3 Keys for Brewers to Take Down Houston Astros

The last couple of weeks have erased much of the positive momentum Milwaukee had built amid this uneven start to the season. A missed opportunity to sweep the White Sox gave way to two dispiriting losses to start a home series against the Cubs—at home, no less.

But then came a reminder that legitimately excellent talent still resides on the Brewers roster. Freddy Peralta pitched masterfully through six innings, allowing just four hits, walking one, and striking out seven. Peralta has been viewed as an ace-in-the-making ever since his 2018 debut with the Crew. Now, just a month shy of his 29th birthday, he looks closer than ever to realizing that promise. His start galvanized the team and helped them salvage a game, though they still lost the series.

The hope now is that this inauspicious stretch serves not as a harbinger of things to come, but as a crucible in which to prove themselves. They’ll have the chance to do just that with a three-game set against the Astros, also at home.

Houston, who entered 2025 hoping to dispel the notion that they are in the twilight of their dynasty, are coming off their own series loss—handed to them by none other than the Chicago White Sox. The Astros' offseason was a difficult one to evaluate, as it saw them endure a major shake-up of their identity. When they traded Ryan Pressly and perennial MVP candidate Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, and made it evident that Alex Bregman would be wearing a different uniform come Opening Day, it seemed like the 'Stros had almost accepted that another rebuild would soon be on the offing. 

On the other hand, the team did have bullpen depth from which to deal, and their maneuvers brought in two controllable position players, while making room for free-agent signee Christian Walker. It could also be argued that the team achieved addition by subtraction, in replacing Bregman with a very capable Isaac Paredes; replacing Tucker with top prospect (and immediate-impact rookie) Cam Smith; and letting Yusei Kikuchi and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander walk in free agency. Yes, these moves do constitute major turnover for a team whose core had brought them a second championship in five years in 2022, but it freshens up their outlook for the second half of this decade.

Still, where the Brewers sit one game under .500, the Astros are only one game ahead of them. Both teams seem to be in a bit of a haze, unsure if they are on the cusp of a soft rebuild or if their respective abilities to pull magic out of a hat will whisk them into the postseason once more. Either way, it projects to be a chippy series, with two teams looking to establish who they are, what they are and where they are going in 2025.

Three Keys for Taking Down the Astros

1. Let Cameron cook!: Look, I am not expecting Daz Cameron (son of former Brewer Mike Cameron) to come close to being the player he was once hyped to become. That said, there is a reason he hasn’t completely washed out of the league yet; it just happens to reside in less celebrated tools. He managed to get a hit and steal a base Sunday. The power/speed combo scouts saw in him has yet to play in the bigs so far, and at 28, it's hard to project a sudden renaissance. However, the 112.6-mph maximum exit velocity he yielded as recently as last year is enough to give me some hope—even with uncertainty swirling around Sal Frelick's health.

2. A refreshed Yelich: Until yesterday, Christian Yelich had played every game since April 15—a welcome sight for Brewers fans, given the litany of injuries he’s battled in recent seasons. While the former MVP isn’t exactly slumping, though, his 2025 campaign has gotten off to a slow start. His .667 OPS won’t turn heads, but his elite plate discipline still makes him a nightmare for opposing pitchers. Yelich ranks near the top of the league in walk rate, consistently forcing pitchers into deep counts and mistakes. If he can find just a bit more thump in his bat, he has the potential to be a real difference-maker in Milwaukee’s lineup. A day off might be just what he needed to reignite the spark.

3. Stay steady against Framber: The imposing Astros lefty has long been a menace on the mound; his track record is sparkling. That Framber Valdez is only a two-time All-Star feels like an oversight, especially given his past dominance against Milwaukee. But this year’s 1-4 start doesn’t feel like bad luck—it feels earned. Valdez enters this series with a 37:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a notable decline from his career norms. He’s still generating ground balls, but hitters are squaring him up more than usual, producing concerning exit velocities off his pitches. Not to pile on the struggling White Sox, but the fact that they tagged him for four runs—and that only 48 of his 87 pitches found the zone—should raise eyebrows. Whether it’s contract-year nerves or a real slip in form, the Brewers may find an opening against a pitcher who’s typically anything but generous.

Expectations: Genuinely hard to predict this one. Both teams feel like they are in a very similar place in their competitive arc. Given said similarities, I’ll say the Brewers take two of three.