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Highly touted prospect Robert Gasser is expected to make his Brewers debut when Milwaukee hosts the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in the second contest of a four-game series.

The Cardinals, who have lost five straight, will counter with Lance Lynn (1-0, 3,28 ERA). The veteran right-hander has dominated the Brewers over his career, going 11-3 with a 2.03 ERA in 22 games, including 18 starts.

Milwaukee took the series opener 7-1 on Thursday night, pounding three homers off Cardinals starter Sonny Gray, who entered with a 0.89 ERA and had served up just one long ball in his first five starts. Rhys Hoskins had a two-run homer in the first inning, and Jake Bauers and Joey Ortiz added solo shots.

Lars Nootbar’s solo homer accounted for the only run for the Cardinals, who stranded 10 on base, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

St. Louis loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth inning on single and two walks, but failed to score.

“You’ve got to be able to cash in in a bases-loaded situation, definitely,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “With an opportunity, we’ve got to push there. We’re not getting the big hit. You can’t win ballgames scoring one run.

“At some point, you’ve just got to do it. It’s a hard game, hitting’s hard, but at some point, the lineup just has to come together.”

Milwaukee is 9-1 in its past 10 games vs. St. Louis, including six straight victories. The Brewers also are 6-0 this season when hitting at least three homers in a game.

Gasser, acquired in 2022 from the San Diego Padres in the deadline trade for reliever Josh Hader, was 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Nashville this year. The 24-year-old left-hander started the minor league season on the injured list with bone spurs in his left elbow before being activated April 24.

Gasser, who was with the Brewers on Thursday, is expected to be added to the roster on Friday. He was called up because ace right-hander Freddy Peralta will be serving the final game of a five-game suspension. The Brewers also have three starters on the IL — DL Hall (left knee sprain), Jakob Junis (head, right shoulder), and Wade Miley (season-ending Tommy John surgery).

“I’m excited, for sure,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of Gasser’s debut. “We told ‘Gas’ in spring training before the injury, ‘You’re going to pitch in the major leagues, so prepare for your debut.’ … There’s some swing-and-miss there. There’s a poise. There’s a good repertoire that I think matches up against righties and lefties.”

Gasser, the Brewers’ co-minor league pitcher of the year last season, is 16-14 with a 3.79 ERA in 62 minor league games, including 61 starts, with 369 strikeouts in 299 1/3 innings. Last season at Nashville, he went 9-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 26 games, 25 starts.

In his latest outing, Lynn allowed a season-high five runs, four earned, in five-plus innings but did not get the decision in St. Louis’ 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.

Among pitchers with at least 100 career innings against the Brewers, Lynn’s 2.03 ERA is the lowest. He is 7-2 with a 2.29 ERA in 11 games, 10 starts, in Milwaukee.

–Field Level Media