Brewers Week In Review: Divisional Battles

Weekly Snapshot:
Record Last Week: 4-2 (Overall: 50-31)
Run Scored Last Week: 21
Runs Surrendered Last Week: 22
Standing: 1st in NL Central

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Game 76 (6/22) | Brewers 2, Reds 1
Game 77 (6/23) | Brewers 2, Reds 0
Game 78 (6/24) | Brewers 6, Reds 5
Game 79 (6/26) | Brewers 6, Cubs 2
Game 80 (6/27) | Cubs 8, Brewers 2
Game 81 (6/28) | Cubs 4, Brewers 3
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Game 76 | Brewers 2, Reds 1

MIL Starter: Brandon Woodruff (6.0 IP, H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 10 K)

Top Performers:
Aaron Ashby (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K)

Big Woo was back on the mound for the first time since April, and he was back like he never left. Woodruff strolled into Great American Ballpark and struck out 10 Reds through six innings of one-hit, no-run baseball. Brady Singer was equally good, though, twirling seven scoreless innings of his own, so the game was destined for extra innings. There, the Brewers would score two runs in the 10th without the benefit of a hit, before Joe Kuhnel slammed the door shut for a 2-1 series opening victory.

Brandon Woodruff’s masterful return

Game 77 | Brewers 2, Reds 0

MIL Starter: Brandon Sproat (6.0 IP, H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 10 K)

Top Performers:
Andrew Vaughn (2 BB, RBI)
Jake Bauers (3B, BB, RBI)
Trevor Megill (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, SV)

Brandon Sproat played copycat in game two, matching Brandon Woodruff’s exact line the day before with six innings of one-hit, no-run baseball of his own. Luckily, the scuffling Brewer offense wouldn’t need 10 innings, as a sixth-inning RBI triple off the bat of Jake Bauers was the only run they needed to capture the series with a 2-0 victory.

Jake Bauers’ RBI triple (+18.9 WP%)

Game 78 | Brewers 6, Reds 5

MIL Starter: Shane Drohan (4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 5 K)

Top Performers:
William Contreras (3 H, 2 BB, HR, 2 RBI)
Jake Bauers (2 H, BB, HR, RBI)
Joel Kuhnel (1.1 IP, H, 2 BB, 0 ER, SV)

The series finale was a far more dramatic affair, and one littered with more baserunners than the first two games of the series saw combined. Shane Drohan was able to put up a zero, working around 5 hits and 3 walks in his 4.1 innings, but the Reds scored their first non-Manfred runner run of the series off of Chad Patrick in the sixth. With the Bats, the Brewers got big performances from William Contreras and Jake Bauers, tallying six runs. It was just enough, as with Abner Uribe serving a one-game suspension, a taxed bullpen was bailed out by Joel Kuhnel’s 4-out save highlighted by a game-ending double play to secure a series sweep.

Joel Kuhnel picks up the save (+54.5 WP%)

Game 79 | Brewers 6, Cubs 2

MIL Starter: Jacob Misiorowski (6.0 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, ER, 8 K)

Top Performers:
Garett Mitchell (H, HR, 2 RBI)
William Contreras (2 H, BB, HR, 2 RBI)
David Hamilton (2 H, 3B, RBI)

The Friday night marquee featured Jacob Misiorowski facing off against the Cubs at American Family Field, and the Miz didn’t disappoint. Six innings of one-run baseball were left in his wake, highlighted by a 105.5 mph pitch in the first inning, while the Brewers' offense feasted on a depleted Cubs bullpen, popping two homers en route to a 6-2 win.

Garrett Mitchell flips the scoreboard (+35.4 WP%)

Game 80 | Cubs 8, Brewers 2

MIL Starter: Kyle Harrison (5.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 ER, 9 K)

Top Performers:
Jackson Chourio (H, HR, RBI)
Jared Koenig (1.0 IP, H, 0 BB, 0 ER, K)

The Brewers' perfect record against the Cubs would end on Saturday, as after Kyle Harrison labored through his five innings, the North Siders jumped all over Chad Patrick and the Brewers' bullpen, turning what was a 2-2 contest into an 8-2 drubbing.

Jackson Chourio’s leadoff blast (+9.7 WP%)

Game 81 | Cubs 4, Brewers 3

MIL Starter: Brandon Woodruff (5.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 6 K)

Top Performers:
Abner Uribe (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, K)

Brandon Woodruff was great in his second start of the week, working through 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball. That was tainted, though, as the Brewers' offense failed to score after an early Gary Sanchez homer, while the Cubs generated a run off of Aaron Ashby in the 7th. The game headed to the 10th tied at 1, where John Kuhnel would allow 3 runs in the 10th inning, before the Brewer offense scored two of their own before squandering a bases-loaded, no-out situation to fall short in devastating fashion, 4-3.

Gary Sanchez goes deep (+11.0 WP%)

Transactions:

06/26/26 - Activated LHP Jared Koenig from the 15-day injured list.
06/25/26 - Activated RHP Abner Uribe.
06/25/26 - Optioned RHP Craig Yoho to Nashville Sounds.
06/24/26 - RHP Abner Uribe was suspended.
06/24/26 - Signed free agent RHP Peter Strzelecki to a minor league contract.
06/23/26 - Released 3B Luis Rengifo.
06/22/26 - Activated RHP Brandon Woodruff from the 15-day injured list.

Looking Ahead:

Monday, 6/29 - Reds @ Brewers - 6:40 PM CDT
Tuesday, 6/30 - Reds @ Brewers - 6:40 PM CDT
Wednesday, 7/1 - Reds @ Brewers - 7:10 PM CDT
Thursday, 7/2 - Reds @ Brewers - 1:10 PM CDT
Friday, 7/3 - Brewers @ Diamondbacks - 8:45 PM CDT
Saturday, 7/4 - Brewers @ Diamondbacks - 8:40 PM CDT
Sunday, 7/5 - Brewers @ Diamondbacks - 3:10 PM CDT