The reeling Milwaukee Brewers have dropped five of their last six games and took a 13-5 beating here at St. Louis in the opener of this three-game series on Monday.

Milwaukee right-hander Zach Davies (2-0, 1.19 ERA) has enjoyed a strong start to the season. He has allowed one earned run over his past three outings, but that could change fast here against a Cards team that owned him in 2018. Through two starts againts the Cards last year, Davies was tagged with 11 earned runs over 10 2/3 innings for a bloated 9.28 ERA.

The Cards hand the ball to rookie right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon for his season debut. He compiled a respectable 2.73 ERA in 11 outings (four starts) covering 33 innings of work last season.

Cardinals are 8-1 in their last 9 home games. Brewers are 2-7 in Davies' last 9 starts vs. a team with a winning record.

8* play on St. Louis Cardinals.