project recently won a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Challenge.

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This is a rare year for Major League Baseball, because the nine teams with the highest Opening Day payrolls are at home watching the League Championship Series on TV. Of the four survivors, the Detroit Tigers have the highest payroll – and the 10th highest in the Majors – at $106-million-dollars. Saint Louis is the 11th-highest at $103-million. Texas is 13th at $92-million. And the Milwaukee Brewers are in the lower half of the big league salary scale. Their Opening Day payroll was 17th among the 30 big league clubs at $85-and-a-half million dollars – and it’s now up to around $95-million with additions during the season. The East Coast writers are lamenting that the nation’s biggest markets like New York and Philadelphia won’t be in the World Series – and they say it’ll drive the TV ratings down. But Brewers’ owner Mark Attanasio says the outcomes are great for competitive balance, and it’s something that Major League owners want. Three-of-the-four first round Division Series went the maximum of five games. And Milwaukee needed 10 innings to win its series over Arizona on Friday night.

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