Right-hander Frankie Montas will pitch for Milwaukee against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, with the Brewers having a chance to win the National League Central title.

Opposing Montas (7-10, 4.49 ERA) will be right-hander Zack Wheeler (15-6, 2.60), who ranks second in the NL in both ERA and wins.

Milwaukee’s magic number to win the NL Central dropped to two with a 6-2 victory over Philadelphia in the series opener on Monday. William Contreras and Joey Ortiz scored two runs each, and Brewers starter Aaron Civale allowed just one run in five-plus innings.

Contreras has a .400 batting average (10-for-25) with two home runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs in his last eight games.

“They’re a dangerous offensive club,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “They’re very dynamic and can beat you in a lot of ways. They hit bunts, they hit and run, they steal bases.”

The Brewers (87-63) remained 10 games ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs (77-73), who beat the Oakland A’s 9-2 on Monday. Milwaukee could clinch its second consecutive division title and fourth in seven seasons with a win on Tuesday and a Cubs loss.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy was asked if he saw the possibility of such success at the beginning of the season.

“I’ve heard what people have said,” Murphy said. “A lot of people have laughed at us and said this is a rebuild and stuff like that. We haven’t accomplished anything yet. So we’re going to keep our noses down, keep playing and be competitive in every game like we’ve been doing so far.”

Philadelphia (90-60) leads the NL East by eight games over the New York Mets (82-68) and has the best record in the league, one game ahead of the Dodgers (89-61). Milwaukee is two games behind Los Angeles in the race for the second of two byes in the first round of the NL playoffs.

Montas has a 3-2 record with a 3.40 ERA in eight starts for Milwaukee since being signed from the Cincinnati Reds in late July. In his last outing, he allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings to secure a 3-0 win in San Francisco on Thursday.

Montas is 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in two career starts against the Phillies. He pitched Cincinnati to a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia on April 3, throwing 5 2/3 innings with one run.

Wheeler has been in top form over the past two months.

In six starts in August, he went 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA, 44 strikeouts and just five walks in 39 innings. Wheeler is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts in September, with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 12 innings.

Wheeler is 4-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 10 career starts against Milwaukee. He has faced the Brewers once this season, allowing one run in seven innings in a 3-1 home win on June 3.

Phillies hitters Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber each had two hits on Monday. Harper has a .376 batting average (32-for-85) with 13 doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs in his last 23 games. Schwarber has a .378 batting average (17-for-45) with seven home runs and 14 RBIs in his last 12 games.

–Field level media