MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers will try to continue their run of road success beginning Tuesday in sunny Southern California, a locale that has been anything but inviting over the last decade.

Since joining the National League in 1998, the Brewers are 11-23 in San Diego and 10-24 in Los Angeles. They have not won a series in either spot since 2003, when Milwaukee won two of three at both Qualcomm Stadium and Dodger Stadium. In the three seasons since, they are 6-19 on the road against the Padres and Dodgers.

"It's been a tough trip a lot of times," said infielder Bill Hall, who has been with the Brewers full-time since 2004. "But we're in a little different situation this year. We have a way better team than what we're used to going with."

And they are finally having some success away from Miller Park. The Brewers, who were 162-242 on the road in manager Ned Yost's first five seasons and have not posted a winning road record since going 42-39 in 1992, are suddenly among baseball's hottest road shows. Milwaukee is 11-2 away from home since the All-Star break, and with 21 away games yet to play, has already matched its 2007 win total (32).

The weeklong trip begins Tuesday at San Diego's PETCO Park against the Padres, the only NL team Milwaukee has yet to face this season. It marks the Brewers' third straight series against a team in last place after taking two of three at Cincinnati and then sweeping four games from Washington at Miller Park.

After their set against the Padres, the Brewers will head north on Thursday evening in advance of another three-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning Friday night.

"We can't take anybody for granted, but the Padres aren't playing that well," Hall said. "It's still going to be a tough trip for us."

It always seems to be a tough trip. Why?

"Those are two good teams," infielder Craig Counsell said. "In general, when you go to those two teams it becomes a 'pitching and defense' series. Those two parks, they are not easy to hit in. They seem to be low-scoring places to play."

That was the case last season, when the Brewers averaged 3.5 runs in road games against the Padres and Dodgers on the road versus 6.9 runs per game against those teams at home.

Then-third baseman Ryan Braun helped spark the Brewers when he earned his Major League callup last May, just as the team began a series in San Diego. He went 4-for-11 in the series including a 1-for-3 Major League debut on May 25, when Braun notched his first career RBI against Padres starter Greg Maddux and his first hit on a double against reliever Doug Brocail. This time, the Brewers will miss Maddux in the series.

But Braun could remain sidelined this week while he nurses lingering soreness in the intercostal muscle at the back of his ribcage. Braun has not played since taking an awkward swing during a first-inning strikeout on Saturday. He has not picked up a bat since, and spent most of the day Monday receiving treatment and working on flexibility exercises in the pool.

"It's definitely better today than it was [Sunday]," Braun said. "But it's got a ways to go before I can play. ... I highly doubt that I'll play [Tuesday], but if I wake up and I'm feeling great, then I'll play."

Braun does not believe that the injury will land him on the disabled list. Yost seemed to concur on Monday morning.

"It's nothing significant," Yost said. "The doctors looked at it and it's just some stiffness on both sides, which is a little strange. Normally, you have stiffness on one side. They don't feel like it's anything outside of something that's day-to-day."

Pitching matchup
MIL: RHP Jeff Suppan (7-7, 4.70 ERA)
Suppan has worked seven innings to win each of his last two starts after allowing eight runs on 11 hits in a July 27 loss to the Astros at Miller Park. In the wins, he allowed four runs on 12 hits in 14 innings with three walks, none in his most recent outing in Cincinnati. Suppan retired the final nine men he faced in that game and could have escaped damage except for Jay Bruce, who hit an RBI groundout in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third. Suppan is 4-3 in his career against the Padres despite a 6.23 ERA in nine starts.

SD: RHP Cha Seung Baek (4-6, 5.06 ERA)
Baek kept the Padres atop the Mets through 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out five. Other than a hit batsman, Baek's offspeed pitches found their spots and, on other occasions, sneakily ducked under Mets bats. The outing, which lasted 99 pitches, consisted of 65 strikes. He'll now face the Brewers, a team he hasn't faced in his career.

Tidbits
The Brewers are 17 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1992 season. ... Reliever David Riske finally pitched in a game Monday, his first appearance since July 31 against the Cubs. Riske spent some time on the disabled list this season with elbow and back injuries, but his latest drought had nothing to do with his health, he insisted Monday morning. Riske twice warmed up during Sunday's game but never got in. "It's always good to get in," Riske said. ... Rickie Weeks hit his third leadoff home run of the season on Monday, but it was his first homer this year at Miller Park. Weeks hit his first nine home runs on the road, the first player to do so since the Yankees' Bernie Williams in 2003. ... With Gabe Kapler's game-winning home run on Sunday and Weeks' leadoff shot Monday, it marked the first time since April 18-19, 1991, that the Brewers ended one game with a homer and then got another in their first at-bat of the following game. Robin Yount and Paul Molitor teamed to accomplish the feat in '91. ... Milwaukee hitters set a season high with 14 strikeouts in their 7-1 win over Washington on Monday. ... The Brewers sold out their 15th consecutive home game on Monday and have hosted 31 sellouts this season, matching the franchise record they set last year. ... Braun joined kids from 20 Boys & Girls Clubs chapters on Monday to celebrate a successful 2008 "Little Brewers" season at a tailgate party and pregame ceremony. The Little Brewers Club gives 6-9 year-olds in Wisconsin an opportunity to play in an organized baseball program each summer. Braun donated a portion of his 2007 National League Rookie of the Year bonus to the program.

Tickets
 Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.

On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• FSN Wisconsin

On radio
• WTMJ 620

Up next
• Wednesday: Brewers (CC Sabathia, 6-0, 1.58) at Padres (Josh Banks, 3-4, 3.77), 9:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Brewers (Ben Sheets, 11-5, 2.95) at Padres (Jake Peavy, 8-8, 2.68), 2:35 p.m. CT
• Friday: Brewers (Manny Parra, 9-5, 4.02) at Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 11-9, 3.07), 9:40 p.m. CT