ST. LOUIS – Down 2-1 to the Cardinals in the National League Division Series, there were no signs of panic, frustration or anxiety in the Brewers locker room following their 4-3 loss Wednesday to St. Louis.

"I still feel good about our club," manager Ron Roenicke said after the game. "This is a good club we're playing and when you make mistakes like we did in the first inning, they were going to get their hits. They are going to score some runs."

The Brewers look very little like the team that bludgeoned Arizona in the first two games of the National League Division Series, nor do they look anything like the team that ran over the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLCS. They don't even look much like the team that won the National League Central with a 6.5-game cushion.

On the surface, they look like a team reeling. The starting pitching has been battered. The defense has looked porous. And at the plate, the Brewers' lineup doesn't look as formidable as it did a month ago.

Still, the Brewers feel that looks can be deceiving and are quick to point out that they're down just one game and it takes four to win the pennant.

"We're going to battle back. I'm sure they know that. We've been playing against them pretty much neck and neck all year. We're going to come back and I'm sure we'll be ready tomorrow."

The Brewers' attitude – their confidence and often brash belief that they're one of the best teams in baseball has been one of the most popular storylines of this series.

"It's baseball," second baseman Rickie Weeks said. "We could be down 3-0, but we still have to come back and win the next ballgame. You can say that you're frustrated but this is the wrong clubhouse to ask that to."

Wolf looks for redemption: Any hopes of evening the best-of-seven series rest on the shoulder – actually, the left arm – of Randy Wolf. The veteran will make his second start of the postseason Thursday night in Game 4, looking to redeem himself after getting knocked around in the first inning of his last outing, in Game 4 of the NLDS at Arizona.

Instead of looking at that start, Roenicke looks at Wolf's last outing against St. Louis. He went eight innings, allowing a run on four hits with five strikeouts in a 4-1 Brewers victory Sept. 5.

"He had a really good game here," Roenicke said. "Pitchers, they get into situations where it's not just looking at stuff. It's looking at command; it's looking at the lineups they are facing."

Wolf faced the Cardinals five times in 2011, posting a 3-2 record and a 5.34 ERA. Three of his starts came at Busch Stadium, where he went 2-1 and the Cardinals hit just .225 against him.

Kotsay starts: Roenicke made a big change in the lineup Wednesday, starting veteran Mark Kotsay at center instead of Nyjer Morgan or Carlos Gomez. Morgan has struggled during the postseason and is 0-for-5 in the NLCS but Gomez has seemed to have turned a corner during the playoffs, and carried a .333 average (3-for-9) into Game 3.

So why Kotsay?

"I always feel good when Kotsay is in the lineup," Roenicke said. "When we start him, he seems to have a big day, something always good seems to happen when he's in there."

Early on, Roenicke made his second-guessers look smart as a potential scoring opportunity was thwarted when Kotsay was doubled up at second base to end the first inning. In the bottom of the inning, he misplayed John Jay's RBI double that scored the first of the Cardinals' four first-inning runs.

"The ball was just out of my reach," Kotsay said. "I gave every effort to get it, came up short and they built momentum on that play."

At the plate, Kotsay's day was much better. He finished 1-for-2 with two walks and led off the third with a solo home run that cut the Cardinals' lead to one, at 4-3.

After the game, Roenicke said that in the end, his decision was between Morgan and Kotsay, and he took the chance on the veteran.

"It was going to be Nyjer or Kotsay out there," Roenicke said. "Gomez is a fabulous center fielder, but you also have to look at trying to score runs and trying to figure your offense and where you slot guys."

Dome, sweet dome: Game 3 started on time and was played without delay, despite a weather forecast that called for storms throughout the day and a light but steady rain that fell during the game.

The potential for a delayed start or an interrupted game weighed heavily on Roenicke, who didn't want to risk losing Yovani Gallardo for the game – and the next few days. It was also another reminder of just how good the Brewers have it back home, where games are guaranteed to be played because of the retractable roof over Miller Park.

"I've talked about it a lot this year, and I didn't know that I would be talking about it at all when I first came over, because I had never been in a dome before, and being out in Anaheim where we don't have to worry about rain," Roenicke said. "It's huge. I can't imagine how many delays or cancelled BP or cancelled games there would have been this year if we didn't have that dome. It allows me to plan on whatever I want to plan on, it's going to happen that day, which is great for a manager."

Soup pitched great: Former Cardinals and Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3.

Suppan was the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 NLCS, in which the Cardinals defeated the Mets to advance to the World Series for the second time in three seasons. Suppan allowed only one run on five hits in 15 innings (two starts) during the series and that winter, signed a four-year, $42 million deal with the Brewers.

Fans don't need to be reminded how that worked out for the Brewers, who released Suppan in June 2010, with more than $10 million remaining on his contract. He was resigned by the Cardinals that season and went 3-6 with a 3.84 ERA in 15 appearances (13 starts).

Suppan signed a free agent deal with the San Francisco Giants over the winter but was released at the end of Spring Training. He signed with the Royals and spent the year in their minor league system, going 11-8 with a 4.78 ERA in 28 outings with the Class AAA Omaha Storm Chasers.

He's still hoping to get back to the majors.

"I enjoy playing; I enjoy pitching," Suppan said. "I feel like I was healthy this year, and I was able to go out and make some starts and help the team.
"I'm just going to get ready for next year, and whatever happens, I'd like to go to Spring Training, hopefully have a chance to make a team. So, we'll see."

Remembering Gary: The Brewers took the field Wednesday with patches on their jerseys honoring head groundskeeper Gary Vanden Berg who passed away this week after battling cancer for the last year.

Members of the Cardinals' grounds crew wore black ribbons and the stadium observed a moment of silence prior to the game in Vanden Berg's memory.

"I really would like to express my sympathies at the passing of Gary," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "A lot of us have known him for a long time. That's a real blow to the Milwaukee Brewers. I wish him and his family the best. A real good guy."