Lohse (2-0, 1.48 ERA) split 2006 between Minnesota and Cincinnati, then was traded to Philadelphia in 2007. After going 3-0 with a 4.72 ERA in 11 starts and two relief appearances for the Phillies, he signed a one-year, $4.25 million free-agent deal with St. Louis on March 18.

Although the Cardinals are just 2-2 in his starts, he's been solid in all four, pitching 12 scoreless innings over his first two outings. He has allowed two runs in each of his last two starts, including a 10-inning, 5-3 loss to the Brewers (11-8) last Thursday.

Lohse threw seven innings, allowing five hits in that outing, and he said he could have pitched longer.

"I felt just as strong as I did in the first," Lohse said after throwing 93 pitches.

Lohse is 3-3 with a 5.21 ERA in eight starts and one relief appearance against the Brewers, but is 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his last three starts against them.

He takes the mound on Tuesday with the lowest ERA among Cardinals starters, looking to lead St. Louis to a sweep of this two-game set.

The Cardinals beat the Brewers 4-3 on Monday after Skip Schumaker delivered an RBI double in the ninth inning off struggling Brewers reliever Derrick Turnbow.

"I'd rather stay away from the dramatics. We had lost two in a row and I think it's important because it's the first game of the series and we got back on the winning side," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "We've had a lot of games like this already."

Milwaukee and St. Louis were tied at 2 through seven innings before Adam Kennedy drove in Ryan Ludwick in the eighth to give St. Louis the lead. Ludwick's fielding error in the bottom of the inning allowed Ryan Braun to tie the game on Corey Hart's triple, but the Cardinals prevailed and avoided their first three-game skid of the season.

"We had some tough situations and nobody lost their composure," La Russa said.

The loss was the second straight for the Brewers' bullpen. Turnbow's struggles on Monday came after closer Eric Gagne blew a save opportunity and was eventually charged with the loss in Sunday's 10-inning, 4-3 defeat to the Reds.

Turnbow's appearance on Monday was just his fifth of the season and his first since last Tuesday, when he allowed two runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning against the Cardinals. Turnbow, the Brewers' closer in 2005 and 2006, has been primarily used as a set-up man since then. He is 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA this season.

"The fact is we're going to need this kid this year," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "We're going to need him to be the person that he was when he was an All-Star pitcher."

Milwaukee turns to Manny Parra (1-1, 5.40) on Tuesday hoping for the split. Parra faced Lohse in his last start on Thursday. He lasted just four innings, allowing three runs and five hits while walking five.

The left-hander has no record with a 3.55 ERA in three appearances - two starts - against the Cardinals.