(Sports Network) - Right-hander Ryan Dempster makes his first major-league start since 2005 today, when the Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers in the third and final game of a season-opening series at Wrigley Field.

A 30-year-old native of British Columbia, Dempster has been used exclusively in relief for the past two seasons, making 140 appearances for the Cubs while going 3-12 with 52 saves over 141 2/3 innings.

He made six starts for Chicago, along with 57 relief appearances, in 2005. His last stint as a full-time starter came with Cincinnati in 2003, when Dempster was 3-7 with a 6.54 earned run average in 22 games (20 starts) covering 115 2/3 innings.

Dempster's best season as a starter came in 2001 with Florida, when he was 15-12 in 34 starts with a 4.94 ERA in 211 1/3 innings.

He is 4-2 with 10 saves in 30 lifetime games (8 starts) against the Brewers.

Right-hander Dave Bush looks to reverse a career's worth of struggles against the Cubs when he takes the mound for Milwaukee today.

A 6-foot-2, 207-pounder, Bush is just 1-5 in eight career starts against Chicago, logging a 4.36 ERA in 53 2/3 innings.

He's won 12 games for the Brewers in each of the last two seasons, going 12-11 and 12-10, respectively, while turning in consecutive ERA's of 4.41 and 5.12.

Bush began his career with Toronto in 2004 and was 10-15 in 41 overall appearances with the Blue Jays from 2004-05.

On Wednesday, Jeff Suppan threw 6 1/3 solid innings and Jason Kendall went 3- for-4 with two runs batted in to help Milwaukee top the Cubs, 8-2.

Suppan gave up two runs on a pair of solo homers and scattered four other hits for the Brewers, who also beat Chicago on Monday in the season-opener.

Kendall, who played in 57 games for the Cubs last season and signed a one-year deal with Milwaukee this offseason, stroked a pair of doubles and also scored a run.

Salomon Torres and David Riske, also Brewers newcomers, combined to throw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, giving up just two hits and a walk.

Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto hit the homers for the Cubs, who hadn't lost the first two games of a season since 2001. Chicago starter Ted Lilly struggled in his debut, as the lefty gave up four runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings to absorb the loss.

The Cubs won nine of their 15 matchups with Milwaukee last season and have taken seven of the last 12 meetings between the clubs.