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Game 1 Brewers 7 – Cubs 6 Brewers 7, Cubs 6 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday Small’s Debut The headline leading into the first game of the double-header was the major league debut of Brewers pitcher Ethan Small. Small had dominated the minor leagues since being drafted by the Crew in the first round of the 2019 draft to the tune of a 1.78 era and 177 Ks in over 136 innings of work. Small was called up to fill the void made by the injury to Freddy Peralta. Things started out just fine for Small who went two scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks. If you’re looking for a reason to keep Small in the minors for a little while it’s control and that certainly came to bear in the third inning. He walked four batters including three with two outs and after two earned runs and 39 pitches, Brewers manager Craig Counsell pulled the plug. On day where the wind was blowing 20 mph out of Wrigley, the Brewers and Cubs combined for five home runs. Thankfully, the Brewers netted three of them to provide the winning margin. Jace Peterson took Cubs starter Matt Swarmer deep for a solo dinger in the third, Tyrone Taylor stayed white hot tying the game with a two run shot in the sixth, and Luis Urias capped the scoring with a three run shot in the seventh. The Brewers long relief did just enough after Small’s departure to hold the Cubs in check before turning things over to Devin Williams and Josh Hader. They combined to hold on to a one run lead over two innings and secure the victory. Hader earned his 17th save of the year, Williams his 12th hold. Game 2 Brewers 3 – Cubs 1 Brewers 3, Cubs 1 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday Ashby Shines, Hader Hates Resting I have to be honest, it’s weird having so much solid starting pitching. As a child of the 80’s, it’s almost surreal having survived so many years hoping that guys like Jeff D’Amico would evolve into just a decent starter. I almost feel guilty….almost. The Brewers fifth best starter is Aaron Ashby and the buzz about him is starting to grow. When he throws strikes, he is a force to be reckoned with. And unlike Ethan Small in game one, Ashby was able to find the plate and dominate the Cubs striking out 12 over six innings. Ashby was helped out by of the better defensive plays you will see this year from Tyrone Taylor. With two outs and two on in the sixth, Frank Schwindel hit a soft fly to shallow right. Taylor raced over and made a leaping catch as he crashed into the wall that hugs the foul line. Simply amazing Ashby ran out of gas (and luck) in the seventh. He allowed a sharp single to Patrick Wisdom, and infield hit to Nelson Velasquez and a bunt sing to Clint Frazier loading the bases with zero outs. Brad “Don’t Call Me Doug Henning” Boxberger somehow, some way got out of the jam without allowing a run. He struck out Nico Hoerner and induced an inning ending double play to Andrelton Simmons preserving the lead for Ashby. A Victor Caratini solo homer and a run scoring double from Rowdy Telez gave the Crew all the offense they would need. Tyrone Taylor slammed a solo home run (his second of the day) in the eighth to give the Brewers a 3 – 1 lead. Josh Hader came on to secure his second save of the day tying a record that will live forever. There have been seven Brewers pitchers that have had multiple saves in a single day but in all of major league baseball there have been only three since 2019. He’s yet to allow a run and opponents are 4-for-55 against him, with six walks and 26 strikeouts. A relief pitcher hasn’t won a Cy Young since 2003 but Hader may be in the running if he keeps this up. Game 3 Brewers 7 – Cubs 8 Brewers 7, Cubs 8 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday Bullpen, Defense Falter Late The Cubs are sure glad to see Tyrone Taylor leave Chicago. After homering once in both ends of a double header and robbing Frank Schwindel of a potential run scoring hit on Monday, Taylor was at it again on Tuesday. His three run double in the third kicked off the scoring for Milwaukee and put them ahead by two. Taylor finished off May with a bang sporting slash line of .314/.368/.667 the last two weeks of the month Eric Lauer had his shortest outing of the year going only four innings giving up three runs two of which were earned. Lauer gave up an laser beam home run to Willson Contreras in the first that left the bat at 116 mph. He couldn’t get through an inning clean which drove up his pitch count and ultimately caused his exodus from the game. Victor Caratini, starting his second consecutive game, hammered a three run home run in the top of the sixth to give the Brewers a three run lead. Unfortunately, Trevor Kelley had an outing to forget giving up three runs without recording an out in the bottom of the inning. Trevor Gott came in with a man on and gave up a run scoring double which was charged to Kelley giving him four earned runs in zero innings pitched. That won’t help the ERA. It wasn’t totally Kelley’s fault as the outfield defense had a trio of plays that weren’t errors but in at least two cases probably should have been caught. The wind did them no favors but had they caught one of those balls, the inning probably tilts in their favor. The Brewers were able to tie it up on a Rowdy Telez single in the seventh that drove in Christian Yelich who led things off with a triple. But an eighth inning solo home run by Patrick “The Tooth” Wisdom off Brad Boxberger gave the Cubs a lead they would not relinquish. Game 4 Brewers 3 – Cubs 4 Brewers 3, Cubs 1 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday Latex Salesman Makes Debut, Brewers Lose in Extras Another day another major league debut for the Brewers starting pitching staff. Instead of heralded prosect Ethan Small, however, this time it was Jason “Don’t Call Me George Constanza” Alexander who signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers this spring after spending four seasons split between the Angels and Marlins farm systems (he did not pitch in 2020). Alexander provided a quality start and then some totaling seven innings while giving up three runs, two earned. Not an overly hard thrower by modern standards (he topped out at 95 mph), Alexander kept Cubs hitters off balance primarily with his sinker inducing a whopping 13 ground outs. Too soon to say if he’ll be needed on the bump again but he’s proved he is up to the task should the call come. Unfortunately, the Brewers couldn’t do enough on offense to get Alexander the W. After going down 2-0 in the first, the Brewers clawed back with a single run in both the third and fourth to tie it up. In the fifth, Jace Peterson laced a double to the wall in center that scored Mike Brosseau from second. The play was initially called out but upon review it was obvious Brosseau snuck a toe in before the tag giving the Brewers a one run lead. The lead didn’t last long as the Cubs tied it up in the bottom of the inning. It stayed that way until the 10th. The Brewers had a man on third and one out but Jace Peterson was gunned down at home on the dreaded “contact play” grounder to second. The Cubs took advantage of the new man on second rule playing a bit of small ball to advance Jason Heyward to third before a weak fly to left scored him via sacrifice. The Brewers end up splitting the four game series with the Cubs probably feeling it’s one they should have taken at least three of four. Up Next The Brewers finished their 11 games in 10 days road trip with a record of 6 – 5 and come back north for a four-game series against the San Diego Padres starting Thursday night at American Family Field.

The Crew looked to avenge last year’s playoff loss to the Braves with a three-game set at American Family Field. May 16 - 18 Braves @ Brewers recap Game 1 Brewers 1 – Braves 0 Braves 0, Brewers 1 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday Peralta, Williams, and Hader Combine for the Shutout A dominant start followed by two dominant innings from the Brewers best bullpen arms is the blueprint the Brewers followed much of last season, and it was an excellent return to form in game one of this series. Freddy Peralta went seven strong in his best start of the season, striking out 10 Braves batters against only one free pass. After giving up some hard contact early, he fell into a groove locating his slider and had the Braves lineup flailing. Freddy has pitched great since a hiccup against the Cardinals in start number two. Over his last five appearances since then, Peralta has logged 28 2/3 innings striking out 38 and walking only six with an ERA of only 1.57. Devin Williams came on in the eighth and looked like peak Devin Williams of old, striking out the side. Devin’s calling card is his change-up but equally as devastating is his four-seamer, particularly when he can locate said change. That was true against the Braves as Williams K’d each batter with the fastball after setting each up with a barrage of off-speed stuff. Josh Hader entered the game in the ninth, looking to extend his MLB record of saving 13 consecutive games to start the season. He made it look easy by striking out all three batters by throwing nine pitches over 98 mph. Hader has been nearly unhittable since last July. He is truly the best closer in baseball. The Brewers only run came on a sixth-inning wild pitch against starter Ian Anderson after he had laced a double and took third on a fielder’s choice. But that’s all the Brewers would need with Freddy painting corners like this: Game 2 Brewers 0 – Braves 3 Braves 3, Brewers 0 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday Missed Opportunities It was a tale of missed opportunities for the Brewers offense. They could not get the big hit when they needed it, leaving seven men in scoring position with two outs. Lorenzo Cain came close in the bottom of the eight with the bases loaded but a stellar pick and throw from Austin Riley thwarted Lo’s effort to drive in a run. Adrian Houser used his sinker and four-seamer to keep the Braves off balance for six innings. In the fifth, he gave up one unearned run on a Mike Brosseau error but otherwise held Atlanta in check. The Braves tacked on two runs in the eighth on a Marcell Ozuna home run against Brad Boxberger. It was the first home run Brad has given up this year and the first outing he’s thrown more than 15 pitches in a game. Game 3 Brewers 7 – Braves 6 (11 innings) Braves 6, Brewers 7 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday It’s a Walk-Off! In his first game back in the bigs after a stint down in AAA Nashville, Keston Hiura proved the hero slamming a two-run homer to dead center field to win the game for the Brewers in the bottom of the 11th inning. The hit and win had to feel good for Hiura, who was fighting a flu bug and had struggled since his rookie year when it seemed like he could anchor the middle of the order for years. Hitting walk-off homers doesn’t seem to be a problem for Keston, who now has as many as Paul Molitor and Don Money combined per Adam McCalvy. Starter Corbin Burnes was good but not great, going six innings with five strikeouts and zero walks. He had trouble with the long ball giving up a three-run shot to Austin Riley and a solo job to Marcell Ozuna in the third inning. The Brewers battled back from the four-run deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, then again in the 10th, before Hiura’s blast in the 11th. The Brewers were without the services of Josh Hader, who is away from the team attending to a family matter. In his stead, Trevor Kelley, making his major league debut, got the first win of his career in relief. The Brewers have completed the regular-season series, with the Braves finishing up 3 – 3. Getting that last win may prove important come tie breaker time. Up Next The Brewers stick around Milwaukee for a three-game set against the Washington Nationals.

April 18 - 20 Pirates @ Brewers recap Game 1 Brewers 6 - Pirates 1 Box Score The Return of Christian Yelich Now this is more like it. After a roughly two-year hiatus, the Christian Yelich of old made an appearance at American Family Field and helped the Brewers take down the Pirates in game one of the three-game series. Yelich ripped a double and smacked a grand slam in what fans hope portends great things to come. Yelich’s grand salami in the fourth capped a five-run outburst. The offense didn’t do much after that, but it didn’t have to as Eric Lauer and the bullpen held off the Pirate bats. Mr. Thompson doesn’t know what’s about to hit him Lauer was sharp logging six innings, five strikeouts, and one walk. His only blemish was allowing a solo home run to Pirates second baseman Diego Castillo in the top of the fourth. Lauer seems to have found a bit more juice on his fastball as mentioned by Curt Hogg just prior to the season. He is now averaging over 94 mph on his four-seamer which is more than a mile and a half faster than last year. He touched 96 on his last pitch in the third. Lauer’s been on quite a run since mid-2021. The Brewers could have a devasting staff if he can keep it up. Jandel Gustave, Hoby Milner, and Jose Ureña each threw an inning to close things out for Milwaukee. Game 2 Brewers 5 – Pirates 2 Box Score Burnes Dominates This is the kind of performance we almost expect from Corbin Burnes each time he steps on the mound The Brewers took the reins off Corbin allowing him to throw 107 pitches in seven innings striking out 10 batters and walking none. He did give up two solo home runs which accounted for the entirety of the Pirate offense but all in all, it was vintage Corbin Burnes. The Brewers offense gave Burnes all the runs he would need in the second inning. After Andrew McCutchen drew a leadoff walk. Rowdy Velez jacked a 2 – 0 slider from Pirate starter JT Brubaker 424 feet into the second deck in right field. Kolton Wong followed that up with a two-run double after an error and walk allowed Lorenzo Cain and Victor Caratini on base. Off-season acquisition, Hunter Renfroe, finally got the monkey off his back with a 402-foot homer in the bottom of the seventh to end the scoring and give the Brewers relievers a three-run cushion. Devin Williams and Josh Hader both threw uneventful innings to earn a hold and save respectively. Game 3 Brewers 4 – Pirates 2 box score Woodruff Bounces Back, Crew Secures Sweep In the final game of the series, Brandon Woodruff continued the strong run of performances from Brewers starters. He allowed three baserunners – a single from Dan “Barrel Man” Vogelbach and two harmless walks – over six innings. Woody had the Bucs off balance all game long striking out nine and helping his own cause with a nifty bare-handed play in the top of the second. Rowdy Telez continued his fine start to the season by cranking his second homer in as many games putting the Brewers up 1 – 0 after two. The single run was all the Brewers could muster through six innings. In the seventh the Brewers led off with a Hunter Renfroe cue shot down the right-field line that went for a double. Omar Narvaez followed that up with a wounded duck to center and advanced to second on the throw putting men on second and third. Keston Hiura then jumped on a 3 – 1 four-seamer from Pirates reliever Miguel Yajure and smoked an opposite-field liner over the wall in right for his first home run of the year. After showing signs of life in spring, fans have been waiting for Keston to show up. His timing was impeccable. After giving up two singles to start the eight, Brent Suter was able to get two outs before moving aside for Devin Williams. Williams has been a bit shaky, to say the least, this year. He walked the always dangerous Bryan Reynolds to load the bases before giving up a two-run single to Ke’Bryan Hayes. He got out of the inning with no further damage by striking out Yoski Tsutsugo looking on a gnarly 83 mph changeup. Hopefully, Williams can find the zone with that changeup going forward. Josh Hader came on in the ninth to earn his second save of the series and finish off the sweep. Hader already has six saves on the young season. Up Next Pitching, defense, and power were all on display for the Brewers as they swept Pittsburgh. Winners of four straight, the Crew look to keep it going in a three-game set at Philadelphia that kicks off on Friday.