Brewers At Tigers Preview: Getting Off The Mat

It has been a road trip to forget for Milwaukee so far. In what looks quite reasonably like a potential NLCS preview against Philadelphia, the bats completely disappeared for Milwaukee for all three games. Meanwhile, the Tigers have been on quite a tear as they claw for the .500 mark and a glimpse into potential playoff relevance. With the Brewers on enemy territory trying to shift the momentum back in their favor and the Tigers showing a feisty desire to maintain their own, it should be a fun bit of interleague play in Motown. Let’s break it down.

Friday, June 7th

The Milwaukee Brewers vs. Reese Olson (1-6, 2.48 ERA)
That Reese Olson has the record he does with an ERA under three is a fitting frustration for a team still assembling for the future. It’s worth mentioning that the sub-three ERA exists a bit in defiance of his projected numbers. The FIP is still respectable but still noticeably elevated, 3.20. Olson thrives as a ground ball pitcher and achieves them at a prolific, near league-leading rate. The Brewers lineup isn’t stacked top-to-bottom with the kind of hard hitters that can weave past an arm like Olson’s, but Christian Yelich and William Contreras are the kind of one-two power punch that might prove key to the Tigers' undoing.

As of Wednesday evening, the Brewers have yet to announce a starter for this game.

Saturday, June 8th

The Milwaukee Brewers vs. Casey Mize (1-3 4.70 ERA)
Drafted first overall in 2018 out of Auburn University, Casey Mize has much potential yet to find itself. The Tigers righty was called up in 2020 and 2022 and pitched all of ten innings before Tommy John would claim the rest of that season and all of the next. By the time this season rolled around, Mize had to fight for the fifth spot in the rotation. It hasn’t been easy going so far, and in each of his last four starts, Mize has been unable to make it through five innings. The future for Casey Mize feels especially unclear, and as sad as his trajectory might be to this point, it will serve as relief for the Crew, who finds his start sandwiched between two excellent starters.

As of Wednesday evening, the Brewers have yet to announce a starter for this game.

Sunday, June 9th

The Milwaukee Brewers vs. Tarik Skubal (7-1 1.97 ERA)
If there’s one play I’ve seen the term “Dark Horse” attributed to the most, it’s unquestionably Tarik Skubal. An ERA+ of 111 in 2022 paved the way for a more convincing breakout last year. Despite an early season injury claiming the first half of his season, he finished 7-3 with a 2.80 ERA and an impressive 102 K’s. His final five starts were most notable in that impressive span, where he put up an insane 0.90 ERA. The potential on display last season has fleshed itself out to an incredible performance this year, as the numbers above would suggest. If he is truly a Dark Horse, it’s merely by virtue of the fact that he’s languishing in the obscurity afforded to a player in a rebuilding franchise. If he keeps it up, he may find himself in a Cy Young award race and some well-deserved fame.  

As of Wednesday evening, the Brewers have yet to announce a starter for this game.

Players To Watch

Blake Perkins: Facing a pitching squad that largely muted the Brewers' usually potent lineup, promising young outfielder Blake Perkins served as one of the lone offensive bright spots. It hasn’t been uncommon for Perkins to show up and collect a smattering of hits when needed, whether it’s the occasional homer or the prolific bunt. It’s been impressive to see a player exercise his tools so craftily. 

Joey Ortiz: It was a concern amongst Brewers fans that Oliver Dunn’s recall from Nashville might be the harbinger of another deflating platoon situation, as Ortiz seemed to find his stroke. As it turns out, Ortiz’s elite play has earned him the everyday spot many people would say he deserved, and Dunn has mainly been requisitioned to pinch-running and hitting. As the season stretches on, it should be an exciting experience to watch a young player work to actualize his potential, particularly against teams characterized by exploitable deficits like the 2024 Tigers.

Mark Canha: For half a season, Mark Canha became a heart-and-soul player who was quick to endear himself to Brewers fans during a 2023 playoff run. For his efforts, Canha’s option was rather unceremoniously (and unpopularly) declined. Looking at his stats thus far, you could go either way on determining whether or not it was a good move for the Brewers to let Canha walk, but it’s also fair to be wary of a famously clutch batter who might have a chip on his shoulder when he steps up to the plate.

Riley Greene: The Tigers haven’t enjoyed enough consistent relevance to put a lot of torque behind the fame attributed to their homegrown names, but Riley Greene might be driving a campaign to flip that script. Picked fifth overall in the 2019 draft, Greene was selected out of high school for his stellar bat. Despite the calamity of a pandemic, Greene proved that selection to be good and ascended quickly through the minors, making his debut in June of 2022. So far this year, he’s been good for an OPS+ of 126 on the back of 10 home runs and walking an impressive 13.3% of the time. These aren’t numbers that will blow your hair back, but they are exactly what you want to see in a young hitter who’s part of the nascent wave of Detroit’s resurgence.

It’s also worth noting that even though no pitchers have been announced yet, the crux of the Brewers' ability to stay relevant will be their ability to navigate the absolute myriad of pitching woes they’ve been dealt. The austerity baked into being a small market team leaves them with a frustrating lack of depth and flexibility. Thus far, it hasn’t done much to hamper what has been an excellent season to his point, but it’s an intimidating situation when every arm that goes down feels like a gust of wind against a house of cards.

Predictions: It’s felt like the Tigers have been scratching their way back into relevance over the last few years, but one game over .500 in an undeniably underwhelming division doesn’t wrench a lot of confidence out of their efforts. The series against the Phillies may not have gone how the Brewers would have liked, but losing against the best team in baseball can’t entirely qualify as a surprise. If the offense can show up, the Brewers are still a force, and the Tigers are still putting it together. Even though it’s on enemy territory, I think the Brewers can easily take two of three from this series.