The Milwaukee Brewers are hoping that a return home can help them shake their longest losing streak of the season.

The Brewers will be trying for their first win in seven games on Friday when they open a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park.

Milwaukee (16-18) was swept in three-game series at Houston and Florida, and is returning home after a 2-7 road trip. The Brewers lost 7-2 to the Marlins on Thursday, and were outscored 16-4 in their series in Miami.

"We're just not playing very well right now," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "We're not swinging the bats anywhere near what we're capable of doing."

The Brewers, who fell under .500 for the first time this season on Wednesday, are hoping to rebound in Milwaukee. They are 7-6 at home this season - but just 3-6 since opening with four straight wins there.

Still, center fielder Mike Cameron said it will be nice to play in front of friendly fans after three games in front of small Florida crowds.

"Just a little bit more added energy from your home people, instead of people chastising you all the time, when they've only got like 27 people in the stands," Cameron said. "It'll be good."

Milwaukee also lost six in a row May 22-28 last season, but hasn't dropped seven straight since a 10-game slide Aug. 25-Sept. 3, 2006.

The Cardinals (22-14), meanwhile, are coming off a four-game split at Colorado. They lost 9-3 on Thursday despite two solo homers from Ryan Ludwick.

Ludwick batted .692 (9-for-13) with three doubles, three homers and six RBIs in the four-game set, boosting his season average to .363. In four games against Milwaukee this season, he is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a homer and two RBIs.

"He had a great series," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "It's part of a great first month and eight days - long way to go."

Albert Pujols singled to run his streak of reaching base safely to 36 straight games - the longest such streak to start a season since 1999, when Derek Jeter reached in 53 straight games and Jim Thome in 37.

Milwaukee left-hander Manny Parra (1-2, 5.86 ERA) will be charged with slowing down Ludwick and Pujols. Ludwick is 3-for-8 (.375) with a homer lifetime against Parra, while Pujols is 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles.

Parra endured his worst start of the season on Saturday, yielding a career-high six runs and a career high-tying nine hits - including back-to-back homers - in four innings of a 6-2 loss at Houston. Parra, who had yielded only one homer coming into the game, had not allowed more than three runs in any of his first five starts of the season, but has yet to last more than 5 1-3 innings.

In four career appearances - three starts - against the Cardinals, Parra owns a 4.08 ERA without any decisions. He is making his third start this season against them.

St. Louis counters with Todd Wellemeyer (3-1, 4.07), who matched his shortest start of the season and walked four batters on Sunday, but gave up just two runs in five innings of a 5-3 home win over the Chicago Cubs.

The right-hander is making his first career start against the Brewers. Wellemeyer has struggled in seven career relief appearances against them, going 0-1 with an 11.00 ERA - his worst ERA against any NL opponent.