(Sports Network) – Young right-hander Casey Coleman tries to provide a third straight Chicago gem today, when the Cubs visit Miller Park for the finale of a three-game weekend series with the host Milwaukee Brewers.
The Cubs won via shutout for the second straight game on Saturday, when Xavier Nady homered in the seventh inning to back seven strong innings from Ryan Dempster in a 1-0 win.
Dempster (13-10) gave up three hits, walked two and struck out eight for Chicago, which blanked Milwaukee in Friday’s series-opener, 4-0. Andrew Cashner, Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol held Milwaukee scoreless over the final two innings to complete the three-hitter.
Randy Wolf (11-11) was the hard-luck loser, as he gave up only Nady’s home run in eight innings. Wolf allowed four total hits, walked one and struck out six for the Brewers, who fell to 2-3 on their homestand.
Coleman, a 23-year-old from Fort Myers, Fla., was a 15th-round pick of the Cubs in 2008 out of Florida Gulf Coast University.
He debuted with four straight relief appearances in early August, then started for the first time in a 5-1 loss to San Diego on Aug. 18 at Wrigley Field.
He’s started three times since, winning once and getting two no-decisions while allowing 19 hits and nine runs in 18 1/3 innings.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder tossed 2 1/3 innings out of the bullpen against Milwaukee in his initial big-league appearance in Aug. 2, allowing eight hits and six runs.
For the Brewers, staff ace Yovani Gallardo tries for the sixth time while seeking his first win since Aug. 8.
The 24-year-old Mexican beat Houston to improve to 11-5 on the season, but is 0-2 with three no-decisions since while seeing his ERA swell from 2.86 to 3.80.
He faced the Cubs in Coleman’s aforementioned debut and got the win, allowing two hits and a run in six innings of Milwaukee’s 18-1 triumph.
He is 2-1 lifetime against the Cubs in six starts and 5-5 at home this season in 14 outings.