No matter the uniform, Jose Quintana, like the Energizer Bunny, just keeps going, and his path continues to take him through the National League Central division.
The 36-year-old Quintana, in his first year with the Brewers, starts Sunday at 1:15 p.m. vs. the Cardinals at Busch in the finale of a three-game series.
The Cardinals are seeking a sweep after Saturday's Nolan Arenado walk-off home run.
The Brewers are Quintana's eighth big league team and fourth in the National League Central. He just needs to don a Cincinnati Reds uniform to complete the Central cycle.
Quintana has been above league average in 11 of his 13 years in the league prior to this year. One of his best stretches came with the Cardinals. He arrived at the trade deadline in 2022, and in his two months here, he put up a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts.
People are also reading…
With the Brewers, he has won his first three starts, going at least 5 2/3 innings in each and allowing no more than one run. Quintana is the first pitcher to win his first three starts with the Brewers in 2008.
Earlier this month, Quintana became the fourth active pitcher with .
He signed with the Brewers in March, a one-year, $4 million deal, and his familiarity with the NL Central was a definite selling point.
"I had a couple of options, but I pitch pretty well against the Central division and I know this division for a long time," Quintana said, . "I really like this [Brewers] group. I saw how electric they are and how hungry they are."
In 75 career starts against the NL Central, Quintana has a 3.11 ERA. Nearly a quarter of his career starts have come against the NL Central.
Last season, Milwaukee set a franchise record by starting 17 different pitchers over the course of the year. This year, the Brewers have been beset by injuries to starting pitchers, so Quintana's strong work is filling a needed role.
St. Louis will start right-hander Erick Fedde (1-2, 3.33), who, along with Matthew Liberatore, leads the team with four quality starts.
The Cardinals are 12-15 overall, 10-4 at home. They trail Chicago by 4 1/2 games in the division standings. Milwaukee is 13-15 overall, 4-11 on the road.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Lars Nootbaar, CF
2. Willson Contreras, 1B
3. Brendan Donovan, LF
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Luken Baker, DH
6. Thomas Saggese, 2B
7. Jordan Walker, RF
8. Pedro Pagés, C
9. Masyn Winn, SS
P: Erick Fedde, RHP
BREWERS
1. Brice Turang, 2B
2. Jackson Chourio, CF
3. Christian Yelich, DH
4. William Contreras, C
5. Sal Frelick, RF
6. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
7. Isaac Collins, LF
8. Joey Ortiz, SS
9. Caleb Durbin, 3B
P: Jose Quintana, LHP
Injury report
Ivan Herrera, C (bone bruise): Catcher and Cardinals are targeting the start of a rehab assignment Thursday. He has advanced to running sprints, taking batting practice, and doing all of his catching drills. He said he feels more comfortable and has not had any pain in the injured knee. He'll advance to running the bases and cutting this weekend, and if he does that well without issue he'll report to an affiliate Thursday.  Updated April 25
Zack Thompson, LHP (lat strain):Â Lefty is making strides on his throwing program back in Jupiter, Florida, and he's nearing a schedule that will start to resemble spring training. Thompson went through multiple checkups and scans to monitor the healing of a tear in his lat on the left side, and they did not show any setback to delayed Thompson's scheduled move to the injured list. On April 7, Thompson was transferred to the 60-day IL. Updated April 23
