Article: Brewers 2, Angels 1: Tell ‘Em, Tellez

[Jason Wang]

The Brewers did just what they needed, nothing more, in the first game of the series against the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim).

Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score

Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 84 pitches, 54 strikes (64.3%)
Home Runs: Willy Adames (5)
Top 3 WPA: Rowdy Tellez (.293), Wade Miley (.229), Devin Williams (.160)
Bottom 3 WPA: Luke Voit (-.215), Brian Anderson (-.073), Christian Yelich (-.047) 

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Miley Dashes Angels Hopes Over And Over 
Wade Miley needed just two strikeouts to keep the Angels to one run across his six-inning start. While he gave up seven hits, none of these were for extra bases and for the most part, they were spread across several innings, which explains the limited scoring. Other than the little pitch clock hiccup that occurred in the second inning, it was a strong start.

Given his veteran tenure, the pitch clock violation isn't surprising, but it was pretty funny. Nonetheless, it was another strong start for Miley, whose ERA currently sits at 1.86 across five starts and 29 total innings pitched. 

Work Smarter, Not Harder
When Willy Adames went yard early and hit a 406-foot bomb to left field off of Tyler Anderson, it seemed like the start of another bombastic offensive showcase for Milwaukee.

But Tyler Anderson had a great start, tossing 109 pitches in 6.2 innings and earning 20 swings and misses. The Brewers were able to load the bases in the second inning and had two runners in scoring position in the fourth inning, but Anderson was able to get himself out of trouble both times. After multiple three-batter innings, the Brewers finally got to work in the eighth.

With William Contreras and Brian Anderson on base, Rowdy Tellez hit a crucial go-ahead single to put the Brewers on top. While this would ultimately be the team’s final hit of the game, it was just enough to squeak by with the win after passing the torch to Devin Williams. 

Don’t Sleep On This Bullpen
Milwaukee relievers quietly have the third-best ERA in the major leagues and the best ERA in the national league at 2.70. Part of this is due to some weaker performers being pulled, with Javy Guerra being designated for assignment and Matt Bush being placed on the 15-day IL with rotator cuff tendinitis. 

Alex Claudio and Jake Cousins have been called up and made very brief appearances at the major league level thus far, but we’ll see if they can add value to this highly underrated set of relievers.

Oh, by the way, Devin Williams, after marking his ninth inning pitched today, has yet to give up an earned run. In case you were wondering.

What’s Next? 
The series against the Angels continues with Corbin Burnes facing off against lefty Reid Detmers. Burnes hasn’t looked like himself this season, recording just one game with more than five strikeouts. His current ERA of 4.55 is hopefully just indicative of a rough start and not a more concerning sign of regression, but we’ll have to wait and see until then.

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	TOT
Payamps	0	31	0	0	14	45
B Wilson	28	0	11	0	0	39
Cousins	38	0	0	0	0	38
Peguero	0	34	0	0	0	34
Strzelecki	0	10	5	0	15	30
Williams	0	0	9	0	13	22
Milner	0	0	12	0	0	12
Claudio	4	0	0	0	0	4

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[Playing Catch]

Luke Voit saved runs in this game, scooping two tough throws from Willy late.

[Oxy]

2 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

Luke Voit saved runs in this game, scooping two tough throws from Willy late.

Clearly.  Stats like that which are labelled as all encompassing when they are only offensive/batting stats need to be called something different.