The Milwaukee Brewers head to Busch Stadium on Monday, July 6, for a 7:45 PM ET matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals. Left-hander Shane Drohan gets the ball for Milwaukee against Cardinals right-hander Dustin May in what shapes up as an intriguing pitching duel. Road games in St. Louis are never easy — the Cardinals play fast, play smart, and their lineup can grind an opposing starter into dust. How Drohan handles that pressure will go a long way toward determining how this one plays out.

Brewers at Cardinals: Monday, July 6 Game Preview

Shane Drohan draws the start for Milwaukee in this one. The left-hander has shown flashes of the stuff that made him a prospect worth tracking, and this is exactly the kind of mid-season road start that will reveal what he is at this level. St. Louis presents a legitimate challenge — their lineup is built around contact and patience, which puts a premium on Drohan locating his pitches and avoiding deep counts.

On the other side, Dustin May toes the rubber for St. Louis. May has always had the raw arsenal to be a legitimate rotation piece — his sinker in particular generates some of the nastiest ground-ball contact in the league when it is working. Milwaukee's offense will need to be disciplined early and look for pitches to drive before May settles in.

St. Louis Cardinals Starting Lineup

• JJ Wetherholt — 2B
• Iván Herrera — DH
• Jordan Walker — RF
• Nelson Velázquez — LF
• José Fermín — 3B
• Masyn Winn — SS
• Nathan Church — CF
• Blaze Jordan — 1B
• Pedro Pagés — C

Keys to Watch for the Brewers

• Drohan's command early: The Cardinals lineup is built to work counts and put the ball in play. If Drohan falls behind hitters consistently, St. Louis will capitalize. Sharp first-pitch strikes will be critical.
• Handling Masyn Winn: Winn is one of the more dangerous offensive shortstops in the National League. He has the speed to turn singles into doubles and the bat to do real damage if pitches leak over the middle of the plate.
• Jordan Walker and Nelson Velázquez in the middle of the order: Walker at three and Velázquez at four give St. Louis legitimate thump. Milwaukee's pitching staff needs to keep them off the bases and out of big innings.
• Brewers road discipline at the plate: Busch Stadium crowds can make things uncomfortable for visiting clubs. Milwaukee's hitters will need to stay within their approach and not chase May's offering when he is spotting his sinker to the edges.

How to Watch and Listen

Monday's game can be seen on Brewers.TV Presented by Potawatomi Sportsbook or Cardinals.TV Presented by bet365. Radio coverage is available on WTMJ 620 in Milwaukee, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM in St. Louis, and in Spanish on WIJR AM 880.

Prediction

This game hinges almost entirely on Drohan. If he can keep the Cardinals' lineup off-balance through five or six innings and limit the damage from Walker and Velázquez, Milwaukee has a real shot to steal this one on the road. Dustin May is capable of shutting a lineup down when his sinker is on, so the Brewers' offense will need to be patient and opportunistic. Expect a tight, low-scoring game. Give the edge to St. Louis at home, but Milwaukee is absolutely capable of walking out of Busch with a win if Drohan brings his best stuff. Cardinals 4, Brewers 3.