Next game: Tuesday, July 22 at St. Louis
Brewers Gameday with the Jockey Pregame Show at 6:40 p.m. and Brewers Extra Innings after the game on Newsradio 620 WTMJ

Audio:
• Yost on WMN
• Bill Hall on Brewers Extra Innings

After defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the first of four games in their mid-week series in St. Louis, the Brewers have overtaken the Cardinals with a percentage-points lead for the current National League wildcard slot.

The way they did it, in an extra-innings thriller, outlines the confidence manager Ned Yost says this team has grown in this season of high expectation.

"There's a good feeling knowing that you have the talent to win every day," said Yost on Newsradio 620 WTMJ's Brewers 360.

"Our players feel that. It's more of a relaxing feeling than anything else that you know you can compete on an everyday basis. You can put guys out there and they're pretty talented guys.

"We're playing better. It all just boils around good pitching, for the most part, good defense, timely hitting. We've gotten all of that lately. We're playing much, much better on the road.

"It's a good feeling to walk through that clubhouse knowing you have a chance to win every single day."

Three Big Series

Winning every single day in the next stretch of ten games would guarantee the Brewers a commanding lead in the NL Central over the Cardinals, Astros and Cubs - their top NL Central rivals and the teams they play in that stretch.

"We've got it all in front of us here, with St. Louis, Houston, then moving on to the Cubs. It's nice that we do have a chance to play (those) guys. It makes it really fun, interesting to have three teams capable of winning the division and you're playing them all right here. It makes it a lot more exciting."

First things first, though, as the Brewers have three more dates this week in Busch Stadium against the Cardinals.

"They're like most teams in the National League. They are very, very dangerous. They're a team that doesn't quit. They don't beat themselves. They've got good relief pitching. They've got tremendous offense. They've got good defense. They find ways to score runs late."

A Rare Pitching Platoon

Seth McClung started Monday's victory, and he's become part of a rare experiment that Yost is undertaking: starting McClung on the road as Milwaukee's No. 5 slot on the rotation, but putting Dave Bush as the No. 5 starter when that turn comes up at Miller Park.

"We'll see how it works. Dave Bush's numbers are tremendous at home and not so great on the road. McClung's numbers are good on the road and OK at home.

"We'll give it a shot and see."

The circumstances involving Milwaukee's upcoming homestand means McClung isn't scheduled to start for another two weeks. That won't stop Yost from giving him bullpen action.

"The thing is that Seth doesn't pitch for 15 days, now, but we'll see how it works. He won't be able to pitch for two or three days. He's been battling some little elbow stiffness. He'll have three of four days before we'd be able to use him in the pen. After throwing 85 pitches last night, he'll need a couple days to recuperate from that. Whenever the situation arises is when we need him."