MLB Game Preview - St. Louis at Milwaukee

Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:10 PM EDT

The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals flexed their muscles with a combined six home runs in their season opener, but it was Lorenzo Cain's leaping attempt at the wall in the bottom of the ninth that set off the fireworks.

If the season opener serves as any indication, the Brewers and Cardinals could be in line for an explosive beginning to the 2019 campaign. The National League Central rivals, who continue their four-game series on Friday in Milwaukee, play each other 10 times in the first four weeks of the season.

Milwaukee's Cain set the tone in Thursday's 5-4 victory after chasing down Jose Martinez's towering blast with two outs in the ninth inning that threatened to extend the game.

"Maybe if I save 50 runs this year, I'll have a chance (at a Gold Glove)," the 32-year-old Cain said.

Teammate Mike Moustakas has seen Cain work his defensive magic when they were teammates in Kansas City.

"Every time he does it, I'm surprised. And every time, I think it's the best catch I've ever seen," Moustakas said.

While Cain's defensive gem served as the primary talking point, Christian Yelich picked up where he left off after capturing last season's National League MVP honors by launching a three-run homer and reaching base three times on Thursday.

Yelich, however, has struggled against Jack Flaherty, the Cardinals' starting pitcher on Friday, going 2-for-11 with four strikeouts.

Flaherty posted an 8-9 mark with a 3.34 ERA in 28 starts last season while limiting the opposition's batting average to .199 against him.

The 23-year-old also flummoxed Travis Shaw (0-for-10, seven strikeouts) and effectively kept Brewers under wraps in four meetings last season, posting a 1-0 mark overall and allowing just two runs while striking out 22 in 12 innings at Miller Park. He fanned a season high-tying 13 over seven strong innings in a no-decision at Milwaukee on June 22.

Jesus Aguilar belted a solo homer off Flaherty in that contest while Ryan Braun also went deep off the pitcher in a no-decision at Busch Stadium on Sept. 24.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta will start for Milwaukee on Friday and looks to improve his 6-4 mark with a 4.25 ERA in 16 appearances during his first major league season.

The 22-year-old Dominican was spectacular at Miller Park, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.73 ERA while limiting opposing batters to a .123 batting average.

Peralta lost his lone decision against St. Louis despite permitting three runs on as many hits in six innings of a 5-2 setback on Aug. 17. He managed another strong performance in his last outing of the season, allowing one run on three hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief in a no-decision on Sept. 24.

Kolten Wong has just one lifetime at-bat vs. Peralta, although he enjoyed a career day on Thursday afternoon as he went deep twice to join Albert Pujols as the lone Cardinals player to record a multi-homer performance on Opening Day.

"My confidence is pretty high. And my confidence in this team is pretty high," Wong said, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I know we're going to click eventually and things are going to start rolling for us."

Prize offseason acquisition Paul Goldschmidt wasn't as fortunate, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his debut after signing a five-year, $130 million contract last week. He entered the game batting a robust .420 at Miller Park.

--Field Level Media