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Astros Vs. Brewers Series Preview: Houston & Milwaukee Could Be Difficult To Watch

The Astros and Brewers bring two of the league's worst bullpens into this three-game series.

ST. LOUIS - MAY 13: Starting pitcher Bud Norris #20 of the Houston Astros throws against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 13, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri.  The Astros beat the Cardinals 4-1.  (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS - MAY 13: Starting pitcher Bud Norris #20 of the Houston Astros throws against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 13, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Astros beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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What's going to be difficult about this Astros vs. Brewers series is waiting to see which team beats itself. These teams have something eerily similar in common, and it can also be traced to their recent struggles: a bad bullpen.

The Brewers and Astros rank 28 and 29, respectively in bullpen ERA this season. They are two of the seven NL teams with a bullpen ERA over 4 and their most recent struggles have been downright painful.

We know the Astros' story. Houston can't seem to get a decent crew of relievers if all of Downtown depended on it. And that's before the Stros replaced Brett Myers is Francisco Cordero for a moment (hopefully just for a moment).

But the Brewers most recent bullpen hiccup was gut-wrenching for their fans. On Sunday, they carried a 7-3 lead into the eighth inning against the Nationals, but manage to blow saves on two separate occasions.

The Stros have to like their chances in this series, with a chance to get a road victory or two out of it. That'd be great, wouldn't it?

Check out the probable starters for the Astros and Brewers:

Monday: Bud Norris (5-8, 5.05 ERA) vs. Marco Estrada (0-4, 4.52 ERA)

Tuesday: Dallas Keuchel (1-3, 4.63 ERA) vs. Yovani Gallarado (8-8, 4.07 ERA)

Wednesday: Jordan Lyles (2-7, 5.54 ERA) vs. Mike Fiers (4-4, 1.77 ERA)

Read more on the Astros at The Crawfish Boxes and SB Nation Houston. Head over to Brew Crew Ball for more on the Brewers. Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish are your sources for news and analysis around Major League Baseball. Also, be sure to subscribe to the SB Nation Youtube Channel for video commentary.

Images by eflon used in background images under a Creative Commons license. Thank you.