Article: Brewers 0, Angels 3: It’s Okay, We Already Won The Series

[Jason Wang]

The Angels shutout the Brewers in the third and final game of the series as the Milwaukee bats get a case of the Sunday Scaries.

Image courtesy of Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 86 pitches, 57 strikes (66.3%)
Home Runs: None 
Top 3 WPA: Jake Cousins (.052), Brian Anderson (.026), Tyson Miller (.022) 
Bottom 3 WPA: Blake Perkins (-.129), Mike Brosseau (-.095), William Contreras (-.094)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Homers Happen, But Rea Recovers
Colin Rea made a strong start, striking out nine in his five-inning start. Other than two home runs hit by Jake Lamb and Shohei Ohtani, he was able to avoid any major scoring trouble. More importantly, he had eight swinging strikes in the first inning while facing Mike Trout and Ohtani.  

While he’s still got a lot to improve, Colin Rea has been a serviceable replacement for Brandon Woodruff thus far and seemingly has incredible potential to hold down a long-term spot in this rotation. We’ll see how the team decides his fate upon Woodruff’s return from the IL.

Lazy Sunday in Wisconsin
The Brewers totaled just three hits, two of which were doubles by Brian Anderson and Joey Wiemer. Angels starter Jose Suarez struck out six batters in five innings and set the pace for the remainder of the game. 

The one highlight of the hitting performance today was a flyout by Mike Brosseau which had an exit velocity of 99.0 mph, a launch angle of 25 degrees, and a total distance of 363 feet. This doesn’t seem particularly out of the ordinary, but it is worth noting that in four ballparks (Wrigley Field, Minute Maid Park, Citizens Bank Park, and Petco Park), it would’ve counted as a home run. Goes to show the importance of  park-adjusted OPS and other statistics.

Cousins & Co Finish Strong
In his second major league game this season, Jake Cousins pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, giving up zero hits. While he didn’t record any strikeouts, he was able to pick off Shohei Ohtani to retire the side in the sixth inning. In a somewhat controversial decision, Craig Counsell would replace Cousins with Hoby Milner who would go on to give up two hits and a walk, culminating in a third run for the Angels.

Tyson Miller, a recent call-up from the Nashville Sounds and Alex Claudio’s replacement, took on the final two innings of relief and gave up just one walk, a strong Milwaukee debut for the right-handed 27-year-old.

What’s Next? 
After a much-needed off-day, the Brewers will face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Freddy Peralta will make the start while the Rockies have yet to announce which poor sap will be responsible for throwing to the Milwaukee lineup in the most altitude-friendly ballpark in Major League Baseball.

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOT
Strzelecki	5	0	15	12	0	32
Milner	12	0	0	0	19	31
Williams	9	0	13	4	0	26
Peguero	0	0	0	23	0	23
Payamps	0	0	14	0	5	19
Miller	0	0	0	0	19	19
B Wilson	11	0	0	7	0	18
Cousins	0	0	0	0	16	16

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