Tommy Ciaccio

As the Milwaukee Brewers jockey with the Cubs atop the NL Central, they pay a visit to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field for the first time since Craig Counsell swapped uniforms. The bench-clearing Brewers have seen their fair share of flare-ups this season. Will this series add to the tension? Image courtesy of © Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports If there is one series that has the potential to outstrip the hostilities that fomented in the series the Brewers just emerged from, it’s the one they are entering. For the first time in his managerial career, Craig Counsell faces Milwaukee as a rival. His decision to join the Cubs happened early enough in the offseason that he and others thought maybe tempers would die down as winter plodded along, but all of the chatter surrounding his decision would seem strongly to suggest otherwise. The Cubs were hated by the Brewers faithful before facilitating the perceived betrayal of a once beloved icon. With both teams vying for the top of the Central, this series has a chance to turn the rivalry up a notch. Friday, May 3rd Joe Ross (1-3 5.40 ERA) vs. Hayden Wesneski (2-0 0.87 ERA) It's fair to say Joe Ross got FIPed to death in his penultimate start, but in his most recent one, he was genuinely smoked by an unrelenting Yankees lineup. The path forward to see Ross as a sustainable big-league starter feels less certain after he yielded seven runs in five innings, but he’s getting decent swing-and-miss rates; he’s getting a decent amount of ground balls; and he’s suppressing a decent amount of pop off the bat. In short, he’s performing like a reasonably solid middle-of-the-rotation starter who’s run into some really bad luck. More bad luck looms for Ross, as he finds his counterpart at the outset of what looks like a brilliant season. Wesneski came up as a long relief option, but he moved into the rotation on the back of his slider and the deepening of his repertoire. After being knocked around he was shifted back to the pen, but after sharpening his stuff was stretched back out and now sits as a valuable arm in the back of the Cubs rotation. The sub-1.00 ERA is perhaps a disproportionately glittering statistic, given that he’s pitched just over 10 innings, but he’s also struck out six while walking only one, and he’s getting batters to chase at an elite level. If he can even come close to maintaining this production, the Brewers (and the NL Central in general) have much to fear in this young arm. It's still more likely that he has some growing pains ahead, though. Perhaps the Brewers can inflict them. Saturday, May 4th Tobias Myers (0-1 4.50 ERA) vs. Jameson Taillon (2-0 1.50 ERA) At only 25 years old, the Brewers are Myers’s sixth franchise, and the one with which he made his major league debut. On the back of an elite four-seamer, he authored a great debut against the Pirates and then proceeded to endure a walloping by the Yanks. The ups and downs of a fledgling career offer little in the way of prognostics, but the front office has determined that for the time being, Myers has earned his way into the rotation. Let’s see if he has what it takes to stay there. Jameson Taillon is in his second year with the Cubs, after signing a four-year pact with the team before 2023. The righty looked like a potentially squandered contract after last year saw his season start with a groin injury and a 7.61 ERA in the following 11 starts. Ultimately, he improved and lowered his ERA to a more palatable 4.84. So far in 2024, Taillon is exhibiting the kind of mastery that made him a second overall pick way back in 2010. Sunday, May 5th Freddy Peralta (3.21 ERA) vs. Javier Assad (1.97 ERA) Pending the lack of a suspension, Fastball Freddy will be closing out the series against the Cubs. Emerging as one of the most beloved and reliable faces on the team, Freddy was pitching masterfully against the Rays before plunking Jose Siri on a 3-0 count and, without warning, finding himself ejected. The call to eject Peralta was bewildering to many given the Brewers substantial lead at the time, but it did stick, with Peralta receiving a five-game suspension, which he’s appealing. Closing out the series against the Crew is Cubs swingman Javier Assad. Since debuting in 2022, Assad has bounced in and out of the rotation, generally by dint of starter injuries. With both a walk and strikeout rate on the wrong side of league average, it's fair to characterize Assad’s repertoire as underwhelming. Where he isn’t deceiving hitters, though, he is coercing them to hit the ball on the ground at a prolific rate. If he can sustain his low hard-hit percentage, there’s no reason he can’t be relied upon to be a serviceable back-of-the-rotation arm. Players To Watch Christopher Morel: Statistically pretty close to identical to Jackson Chourio, the promising young Morel, too, is looking for more consistency. Whereas Chourio started hot and has begun to cool off, Morel seems to be breaking through the deep freeze. Over the last 10 games, he’s kept his average from plunging below the Mendoza line and maintained at least a meager ability to get on base. While the slash line isn’t going to turn heads, Morel’s power and ability to come up big when he needs to just might. Craig Counsell & Pat Murphy: In a consequential series between division rivals, it might seem strange to focus on the managers, but the dynamic at play here can’t be ignored. The Brewers will be entering Wrigley Field on Counsell’s turf, as foes. Murphy and Counsell’s dynamic goes back decades, with Counsell once under Murphy’s tutelage before his big-league career. Later, Counsell would rank above Murphy, turning his collegiate coach into his right-hand man in Milwaukee. Now with Counsell in Chicago and Murphy at the helm in Milwaukee, they meet as peers and rivals. One wonders if the conviviality between these two is galvanized by their long relationship, or if the vitriol that burns in the hearts of the Brewers faithful is carried through to the front office, as well. Brice Turang: The biggest highlight Brice Turang has produced so far in 2024 was when he fell down during a filthy strikeout delivered courtesy of Jared Jones. Nasty as the pitch was, the replay belies what Turang has been able to produce for the Crew. What that looks like is elite defense and an .809 OPS, plus some of the best basestealing in baseball. The Cubs' catchers are weak-armed; he should add to his total this weekend. Predictions: It has to come down to pitching with this series, and the disparities between Milwaukee and Chicago are a bit too pronounced to feel especially confident in the Crew pulling off a series win here. Sadly, I think they lose two of the three. View full article

In a series that will carry us into May the Milwaukee Brewers host the Tampa Bay Rays for a three game set. The Brewers rallied for a win to start their most recent series against the Yankees before giving up an embarrassing 30 runs over the next two games. Meanwhile the Tampa Bay Rays allowed the historically bad Chicago White Sox to sweep them all the way down to last place in the AL East. One team will bounce back and one will continue to flail. Let's break the series down! Image courtesy of © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports Staying in the AL Central for their next series, the Brewers trade out Goliath for David by bidding adieu to the Yankees and hosting the Rays. It’s a bit of an uncharacteristically slow start for the Rays who have yet to demonstrate an ability to consistently win, but they are still helmed by a brilliant and calculating front office who knows how to put a winning team together. Will the Rays defy their current trajectory or will the Brewers continue to ascend in theirs? Let’s break it down. Monday, April 29th Ryan Pepiot (2-2 3.77 ERA) vs. Bryse Wilson (2-0 3.50 ERA) The prize piece that the Rays acquired from the Dodgers for Tyler Glasnow is the high-ceiling righty Ryan Pepiot. Having made his debut in 2022 and just eclipsed a hundred innings pitched this year, he has been a solid bright spot on what has been an uncharacteristically glum season for the Rays. Pepiot relies heavily on a two-pitch repertoire of a fastball and change up with little efficacy in a third pitch to date, but he’s still pitching to a very respectable 3.80 xFIP. Squaring off against the Rays is Bryse Wilson. Once a top-100 prospect, the former Brave has seen his stuff degrade exponentially over the last several years, with his once elite fast-ball missing few bats these days. His 3.50 ERA is challenged by an xERA nearly a point higher, and a pessimist doesn’t have to look far to see how his game might fall apart if he can’t figure out how to be more deceptive at the plate. Tuesday, April 30th Freddy Peralta (2-0 3.18 ERA). As of Sunday evening, the Rays have yet to announce a starter. Easily the most convincing arm in the Brewers rotation, Fastball Freddy’s last start saw him banged around by the Pirates in what would eventually be a no decision. Five walks, five hits, five runs, five strikeouts. Lots of fives, but not even five innings of work as he was pulled with two outs in the fifth. Still, these numbers are the outlier for what has been a pretty fantastic season for Peralta thus far. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back against the Rays. Wednesday, May 1st Zach Eflin (1-3 4.08 ERA) vs. Colin Rea (2-0 3.25 ERA) Zach Eflin is in his second year of a three year deal with the Rays and so far he’s delivered. Early going suggests a bit of a step back for Eflin, who finished sixth in Cy Young voting last year, but he’s still showing brilliance when he’s in command of his sinker. Inauspiciously though, in his most recent start, the big righty did give up four runs in what would be an eventual loss to the abysmal White Sox. Before giving up 30 runs in two days, the Brewers did manage to scratch out a win against the Yankees on the back of Colin Rea’s pretty forgettable start. The peripherals were bad for Colin Rea, and after surrendering five runs over six innings against the Yanks, things only look worse. Prior to that ugly series though, Rea had successfully proven himself an irksome gambit for opposing batters. The Rays are beginning to flounder in the standings and may be pressing. If Rea can recapture some control with his offspeed mastery, he may prove himself a thorn in their side. Players To Watch Ben Rortvedt: Just about 24 hours before the season kicked off, Ben Rortvedt was traded by the Yankees to the Rays as part of a three-team trade that saw John Berti go to the Yankees. Since then he’s put up a .821 OPS and leads all Rays position players in Baseball-Reference WAR. What’s especially significant about this is that his previous value came from the fact that he’s a fabulous defensive mind, albeit an abysmal hitter. Prior to landing on the Rays, his career slashline was .146/.234/.255. If there’s any team that could suss out a competent bat in a glove-first catcher and turn him into a star, it’s the Rays. Randy Arozarena: A bit on the opposite side of the coin is Randy Arozarena, who a month into the season, has had a remarkably poor season. A year separated from an All-Star appearance, and the power stroke that the former Rookie Of The Year seemed to lock into last year has mysteriously dipped. With a player of Arozarena’s youth, caliber and consistency, it’s more of a matter of when and not if he breaks through. The injury-stricken Brewers rotation would be unwise to assume he’s incapable of preying on their young arms to bust the slump. William Contreras: It’s still astonishing that the Brewers managed to acquire this potential phenom. Simply put, Contreras is putting together a season that, if maintained, makes him a viable MVP candidate. He’s already at nearly a third of as many home runs as he hit last season, he’s managing to steal bases and as of Saturday, he sits at an even 1.00 OPS. Like I said, astonishing. Willy Adames: The other beloved Willy on the team, playing his contract year in Milwaukee after being subject to much trade speculation over the offseason. Beloved as he is, it’s in Adames’ best interest to price himself out of Milwaukee’s range this season, and lately he’s been doing just that. The 127 OPS+ is more than enough production when you are talking about a shortstop who’s leading the league in outs above average. It would be nice to imagine Willy in a Brewers uniform for many seasons to come, but it might be better advice to just enjoy his sublime play while we can.w Predictions Both of these teams are riddled with question marks, so it feels oddly right to defer to the non-scientific intangibles. The Brewers are on their home turf, they have the better record, and they’ll take the series two to one. View full article

Two teams atop their respective divisions square off for three games of interleague play at American Family Field. The Yankees behemoth and the scrappy Brewers have both proved to be formidable, and both are clinging to their division leads. Can the Brewers and their depleted rotation scrape together a series win against the most legendary franchise in the game? Image courtesy of © Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports Storied franchise that they are, it’s always an event to play the 27-time World Series champion Yankees. That they are competitive again (after a down year in 2023) only adds to the hype. Love them or hate them, the Yanks have built themselves up with the star power it takes to potentially add to that titles total. How will it fare against the Crew? Let’s break it down. Friday, April 26th Luis Gil (1-1 2.75 ERA) vs. Colin Rea (2-0 2.08 ERA) Opening the series for the Yanks will be the Dominican-born righty Luis Gil. Injuries have plagued his fledgling career, but it’s been a solid start to the season for Gil, who (despite being tied for second in walks) is limiting action on the base paths by stifling power and striking batters out at an elite rate. In his most recent start, Gil notched a career-high 9 strikeouts while earning his first win in three years. Colin Rea’s fantastic season continued in his last start, wherein he put together five shutout innings in what would eventually lead to a Brewers win. It’s difficult to discern what has gone so right for Rea when, frankly, the peripherals hate him. His 2.08 ERA rests more than four points south of his xERA, which is 6.13. Still, the Brewers are wise to go with the hot hand as long as he can keep things going. At this stage, Rea is their second- or third-best starter. Saturday, April 27th Carlos Rodón (1-1 2.70 ERA) vs. Joe Ross (1-2 4.05 ERA) The prize free-agent signing for the Yanks in the 2022-23 offseason utterly combusted last year, turning in a DFA-worthy 6.85 ERA - this after back-to-back years of posting ERAs under 3 and garnering Cy Young votes, all of which led to a massive six-year, $162-million contract. This isn’t the first time Rodón has found a crest after a trough. The White Sox (who drafted him in 2014) non-tendered him late in 2020 but signed him to a one-year deal in 2021, and he rewarded their trust by being the ace his talent had always promised. That said, his xERA is a full point higher, and players are barreling the ball against him, which does expose some vulnerabilities that the Brewers could take advantage of. It was a decent start for Joe Ross this past Monday, when he allowed two runs (one earned) over 5 1/3 innings. He did get hit around a bit, but his 3.35 FIP suggests he's not going to be battered that way often. Ross’s strength is getting players to hit the ball on the ground, which he does at a stellar rate. If the Brewers infield does their job, Ross should have what it takes to quell even the ferocious bats from the Bronx. Sunday, April 28th Marcus Stroman (2-1 2.93 ERA) vs. Tobias Myers (0-1 1.80 ERA) Known to be a bit of a firebrand, Marcus Stroman has made his career by backing up his talk with All-Star-caliber pitching. Last year began as well as any for Stroman, who pitched masterfully for the Cubs until injuries sidelined him. He never really got back to that form thereafter, though, and the Cubs let him walk after he opted for free agency. So far, his time in pinstripes has been fruitful; he's striking out over a batter an inning and getting ground balls at a prodigious rate. The limelight didn’t faze Tobias Myers, who likely never figured into the Brewers rotation plans but ended up there through a series of early-season injuries. Myers is already the ninth pitcher to start a game for the Crew, and in his debut start against the Pirates, he pitched five innings, gave up four hits, walked one and struck out four. The Yankees will likely prove a tougher challenge for Myers, who hopes to prove that his unconventional path to the majors was a long move to a new home, not a jaunt to a momentary destination. Players To Watch Aaron Judge: And could it be anyone else? The former MVP is only two years separated from eclipsing Roger Maris for the AL home-run record, eventually hitting 62 home runs. Last year, injuries truncated his season, and his power numbers diminished a bit, but he still smashed 37 homers, which is prolific by any player's standard. He's off to an uncharacteristically cold start this spring, too. He’s hitting below the Mendoza line and has thus far left the yard only three times. Whether it’s another nagging injury or a mechanical glitch, though, there’s no reason to think Judge is somehow not a threat at the plate. Let’s just hope he doesn’t suddenly unlock his truest self at AmFam this weekend. Juan Soto: Every general statement I made (or could make) about Aaron Judge, I could copy and paste into Soto’s section. Generational talent, elite power threat, megastar - it’s all there. What I can’t say about Soto is that there is any kind of cold start happening here. Soto has nearly a 1.000 OPS and is leading the league in OBP, while hitting for power. Some players crumble in the limelight of a major market, Soto seems to be feeding on it. Blake Perkins: With so much focus being put on Jackson Chourio’s development, Perkins's sudden emergence into relevance has largely gone overlooked. His xwOBA has crept up more than 50 points over his last 100 plate appearances, and his power peripherals indicate that he’s squaring up the ball with meaningful consistency. He’s also very fast, and he's brilliant afield. If he can keep this up, the Brewers might have another five-tool outfielder on their hands. Predictions I haven’t had to do this for a while, but then again, the Yankees haven’t looked like the Yankees for a while. That changed this offseason with the acquisition of Soto, and to a lesser extent, those of Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham. Those three in outfield rotation with Judge nicely illustrate the imposing team that the Yanks have cobbled together in 2024. If the Brewers rotation had fewer question marks I’d be more optimistic. Alas, those question marks exist, giving me all the more certainty in the Yanks taking this series. View full article

After sweeping one division rival on their turf, the Brewers set their sights on Pittsburgh, in hopes of keeping their momentum going against another. The Brewers are still hot, whereas the Pirates have cooled off considerably. Can the Crew stop the Pirates from righting their ship? Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports One division rival series bleeds into another, as the Brewers leave St. Louis and head to beautiful PNC Park. The Bucs are off to a solid start, trailing just behind the Brewers - and with a chance to leapfrog them in the standings if they can take the series win. Monday, April 22nd Joe Ross (1-1 4.91 ERA) vs. Jared Jones (1-2 3.13 ERA) An infield single, another single, a bloop single, a run-scoring ground out, a run-scoring passed ball, catcher’s interference, another RBI infield single, base on balls from a pitch clock violation, a two-run single that landed in front of the center fielder followed by an RBI single that landed in front of the left fielder. This is the nightmarish bad luck that plagued Joe Ross in his last start. The takeaway? This early in the season, those numbers are going to be heavily inflated by this mess. The big picture is a far more optimistic image of Ross, as a pitcher who’s limiting hard contact and getting lots of ground balls. Let’s hope his luck swings the other way on Monday. Controversy decorated the latest start by the promising Pirates rookie righty Jared Jones. Despite Jones pitching five shutout, one-hit innings against the Mets, Pirates brass stuck to his innings limit and pulled him. This year is starting to look like a copy and paste of last season, with some Cinderella optimism to start things off (quickly squandered) and a quick descent into irrelevance. If the Bucs hope to skirt that narrative, they need to let Jones go deeper into games, because he’s been dominant. Tuesday, April 23rd Wade Miley (0-1 5.14 ERA) vs. Bailey Falter (1-1 4.05 ERA) Exemplar of grit that he is, Wade Miley is making this start despite the fact that his last one was abruptly punctuated by Manny Machado smacking a comebacker into the veteran’s kneecap. Another pitcher on the IL could be disastrous for the red-hot Brewers, but luckily, Miley escaped serious injury. With a slight delay to the start of his season, Miley has barely put up a sample size worth analyzing. Seeing how he can handle Pittsburgh’s pesky lineup should give better insight into what he’s working with this year. In his young career, the sample that Bailey Falter has put up suggests that things are really coming together for the former Phillies southpaw. Traded to the Pirates for Rodolfo Castro in a rare post-deadline deal last year, Falter found himself an expendable member of the Phillies, as they were in pursuit of a playoff berth and Falter was out of options. He’s only 20 innings into the season, but for a pitcher who throws to contact, it’s worth recognizing him for suppressing power off the bat and limiting walks. His FIP ticked up a bit, and while Falter is far from All-Star-caliber at this point, the potential indicators of his trajectory could indicate a quietly effective weapon in the Pirates rotation. Wednesday, April 24th The Milwaukee Brewers vs. Quinn Priester (0-1 8.31 ERA) Drafted out of high school in the first round in 2018, Quinn Priester made his big-league debut last year. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for the young righty, who in 54 innings in the majors owns a 7.74 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. The peripherals aren’t exciting, either. Other than getting a decent number of ground balls, Priester is struggling in nearly every metric that exists. Most inauspicious, perhaps, is that in his most recent start, the slider that he normally relies on most seemingly disappeared, and consequently, he gave up three homers to the Red Sox. Priester is far too young and has shown far too much potential to give up on him, but it is fair to wonder how it is that he’s in a major-league rotation. As of Sunday evening, the Brewers have not announced their starting pitcher. Thursday, April 25th The Milwaukee Brewers vs. Mitch Keller (2-2 4.80 ERA) A cursory perusal of Keller’s career will find a bevy of mentions of a burgeoning ace. The potential that defined Keller’s ascent hasn’t really come to fruition, and it seems likely that he’ll settle in as a back-of-the-rotation arm. The outset of this year looks like a bit of bad luck for Keller, as his FIP sits quite a bit lower than his actual ERA, but xERA projects those numbers to climb slightly. The hard-hitting Crew should provide a challenging proving ground for the Bucs hurler. As of Sunday evening, the Brewers have not announced their starter for this one, either. Freddy Peralta pitched Friday, though, so he would be on regular (five days') rest for this one, by the Brewers' evolving standard. Players To Watch Jared Jones: He’s described a bit above in the Monday matchup, but I think there are few things worth watching more in an opposing team than a potential prodigy in the works. Though the season is young, Jones is bewildering, overpowering and striking out batters at a dazzling rate. He’s also on a pitch limit, so it seems like he does what he can to leave it all out on the table in the time he has. If you can separate yourself from team loyalty and allow yourself to marvel at raw talent, there’s a good chance Jones will be serving some. Ke’Bryan Hayes: On a team composed of largely unsung but impressive talent, Ke’Bryan Hayes is perhaps the most underrated. The slick-fielding third baseman commands the hot corner with enough prowess that he won the Gold Glove last year. His bat is never going to dazzle you, but his quiet mastery of the fundamentals makes him key to what has been a successful start for Pittsburgh. Getting on base hasn’t always been a strong suit for Hayes, but his walk rate this year is near the top of the league. Hoby Milner: It’s probably not anyone’s immediate instinct to pay special attention to a middle reliever, but Milner was literally one of the best bullpen arms in the game last year, and no one outside of Milwaukee seemed to notice. There’s more emphasis on the importance of his game this year with Devin Williams being injured and Joel Payamps and Abner Uribe looking a bit shaky to start the season. Brice Turang: The Brewers' 2018 first-round pick already had an OPS+ of 130 before he golfed a two-run homer off of Miles Mikolas in the team's drubbing of the Cardinals this past Saturday. With so much potential shining in the lineup it might be easy to forget that Turang’s ceiling is sky-high. If he can actualize into the power/speed player his tools suggest that he might be, he figures to be an indomitable force. Predictions The Brewers just swept the Cardinals in convincing fashion, while the Pirates seem to be sputtering. There are some questions in the Brewers rotation that leave them vulnerable, but I still think they win the series fairly easily. Three out of four. View full article

After finally enjoying a day off, the Brewers return to the field to face their division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. It's an inauspicious start for St. Louis who sit at the bottom of the NL Central. Will the squad led by veteran talents flip the script for St. Louis, or will the youth movement out of Milwaukee further pad the lead in the Central? Let's dig in. Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports The Cardinals have been synonymous with success in the NL Central for as long as most fans can remember, but last year, with a record of 71-91, they finished last in the division and posted the first losing record for the franchise since 2007. It was an outcome no one expected, only one year removed from a 93-win season that saw Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado finish 1st and 3rd in MVP voting, respectively. The Cardinals vowed to return to form in the postseason by addressing their biggest issue in pitching by quickly signing three veteran names: Kyle Gibson, former longtime Cardinal Lance Lynn and Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray. Will the reupholstered rotation be enough to take on the Brewers' lively bats? Let’s break it down. Friday, April 19th Freddy Peralta (2-0 2.55 ERA) vs. Kyle Gibson (1-2 6.16 ERA) If anyone had posted their hopes on Fastball Freddy to put the team on his back in the absence of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, they have to be relieved by what they’ve seen so far. Over 17 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 26 batters while walking all of two. His strikeout rate is in the top 4% of the league, and opponents' xwOBA is 80 points below the league average. He’s not only meeting the standards of an ace; he’s exceeding them. It’s been an ugly start for the veteran journeyman. Never known for his velocity, Gibson has always had a repertoire based on control and offspeed mastery. This year, he’s relying primarily on the trifecta of cutter, sinker and sweeper, but the mix is wrong, and he's getting absolutely barreled. In his three starts, Gibson has given up 13 runs, 11 of which have come via the long ball. At present, the Brewers are tied with the Orioles for second in the league in homers, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them be a handful for Gibby. Saturday, April 20th DL Hall (0-1 7.11 ERA) vs. Miles Mikolas (1-2 5.82 ERA) It’s quite a steep drop from Peralta to Hall. The rotation experiment isn’t working out so well for the talented lefty. While it might seem unfair to judge his output with only 12 innings under his belt, it should be said that those 12 innings are all that’s been cobbled together after three starts. Pat Murphy’s language surrounding Hall suggests patience, calling his struggles against the Orioles (who drafted and developed him) a “learning experience” wherein he “put too much pressure on himself”. Supportive parlance aside, it’s hard to imagine DL Hall being a fixture in the rotation of any team with legitimate playoff aspirations if he can’t sharpen his game. Miles Mikolas has had a bit of a star-crossed stretch with the Cards ever since leveraging a 2022 All-Star appearance into an extension. Last year saw his ERA creep toward 5.00, and so far in 2024 he’s well over that number, at 5.82. With a FIP at 4.03 it seems reasonable to suggest that some of Mikolas’ subpar production is due to bad luck, and he’s doing a reasonably good job of limiting slugging. Sunday, April 21st Colin Rea (2-0 2.70 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (2-0 0.00 ERA) The success Rea has had in a Brewers uniform marches on. His last start was his roughest of this new season with Rea giving up two home runs and three runs total over 5 2/3 innings, but it also saw a spike in the strikeout column, with six. Rea carries a 2.70 ERA and 1.70 WHIP into his start against the division rival. If he can emulate his first two starts, keep the ball in the park and limit activity on the bases, he should be able to provide meaningful innings for the Brewers. The Crew will be looking to put a dent in Sonny Gray’s thus far unblemished record. Last year’s Cy Young runner-up in the AL takes to the mound to wrap the series without having allowed an earned run. It’s too small a sample size to glean anything yet, but it’s worth mentioning that his walk and barrel rates are both way down from where they normally sit, meaning that his baseline top-tier control is fully functional, despite a spring training injury that delayed the start of his season. Players To Watch Willson Contreras: There’s nothing like catcher brothers playing against each other. In the past decade, it was the Molinas who dominated the backstop; now it’s the Contrerases. No player had bigger shoes to fill than Willson Contreras, when he signed with the Cardinals to replace franchise icon Yadier Molina. The move wasn’t an immediate match last year, though, and just 34 games into his tenure it seemed like the Cardinals used Contreras as straw man for the team’s dysfunction and moved him temporarily into a DH and outfield role. That disrespectful move didn’t pay off, and he returned once more to the backstop, where he’s now putting up a solid 2024 campaign. Oli Marmol: First time a non-player is being featured on the “players to watch” category, but Cardinals manager Oli Marmol has such a unique personality and management style that he’s often the most talked-about person on the team. This isn’t to say that he’s popular--having been at the helm for an extremely rare Cardinals losing season is one way to lose love from a faithful fanbase--but sitting the team-leading hitter in Masyn Winn for no apparent reason and getting aggressive with an A’s security guard all highlight the pugnacious and controversial nature of the recently-extended Marmol. Firebrand managers aren’t uncommon in Cardinals history, as Mike Shildt, Mike Matheny and Tony LaRussa all are famous for their stern natures, stoicism or passion for the game. The difference between them and Marmol? A winning record. Still, Marmol has the faith of the front office, as he was recently given a two-year extension, so there’s something about him they must like, it will be interesting to watch his style of management in real time against the Crew. Joey Wiemer: In last year’s tidal wave of rookies that hit the Crew, Joey Wiemer came up and quickly endeared himself to Milwaukee’s faithful with a multi-homer game, some stellar defense and a novelty mullet. The charm eventually faded as his bat disappeared, and Wiemer was eventually demoted back to Triple-A. In the wake of Christian Yelich’s back strain, Wiemer is once again being given an opportunity to prove himself capable of big-league production. It will be interesting to see if he seizes on the opportunity. Jackson Chourio: It would seem the inevitable has happened for young Chourio, and his red-hot bat has hit a chill. In his last five games, his batting average has dipped from .282 to .230, and his BB/K ratio is 1:6. The leash on Chourio figures to be long, and there isn’t any discussion as to whether or not he’s an everyday player, but it is worth watching as April turns to May if this is natural regression, or if pitchers have found holes in his swing. Predictions It’s fair to say that the series against San Diego didn’t go as desired, but the Brewers still simply look like the better team in this one. Coming off of a rest day and some re-calibration, I think they have what it takes to win two of three. View full article

The red-hot Milwaukee Brewers return home Monday, having just completed a statement-making road trip wherein they went 4-2 against the upstart Reds and the formidable Orioles. The opposing Padres enter sitting at an even .500 to start the season, fresh off an exhilarating series win against the division rival Dodgers. Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers start the new week at home after an absolutely dominant stretch of road games, a force to be reckoned with for the whole league. Opposing them is a team with a complicated overarching dynamic. Over just the past couple of years, the Padres have made bold moves to pull them from the morass of mediocrity that has held the franchise since the days of Tony Gwynn, by acquiring prodigious young talent like Fernando Tatis Jr.; making major investments in free agency with future Hall of Fame-caliber players like Manny Machado; and attempting to assemble a controllable corps with a shot at long-term stability.. The results haven’t amounted to much so far, and the Padres enter play on Monday with a middling record to show for it. Will San Diego play like it has something to prove, or will the Crew continue to run roughshod over their opponents? Let’s break it down. Monday, April 15th Joe Musgrove (1-2 6.87 ERA) vs. Joe Ross (1-0, 1.80 ERA) It’s been a rocky start for Musgrove. His first appearance saw him surrender five runs in just 2 2/3 innings to the Dodgers, but that was in Korea, where nothing seemed particularly representative. Since then, he’s played volleyball, with one bad start, one decent one, and one more stinker. When he’s at his best, Musgrove looks a lot more like the pitcher who showed up in St. Louis, striking out seven over six innings while giving up one run. If he’s the version that last pitched against Chicago, giving up four runs over as many innings, it will likely be a short start for the big righty. One thousand, one hundred fifteen days is a long time in almost any context, but if you’re talking about times between major-league wins, it’s especially rare. Joe Ross joined that offbeat fraternity last Tuesday with a convincing win over the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched into the seventh, surrendering three runs but also striking out seven batters while walking only one. The most successful pitch in his repertoire this season is his slider, which is responsible for five of those seven punchouts. Tuesday, April 16th Dylan Cease (1-1 2.16 ERA) vs. Wade Miley (0-0 2.25 ERA) In what felt like an offseason of epic storylines, the Padres snagged a last-minute exclamation mark to punctuate it all by acquiring former White Sox ace Dylan Cease from the South Side of Chicago. So far, Cease is looking like the pitcher who earned runner-up honors in Cy Young voting back in 2022. He’s striking out well over a batter per inning, limiting walks and suppressing power off the bat. He figures to be a pesky presence on the mound, though the Brewers have already shown they can at least put a dent in ace-caliber pitching. Few players have seemingly found their mojo in a Brewers uniform more effectively than Wade Miley. Miley first joined the Brewers for a one-year stint in 2018 after one and a half dismal seasons with the Orioles. After resurrecting his career with the Crew, he spent almost a half-decade with the Astros, Cubs and Reds, with varying levels of efficacy. Then came 2023, and the Crew reunited with the journeyman. All told, Miley has played on eight different teams and has forged a pretty solid, albeit unheralded career. Not much can be made of the four innings Miley threw in his season debut, but he looked solid--a welcome fact, considering the trade- and injury-depleted pitching staff. Wednesday, April 17th Michael King (2-0 4.19 ERA) vs. TBD as of Sunday evening. Another member of the Padres rotation to join by way of blockbuster trade is the promising arm of righthander Michael King. King came to San Diego from the Yankees as part of the Juan Soto trade, and thus far, he's put together some solid starts despite troubling peripherals. The 7.34 FIP is ominous, and it could portend that King is in urgent need of refining his game before his good luck on the mound runs out. Players To Watch Jake Cronenworth: Ever since coming up in the pandemic-shortened 2020 and unexpectedly coming in second for the Rookie Of The Year Award (tied with Alec Bohm), Cronenworth has proven himself a valuable asset in the Friars' lineup. In the following two seasons, he made consecutive All-Star appearances, before taking a sizable step back in 2023. It seems like whatever was hampering Cronenworth has receded, as he’s come roaring out of the gates. It also feels worth mentioning that he’s a viable trade candidate, should the Padres (now under new ownership) fall out of contention, and his skill set could prove valuable to the Crew should they continue to dominate. That said, at 30, he’s already hovering around his likely peak, and he’s at the beginning of an extension that will see him paid well through 2030. Jackson Merrill: With the abundance of top-tier talent traversing in and out of San Diego, it may have been easy to overlook the ascendent talent of shortstop prospect-***-center fielder Jackson Merrill. Drafted in the first round out of high school in 2021, Merrill’s quick rise through the minors has been an impressive one. Currently slashing .306/.404/.408 with decent defense, he’s second in WAR on the team, behind only Fernando Tatis Jr. Sal Frelick: Eight days ago, Frelick was hovering just over the Mendoza line at .222, but it seems that the early season malaise that plagued his bat has broken, and he’s since authored several multi-hit games. If he can maintain this kind of production, his bat (combined with his defensive versatility) makes him a candidate for everyday play. William Contreras: Come, and marvel at his almost inexplicable presence on the Brewers. That the Braves went out of their way to make a player of this caliber expendable feels incomprehensible. Yes, the framing numbers are down, and while that’s not ideal, it should be said that 2023’s defensive excellence was the outlier to this point in his career. It’s fairly easy to ignore those numbers, though, when you see a catcher slashing .365/.443/.615 and one dotting it in the OPS column. Prediction The Brewers aren’t just eking out wins against good teams and taking series against bad ones. They're taking to task squads of bona fide excellence, and doing so on their own turf. That the Crew is at home is all the more reason for me to say that they take this series, winning two of three. View full article

After years of languishing at the bottom of the American League East, the Orioles have cobbled together a dominant team. It's a narrative not far removed from the Brewers' history, and just like the Brewers, the Orioles' success is primarily built on young, high-end talent. Another thing both teams have in common is having enjoyed the talents of Corbin Burnes, presently the Orioles ace, after being acquired from Milwaukee in the offseason. It's a three-game set in Charm City. Who will come out on top? Image courtesy of © Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers emerge from one pronounced youth movement and plunge into another. Over the last few years, Camden Yards has seen the emergence of some elite young talent - and the acquisition of a certain Cy Young award winner who used to call Milwaukee home. The first overall prospect is being called up to the bigs in the form of Jackson Holliday, the progeny of former Brewers killer Matt Holliday. It’s a fearsome pool to plunge into, but the Brewers' mix of veteran talent and young guns has proven capable in 2024’s early-going. So, who has the edge in this interleague battle? Let’s break it down. Friday, April 12th Freddy Peralta (1-0 3.09 ERA) vs Tyler Wells (0-1 4.76 ERA) A rotation shuffling due to a rain delay paves the way for ostensible Brewers ace Freddy Peralta to open the series against the Orioles. Peralta last pitched against the Mariners, showing dominance through five innings before getting knocked around in the sixth. The extra rest will likely come as a welcome gift for Freddy, as he’s now tasked with facing the top-to-bottom relentlessness of the Orioles lineup. The utility-grade negative WAR player in today’s Orioles lineup is rare, but Tyler Wells is precisely that. For now, Wells is a reasonable spot holder, with John Means and Kyle Bradish on the shelf. On the Orioles roster by way of a 2020 Rule 5 snag, the former first-round pick hasn’t been atrocious on the mound, but his peripherals aren’t favorable either. On the positive side, Tyler Wells's fastball has a spin rate that sits in the top 90th percentile of the league, and thanks to that, he gets batters to chase at an impressive clip. The crux of this start's outcome will be on Wells to differentiate his skillset and hone his other pitches or on batters to be less susceptible to swinging at pitches out of the zone. Either reality and you have a decisive matchup. Saturday, April 13th DL Hall (0-1 4.82 ERA) vs Dean Kremer (0-0 2.19 ERA) Returning from whence he came to try and fend off the team that drafted and developed him, it’s now Brewers lefty DL Hall. The language surrounding Hall has been candid, with the tacit acknowledgment attached that he’s yet to live up to his perceived potential thus far. Pat Murphy referred to him as a “work in progress.” While that work in progress pitched to a loss against the Mariners in his most recent start, he was the first Brewers pitcher other than Peralta to pitch past the fifth inning, though Rea would surpass that the next day. Opposing the Crew is the Orioles' sole remaining piece from the Manny Machado trade. Kremer was one lesser-regarded prospect in that trade as the Dodger's 28th-best prospect then, but he blossomed into an ever-improving pitcher with ace-like stuff to start the year. Not only is he keeping batters off-balance with a high whiff rate, but he’s also walked all of one batter in the 12.1 innings he’s pitched. The effect seems to be bewildering batters who, when they make contact, are doing so weakly. Kremer figures to be a crafty competitor on the mound, and it would do the Crew good to approach him as meticulously as possible. Sunday, April 14th Colin Rea (2-0 1.64 ERA) vs. Corbin Burnes (2-0 1.93 ERA) Colin Rea has been an exercise in quiet anomalous success to this point in the season. The 1.27 WHIP belies the control he’s shown with runners on base. His fastball has been superb, defying the frankly lousy peripherals and allowing Rea to author an impressive xwOBA of .329. No one expects Rea to blow batters away, but if he can maintain control with such efficiency, there’s no reason he won’t be a highly effective mainstay in the Crew’s rotation. What is there to say about Corbin Burnes that the Brewers faithful don’t already know? The former Brewers ace, 3x All-Star, and 2021 Cy Young winner will take the mound Sunday to face the team that drafted and developed him, and it likely figures to be more bitter than sweet. Brewers fans may remember him as the elite arm who started slow and then ramped up to the elite ace they knew and loved, but that slow start is absent, and Burnes has begun 2024 as statistically the most dominant pitcher in the league. Not that he needs it to be dominant, but it’s also worth mentioning that Burnes may feel a righteous chip on his shoulder in his inaugural start to the Crew, given candidly expressed tension that has existed ever since an awkward arbitration process saw him denied an extra $600,000 a year removed from winning the Cy Young. Whatever his demeanor, Corbin Burnes appears at the top of his game and figures to be an absolute force. Players To Watch Ryan Mountcastle: Eclipsed by the uncanny wave of prodigious early twenties talent that’s come up through the O’s system is the very solid bat of Ryan Mountcastle. Drafted out of high school in 2015, Mountcastle climbed to the majors and debuted in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He garnered Rookie of the Year votes in that season and the next but has been a bit hampered, thanks to repeated injuries. Still, Mountcastle is in the lineup; he can hit the ball all over and well out of the field. It should also be said that he leads the O’s position players in WAR in a team packed top-to-bottom with talent. Jackson Holliday: Anyone who’s been a Brewers fan for over a decade might hear the Holliday name and shudder. Matt’s son has grown into a force; earlier this week, when he was 20 years old, he made his major league debut. It’s impossible to know what Holliday is going to look like facing major league pitching, but he’s managed .900 OPS or higher throughout his entire minor league career. Regardless of his future, his present is as a young wunderkind and former first-overall pick. Worth the attention of anyone who loves the game. Christian Yelich: Don’t look now. Christian Yelich is on a convincing vintage tear that seemed all but extinct. There were whispers of a return to form last year, but even by those standards, Yelich has exceeded his expected output by leaps and bounds. Throughout his last 100 plate appearances (from early September 2023), his xwOBA has ascended from a middling .286 to an almost league-leading .482. These numbers don’t have to be sustainable for Yelich to be a meaningful contributor, but if he even contributes to brush up on this kind of production, he’ll be an All-Star and MVP vote-getter once more. Rhys Hoskins: On the other side of the coin, we have Milwaukee’s prize-free agent acquisition, Rhys Hoskins. After some seemingly spite-driven fireworks to start the season, it’s been a pretty meek showing for Hoskins in almost every aspect of his game. The former Philly was never sought out for his defense, which ranks just below average in most respects. Still, the foreboding power that awaited in his bat made him a worthy addition to the everyday lineup. Right now, with an OBP at .325 and an OPS at .749 with goose eggs in WAR, it’s categorically slow going for Rhys through the first few series of 2024. Predictions: Until the Brewers give me a reason to question their ability to win games on the road, I’m going to remain bullish on them. I’m hesitant to say it, but I think they can take two of three here. View full article

The Milwaukee Brewers got one visit to a reloading Mets team and one week at home against interleague foes to warm themselves up. Now, they begin their intradivisional schedule, taking their 6-2 head of steam into Cincinnati to take on a young, new-look Reds club. Image courtesy of © Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports After back-to-back interleague series, the Brewers now tackle their first four-game series of the season, and it's four contests against the frisky Reds. There's a promising youth movement on in Cincinnati, but are their talents refined enough to take on the Crew, or raw enough to be overcome? Four games, even this early in a campaign, can be crucial for division championship hopefuls. Will it be win, lose or draw for the surging Crew? Let’s dig in. Monday, April 8th Aaron Ashby (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs. Graham Ashcraft (0-1 3.00 ERA) The year is 2022, and immediately after signing a four-year pre-arbitration extension, Aaron Ashby begins to show wear on his shoulder. This would affect his performance drastically enough that he’d end the season in the minors, and eventually need surgery. In his 2023 rehab starts, he posted an ugly 15.43 ERA, making the front office's decision to keep him in the minors during the Brewers postseason push an easy one. It’s frustrating for Ashby and management alike, but this call-up, which comes by way of Jakob Junis hitting the IL, could provide an avenue for redemption. It was a slow start for Bryce Harper to begin the season, until Graham Ashcraft took to the mound. Two of Harper’s three homers that day came against the Reds' burly righty, and while some early season analysis could be considered a fool’s errand, there is legitimate cause for concern in the fact that Ashcraft’s stuff isn’t fooling anyone or missing bats. At present, Ashcraft is in the bottom one percent of the league with a hard-hit rate at a grim 77.8%. This is a problem he ran into for long stretches last year, too. It's inauspicious, to say the least. Tuesday, Apr. 9th Joe Ross (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs. Frankie Montas (2-0 0.77 ERA) Little (if anything) can be gleaned from Joe Ross’s first start, save maybe some slight cynicism as to how rotation-ready Ross’s long-dormant arm might be. It was an interesting 11-out sample size that Ross authored, though. There was activity on the bases, but the sinkerballer managed to keep anyone from scoring in his no-decision. Relying on a sinker-slider profile and pitching to contact, Ross will have to pitch with a bit more efficiency and hope the infield stays on their toes if he’s going to be a successful member of the rotation. The Reds raised some eyebrows in the offseason when they signed Frankie Montas to a one-year, $16-million deal. Aside from that not being an insignificant amount of money for the Reds front office to dish out, Montas has had a bit of an erratic career to date. At the outset of what looked to be an elite season in 2019, Montas got popped for PEDs and was suspended for 80 games. In 2021, Montas pitched to a redemptive sixth-place finish in Cy Young voting, which the thrifty A’s leveraged into a trade to the Yankees. It was there the righty saw his career come off the rails a bit, as he posted a 6.35 ERA in his first year with the Yanks. With labrum surgery and the bright lights of New York behind him, Montas is now pitching for the Reds on a one-year contract to prove himself, and so far he’s doing exactly that. With two starts in the bank, he’s allowed just one run and struck out nine opposing batters. The promising start does hide a concerning peripheral indicator: batters are making hard contact against him. The sparkling start is going to lose its veneer if Montas can’t find a way to blunt that exit velocity. Wednesday, Apr. 10th Brewers Pitcher TBA vs. Hunter Greene (0-0, 2.53 ERA) As of Sunday evening, Milwaukee has not yet announced their starting pitcher. Notably, though, Wade Miley's rehab start in Nashville was on Friday, so this would be regular rest for him. One of the first bright spots to come up with for the Reds in their wave of prodigious talent was Hunter Greene. The former second overall draft pick ascended to the majors thanks to his impressive velocity, but his potential to overpower major-league batters has yet to come to fruition. In his first two years, Greene had a strong whiff rate, but walked his fair share, and when players did make contact, they consistently barreled the ball. In the young stages of his 2024 campaign, the trends have turned in Greene’s favor, but his success will depend on his ability to miss bats and exhibit control. Thursday, Apr 11th Freddy Peralta (1-0 3.09 ERA) vs. Nick Martinez (0-0 7.20 ERA) After five commanding shutout innings against the Mariners in his last start, Peralta wavered in the sixth and was tagged for three runs before being taken out of the game. His four-pitch mix gives him some variety, but Peralta still relies heavily on his fastball, throwing it nearly 60% of the time. The light-hitting Mariners were eventually able to catch up to him, so a more formidable batch of Reds youngsters may prove a challenge, especially in the Great American Bandbox. Reds righty Nick Martinez is in the first year of a two-year deal with Cincy, and so far, it’s safe to say he hasn’t found the groove that gave him the confidence to opt out of his previous deal with the Padres. In his most recent start against the Mets, he pitched five innings and gave up as many runs, on the back of eight hits and a walk. His first start against the Nationals didn’t go much better. If that logic tracks against two teams with offenses that have been performing considerably worse than Milwaukee’s, the door could very well be open for the Brewers to completely dominate in this game. Players To Watch Spencer Steer: The batch of youngsters Cincinnati saw come up and affirm themselves as immediate mainstays in the lineup last summer was a sight to behold. Behind the eye-popping power/speed combo in Elly De La Cruz and the constant hitting of Matt McLain, infielder Spencer Steer’s very competent season didn’t find the spotlight as much as it deserved. McLain is injured to start the season, and Elly hasn’t yet found his mojo at the plate. Meanwhile, Steer is approaching a full WAR without having played ten games, thanks to his 1.426 OPS to start the season. Tread lightly. Frankie Montas: As detailed above, it’s a bit of a redemption year for the Reds righty. He’s managed himself well through two starts. Most recently, he pitched through the battery of crushers that comprise Philadelphia’s lineup, emerging with a solo home run as his only blemish. That said, the exit velocity batters are mustering off of him might suggest he’s just one good scouting report away from unraveling. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain this solid start, or if the Brewers can bash their way to victory. Oliver Dunn: Speaking of unheralded rookies, Oliver Dunn has come up and hasn’t been able to stop hitting, posting an impressive .278/.381/.825 line to start his rookie campaign. Dunn is not a homegrown product, having been acquired from the Phillies early in the offseason for Hendry Mendez and Robert Moore--two prospects coming off disappointing seasons. Aside from hitting, the former 11th-round draft pick has so far rewarded the Brewers' faith in him with some flashy glovework, and in the series against the Mariners, he hit his first career home run. William Contreras: Acquired with almost inexplicable ease before the 2023 season, Contreras took no time at all to prove himself an invaluable asset in the Brewers lineup. His bat essentially makes him irreplaceable, but as this article pointed out, the early data suggest potential erosion in his generally stellar receiving prowess. It’s not common, but high-caliber framing skills have disappeared on players in the past. Brewers fans need look no further in their past than Jonathan Lucroy to see how quickly glory can fade when a catcher starts missing pitches. Obviously, it’s far too early to raise the alarm on Contreras’s defense, but it’s not to early to keep an eye on things. Predictions Sweeping a four-game series is hard for any team, but the Brewers have been playing with impressive vigor to start 2024. The Reds, on the other hand, are playing a bit more erratically, having come within one late-inning rally of being swept by the Mets in their most recent series. I think the Brewers win this series, taking three from the Reds. What are you watching for in this key early test for the Crew? How do you think they'll come out of this series? Jump into the conversation below. View full article

From the land of The Pilots, here come the 3-4 Mariners. There are a lot of similarities with these young teams. Each has some elite star power, each has some exciting youth, and both figure to be pesky in their division. It's a three-game interleague series at home for the Crew; let's break it down. Image courtesy of © Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports One interleague home series bleeds into another, as Minnesota departs and The Mariners come to town. It’s been a worrisome start for the Mariners. A 3-4 record doesn’t mean anything, but a more convincing harbinger for concern might be found in their inability to hit anything offspeed. In their first four games, the M’s struck out an astonishing 45 times to only six walks, all while seeing fewer than 30% fastballs. This isn’t a new problem for Seattle, who were haunted by a high strikeout rate last year. For a team whose plans for success are largely structured around their ostensible ability to get on and get in, this could spell trouble. The narrative is running quite in the opposite direction for Milwaukee, who seem to have all systems firing to start the season. Christian Yelich is hitting with convincing pop, the bullpen is nails, and Jackson Chourio, who is less than a month past turning 20, can’t stop hitting. If the Crew keeps up anything approximating these vibes, Brewers fans have an exciting six months of ball ahead of them. Friday, Apr. 5 Freddy Peralta (1-0 1.50 ERA) v. Logan Gilbert (0-0 1.29 ERA) With Corbin Burnes in Baltimore and Brandon Woodruff recovering from an injury, Peralta is the last remaining vestige of the trio of aces that have defined this era of Brewers baseball. On Opening Day in Citi Field, he carried that torch with gusto, limiting the Mets to one hit: a Starling Marte home run. Had that ball stayed in the park, Peralta’s ERA would still be at zero. That small blemish aside, he punched out an impressive eight batters over six innings. He’ll look to repeat that domination in the first game against Seattle on Friday. The Brewers are missing the M’s aces in this series, in Luis Castillo and George Kirby, but Gilbert is a promising arm in his own right. Last year, Gilbert was good for 190 innings, and aside from being durable, he was effective, pitching to a 3.73 ERA. In his first start of the season, he threw seven innings in a no-decision, having given up just one run on four hits. If he sharpens his already elite slider and adds some depth to his splitter, it’s not hard seeing Gilbert ascending into the Cy Young discussion. Saturday, Apr. 6 DL Hall (0-0 4.50 ERA) vs. Bryce Miller (0-1 7.20 ERA) The new Brewers lefty, here by way of the deeply polarizing Burnes trade, didn’t exactly light up the world in his Brewers debut last week. He managed a no-decision after four innings, allowing only one run. Given that he allowed six hits and a walk while striking out just one Mets batter, and the glaring 8.30 FIP, it’s a bit lucky more damage wasn’t inflicted. What can be inferred from the 25-year-old’s rotation experiment? Absolutely nothing. The Brewers clearly believe in something special from him, and given what their pitching lab has cobbled together in the past, it makes sense to give lots of wiggle room for development. Bryce Miller allowed as many hits as Hall did in his first start of the year, but was tagged for four runs in the process. That was a bit of a brutal consequence, considering his WHIP, FIP and ERA+ are all technically better than his counterpart, but such is the wily chaos of baseball. It’s Miller’s second year in the majors, having made it to The Show when Robbie Ray went down with a flexor injury. Miller makes his bones on the back of an almost elite mid-90s fastball. With little else in the mix, if the Crew can clock it, they could start to feast and make it a second consecutive short start. Sunday, Apr. 7 Colin Rea (1-0 1.80 ERA) vs. Emerson Hancock (1-0 5.06 ERA) Rea continues to be a feel-good, bargain story for the Brewers, after a very solid start against the Mets, holding them to one run over five innings with two strikeouts. With only eight swinging strikes over 84 pitches, it’s hard to call the start dominant, but it was effective enough to keep New York at bay and pave the way for a Brewers win. It will be interesting to see if the varied but underwhelming repertoire Rea possesses will continue to earn him relevance in the rotation, or if eventually, opposing teams will catch up. It’s 2020 first-round draft pick Emerson Hancock’s sophomore season, but only in the most literal sense of the word. Hancock pitched 12 innings for the Mariners in 2023 before a shoulder strain effectively ended his season. He was serviceable enough in his first start that the M’s were able to notch a victory, thanks to his ability to keep Cleveland from notching an extra-base hit until Tyler Freeman took him deep in the sixth. Hancock is a sturdy control arm, but he doesn’t seem a likely force to dominate Milwaukee if they can play as confidently as they have been so far. Players To Watch Julio Rodríguez It’s an obvious answer, but let’s relish the gift of having two elite-level talents playing the outfield, both of whom are under 25. Seattle’s answer to Jackson Chourio is the more veteran, more advanced Rodríguez. The 6-foot-3 center fielder came up in 2022 and made himself so synonymous with peak excellence that it feels like he’s been around forever. In his first year, he produced 6.2 WAR and took home the Rookie Of The Year Award (notably from vaunted favorite Adley Rutschman, who came in second and would have easily won in most years). In his sophomore campaign, he came in fourth in MVP voting. It’s a chilly start to his year so far, but let’s not mistake that for anything but a sleeping giant waiting to be awoken. Cal Raleigh Affectionately nicknamed Big Dumper, Raleigh has quietly established himself as one of the best slugging catchers in baseball. Last year, Raleigh crushed 30 homers for the Mariners and netted himself some MVP votes in the process. That’s more home runs than Will Smith, Sean Murphy or JT Realmuto--giving credence to the suspicion that elite talent hides well in Seattle. Jackson Chourio I won’t list him as a player to keep an eye on for every series, but how about I keep it going until he’s hitting under .350? For real, though, I can’t advocate enough being as present as possible for the beginning of this career. We’ll be able to tell our kids and grandkids we were there for it. Brice Turang At no point would I have expected Turang to lead the team in hitting, or be on base nearly enough to lead all of MLB in stolen bases (six through four games, as I write this), but here we are. It goes without saying that this pace isn’t going to sustain itself, but if Turang is, in fact, learning to implement his blistering speed to be more productive on the basepaths, that (in tandem with his solid defense) will cement him as a mainstay in the Brewers lineup. Predictions The Twins handed the Crew their first loss of the season. I predict the Mariners will deliver them their second, but not their third. The Brewers are playing with a pretty palpable swagger, I say they take two of three. View full article

Following a decisive sweep in Queens to start their 2024 campaign, the Milwaukee Brewers take the field Tuesday for their home opener. A two-game series with their Upper Midwest neighbors gives the Crew a chance to cement themselves as early season upstarts, but the Twins are no slouches themselves. Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports A one-hitter on Opening Day against a star-laden lineup is an undeniably impressive opening salvo for the Brewers to have fired, as they took down the Mets in their first game of the season. Follow that up with two more wins for a road sweep, and it’s hard not to feel a pretty solid dose of optimism, despite being just three games into the campaign. The AL Central looks miserable this year, but if there is one legitimately competitive team, it’s the Twins, and they bring their talents to AmFam on Tuesday. Let’s break it down. Tuesday, Apr. 2 Jakob Junis (0-0, 0.00 ERA) v. Louie Varland (0-0 0.00 ERA) Signed at the beginning of February, righty Jakob Junis will make the first start of his one-year pact with the Crew. Junis has been serviceable, putting up the middling production you’d typically expect to see in a fourth starter. Last year, at age 30, Junis put together his best year, predominantly out of the pen. His 3.87 ERA was built on solid control, vital for a pitcher with a sinker/slider profile. If he can keep these numbers together out of the rotation, expect this low-risk contract to look like a bargain. Opposing the Crew is Louie Varland, brother of former short-term Brewer, Gus. Varland was born and raised in the Twin Cities, and drafted by his hometown team in the 15th round of the 2019 Draft. The Minnesota product finds himself in the rotation by way of a season-ending flexor tendon surgery for Anthony DeSclafani, but it isn’t his first rodeo in the show. Debuting in 2022 and showing up for a brief stint last year, Varland has thrown 94 innings to the tune of a 4.40 ERA. Serviceable back end of the rotation stuff to be sure, but at only 26, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him take a step forward this year. Wednesday Apr. 3 Joe Ross (0-0, 0.00 ERA) v. Chris Paddack (0-0 0.00 ERA) A former first-round draft pick, top prospect and two-time Tommy John is the exact kind of bargain the Brewers front office might try to seek out and resurrect, and former Padres and Nationals hurler Joe Ross is exactly that. Ross hasn’t played in the majors since he pitched for the Nats in 2021, after which he was diagnosed for the second time with a torn UCL. The 5.79 ERA he put up in the minors last year isn’t going to turn heads, but the uptick in his velocity might. Obviously, the Crew felt they saw enough promise in Ross to offer him a one-year major-league deal. With so much at stake, expect Ross to be pitching like his baseball life depends on it. And would you look at that? It’s another former top prospect with two Tommy John scars on their arm. Yes, former promising Padres (that team again) righty Chris Paddack finally returns to the mound, to see if he still has what it takes to spin some magic. He did look strong out of the pen in a tiny sample size with the Twins last year, but with mixed results. At 28, it seems Paddack is not above tinkering with his repertoire, hoping his new slider can help him return to his previous top form. Players To Watch Austin Martin This should have read 'Royce Lewis,' but after crushing a home run and hitting a single, Minnesota’s prodigious infielder injured his quad running the bases in the third inning of the season. Enter Austin Martin: picked by Toronto fifth overall in the 2020 Draft, before being flipped to the Twins as part of the trade for José Berríos. Not without his own injuries, Martin hasn’t played even 160 games over the last two years in the Minnesota system. That said, when he has been in the lineup, he’s put up a very competent .263/.387/.405 slash line, which is a solid perk to go along with this most shining strength: positional versatility. Martin has played shortstop, second base, center field and right while in the minors, so it seems pretty likely he’ll be slotted somewhere into the lineup over the two-game stretch against Milwaukee. Carlos Correa Before last season, the last time Carlos Correa had a season in which he was worth less than 2.0 WAR was the pandemic-shortened 2020, wherein he still managed an impressive 1.7 WAR over only 58 games. Last year, he produced even less than that over 135 contests--this after being a contract volleyball bounced between San Francisco and New York. Both teams found his physical exam revealed issues too troubling to overlook, so he returned to the Twins, with whom he’d had a very successful 2022. The concerns were focused on his ankle, but he was thwarted for much of 2023 by plantar fasciitis, instead. The Twins shortstop figures to be playing with a chip on his shoulder, so the Crew’s encounter with him may prove a brief but relevant showcasing of where he’s truly at. Christian Yelich Some fireworks centered on Rhys Hoskins provided almost enough pop to cover up the fact that Yelich looked rejuvenated and strong at Citi Field. That and the fact that he already has more outfield assists (one) than he had all of last year (none) suggests that the Brewers' big-money man is healthy and fully functional this spring. Obviously, three games isn’t enough to extrapolate anything in the marathon of a full season, but Yelich is off to a promising start. Rhys Hoskins Scrappy drama aside, Hoskins channeled some of his fiery side into absolutely demolishing a ball down the left field line a day after his late slide inspired a benches-clearing staredown on Opening Day. They haven’t been without some promising mashers at first base, but it feels like an elite presence has been absent from the position since the glory days of Prince Fielder. Is Hoskins elite? The numbers wouldn’t suggest it, but he’s long been looked at as a second-tier star at the cold corner. Can he reach the next level in the weaker NL Central? Time will tell. Predictions I’m going to be bold here and say that the Twins are entering the Dairyland deflated. The Crew, on the other hand, is coming in charged up to open in front of a raucous home crowd. I think the Crew wins both games. View full article

Two teams with something to prove square off to start the season. Could one provide a spark that leads the charge to a scrappy, mathematically surprising playoff berth? Image courtesy of © Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK At long last, our national pastime has returned. This signifies not just Opening Day, but that together we traversed nearly 150 long days without the sights and sounds of The Show, and the comfort in the minimum of 162 assured contests for us to get lost in. Collectively, we dedicate ourselves to the hope that by the time Milwaukee finds itself in the fresh frost of a new winter, a flag will be flying forever, trimmed for the first time with the yellow of the Brewers, rather than the red of the Braves who brought home the only other World Series title in the city's history. From the outset of this season, it feels like Milwaukee faces long odds. Forced to reckon once more with the relative austerity of its ownership and the controversial (read: heartbreaking) departure of Craig Counsell, it could be argued that planting the seeds of hope in the soil of 2024 is folly, but the feisty Brewers have made their bones defying oddsmakers for the better part of the last decade. Last year saw the quiet resurgence of Christian Yelich, who outslugged the last three years' versions of himself. It saw the upstart spark of a slew of youngsters, like Sal Frelick and Abner Uribe, the former reflecting some positional malleability that will keep his promising bat in the lineup, and the latter with stuff so nasty that it makes the half-season loss of Devin Williams a far less bitter pill to swallow. And did you know that Hoby Milner had an ERA+ of 238 and a sub-1.00 WHIP?! Ultimately, if we’re going to finally hear what Bob Uecker sounds like belting out the last out of a Brewers World Series triumph, there is going to have to be some magic both on and off the field. That said, here we are at the end of March, and all we have to do for the moment is buckle in and enjoy the marathon. Let’s start by looking at the first few matchups. Friday, Mar. 29 Freddy Peralta (0-0 0.00 ERA) v. Jose Quintana (0-0 0.00 ERA) A bit of poetry to start the season, as we get a taste of the future and an examination of the past with both pitchers on the mound. With Corbin Burnes in Baltimore and Brandon Woodruff on the shelf, Peralta is taking the reins as Milwaukee’s undisputed ace. Injuries and trades aside, he's done a good amount to earn this position. His numbers haven’t been as hot since his All-Star campaign back in 2021, but last year saw his strikeout rate rise and his walk rate fall. The undeniably potent Mets lineup should prove a good test to see what tricks Peralta has up his sleeve for the new year. Representing the Mets on the mound is one-time Brewers killer and the now-seasoned vet, Quintana. With the White Sox, Cubs, Pirates and Cardinals, Quintana has seen a lot of the Crew. At the start of his career, he famously sparkled against Milwaukee until an early-season drubbing in 2019 saw eight earned runs knock him from his throne. Since then, he’s been a few steps above adequate, but is constantly tweaking his game, and last year saw him restore some of his lost mastery via reinvention as a sinker baller. Saturday, Mar. 30 Brewers TBD v. Luis Severino (0-0, 0.00 ERA) The Crew’s pitcher has yet to be determined for game two, but they will contend against a familiar face on the other side, and I’m not talking about Luis Severino. I’m referring, of course, to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, whose departure from the Brewers became the lesser talking point in the wake of Counsell’s stinging defection to the Cubs. Stearns has made his bones by flashing his brilliance on several fronts, including by being unafraid to pluck from the bargain bin. What looked like the Yankees' surefire ace of the future in Severino veered off course, culminating in a 6.65 ERA in 2023, which saw him jettisoned from the Bronx. One borough over, the now-bearded Severino looks to reclaim his future glory, and if his spring training performance can be carried over into the regular season, he may just do that. Sunday, Mar. 31 Colin Rea (0-0 0.00 ERA) v. Tylor Megill (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Last year, when the inevitable barrage of injuries took its toll on the Brewers rotation, they found their depth in Colin Rea. Prior to this stint in Milwaukee, the robust righthander did just enough to bob up and down from Triple-A to the majors, amassing all of 0.2 career WAR. That said, last year he did prove to be a reliable, consistent force who pitched competently enough to survive Wade Miley’s absence and earn himself a one-year return engagement with the Brewers. Pitching for the Metropolitans will be the brother of Brewers relief monster Trevor Megill. Trevor’s 2023 reflected that of his brother, in many ways. The doomed 2023 Mets blockbuster offseason saw Justin Verlander join Max Scherzer immediately after winning a Cy Young and World Series. The consequence? A litany of major injuries and player decline, which prompted an up-and-down mixed bag of appearances for Megill. The 2023 season saw him set a new career high for innings pitched, but also saw inauspicious career highs in WHIP, hits per nine innings, and a spike in walks. Not exactly a spring chicken, this might be a make-or-break year for the soon-to-be 29-year-old, so look for him to be pitching like he’s got something to prove. Players To Watch Pete Alonso: It’s a walk year for the Polar Bear, so it wouldn’t be a shock to find him trying to remind everyone why $220 million over 10 years might not be unreasonable for a slugging first baseman. Francisco Lindor: Last year’s ninth-place NL MVP finisher was first on the Mets in WAR by 1.5, over the second-place Kodai Senga, and he was 0.5 ahead of Juan Soto, just for good measure. No one seemed to care, or seemingly ever takes full notice of what looks like a career that is just gliding into Cooperstown. If you enjoy taking in mastery, Lindor is always worth keeping an eye on. Jackson Chourio: And could it really be anyone else? As the youngest player in the league on Opening Day and (hopefully) the future face of the franchise, Chourio has blown through the minors on the power of five tools that are garnering him comps to vaunted names like Ronald Acuna Jr. and Andruw Jones. It’s a lot to ask Chourio to fulfill those comparisons, but even if he just flashes a hint of that kind of potential, it’s going to be an exciting 2024. Rhys Hoskins: Few moves have excited Brewers fans more than the signing of a bona fide, accomplished first baseman in former Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins. He was a consistent and formidable presence for years in Philadelphia, until a torn ACL in his left knee saw his 2023 campaign, and his time with the team, come to an abrupt end. For better or worse, what would have likely been a multiyear contract turned into a comparative bargain pickup for the Crew, which gives them a potent bat in their arsenal and gives Hoskins a chance to rebuild his value. Predictions These two teams feel oddly similar. Both seem to be hovering in between their floors and ceilings, and both have something to prove. Furthermore, both are composed largely of players in their walk years, or tied to make-or-break contests. I suppose, given that, it feels logical to defer to the home team. I say Milwaukee goes one for three to start the season. How do you think the Brewers match up with the not-so-mighty Mets? Which other storylines will you be watching? Do you think the Crew can steal the series win in Queens? Let's discuss it. View full article

New York isn't done with Milwaukee yet. The Bronx moves out taking Judge and LeMaheiu with them. Queens moves in with Mad Max, Alonso and Lindor to boot. How will the Crew fair against the other team from the other league and other borough? As the 2022 Major League season wraps up, these two franchises meet with fangs out and much to fight for. Had things gone even slightly differently, it would have been reasonable even a week and a half ago to call this series a mere formality, a banal obligation for ticket holders who want to watch effectively meaningless late summer baseball. However, things haven’t played out in a way to afford a tidy narrative. The Braves are nipping at the heels of the NL East leading Mets, and with a wildcard berth still very viable for the Crew, this match-up feels like an enormously consequential playoff preview. After a confident series victory over the Pirates, the Mets fly from Queens to Milwaukee to take on a team who just felled their interleague rivals from the Bronx. Let’s check out the match-ups. Monday September 19th Max Scherzer (9-4 2.26 ERA) Corbin Burnes (10-7 2.97 ERA) A thrilling battle of the aces brewing for the opening game. Few things make for better baseball than a high-stakes pitchers duel and this matchup is set to epitomize such an occasion. Injury issues haven’t exactly plagued Max Scherzer, but they have definitely been present in a season that is still likely to net the future HOFer Cy Young votes even with prolonged absences peppering it. This will be Scherzer’s return to the mound after an oblique strain stung him earlier this month. Eleven years and two Cy Youngs his junior will be the Mets' opposition in Corbin Burnes. Most of Burnes starts have been of the quality variety, but an uncharacteristically mediocre August set back an otherwise dominant campaign for Burnes. Still, September has seen a bounceback. All the same, a tough luck loss against the Cardinals set a challenging tone for the Brewers, and it will be interesting to see how Burnes conducts himself against an especially formidable foe. Tuesday September 20th Carlos Carrasco (15-6 (3.70 ERA) TBD Few stories are more feel-good in the whole world of professional sports than the veteran right handed Carlos Carrasco. Cookie, as he’s affectionately called, has bounced back from leukemia in the middle of his career too not only maintain relevant, but at times brilliant on the mound. In his most recent start, Carrasco fanned a season high eleven batters. Granted it was against the anemic Pirates, but an impressive feat nonetheless. That the Brewers haven’t announced their pitcher yet speaks to the dire situation in their rotation, and the glaring inactivity from what has become a fairly infamous trade deadline snooze. Eric Lauer, Aaron Ashby and Freddy Peralta all linger on the IL while Jason Alexander is getting crushed on the mound. We’ll see what the Brewers can do to navigate a piecemeal scenario worthy of a fierce Mets offense, but fans are well within their rights to remain skeptical for a positive outcome with this one. Wednesday September 21st Taijuan Walker (12-4 (3.42 ERA) Adrian Houser (6-9 4.85 ERA) Somehow despite being picked 43rd overall in the 2010 draft, Taijuan Walker has already made it to the majors and bounced around enough that he’s in the second year of his contract with his fourth team, and fifth if you consider a second go around with his original team the Mariners. Don’t let the anchorless-ness fool you, Walker is a force to be reckoned with when his stuff is working. In his most recent start, Walker kept the Pirates mostly at bay until Oneil Cruz demolished a ball past the center field wall at Citi Field. Adrian Houser’s star has faded drastically since his first few starts of the season. A confident beginning saw a dwindling followed by an injury stint followed further by an uninspiring return to the mound. What this suggests is hard to grasp, considering there are times where Houser has flat out mowed down the competition. Walks were the big issue for Houser in his last start, giving up four walks in an ugly three inning start. The season K/BB of 1.5 is unsustainable. Houser will have to return to early season form if he’s going to stand a chance against a patient and potent Mets offense. Players To Watch Brandon Nimmo: The heart-and-soul prototype for the Metropolitans has had himself a career year in 2022 and is likely to hit big in free agency this offseason. In his sixth season, The center fielder has accumulated more than a fourth of his career WAR to this point; but beyond the metrics lies a series of intangibles that make Nimmo a particularly watchable character. Great discipline, theatrically masterful baserunning and true hustle. Francisco Lindor: While not exactly an “under the radar” player, I’d still say Lindor exists in the “most underrated” category of ball players. With a career OPS of .816 and an accumulated WAR of 36.3 through his age 28 season, it’s easy to make an argument that the slick-fielding shortstop is easily on a Hall Of Fame trajectory. Christian Yelich: The protracted nature of the season compels a perspective that doesn’t tell the whole story. While Yelich’s stats on the year (or the past several years) aren’t much to write home about, a toe-tap tweak to his mechanics have seen him produce an all-star caliber of production over the last several months. Keep an eye on the resurgent Yeli and see if some late season heroics aren’t wrenched out of the former MVP’s bat. Predictions Given the trajectories and calibers of each team, this is anyone’s guess, but the plucky Brewers offense will need to transcend mere pluckiness and demonstrate ferocity the likes of which has been hard to come by for them in order to outweigh the effect of a weathered pitching staff. I have to assume the red hot Mets take the series 2-1. View full article

After a split against the Dodgers, the Brewers emerge in roughly the same place in the standings, but now with less time to make up ground. Can they make up ground in enemy territory when they take on the Cubs in Wrigley for a three-game weekend series? The All-Star break is artificially respected as the halfway point of the season. In truth, all of the fanfare and revelry of those mid-July festivities occur just slightly after the actual halfway point. Nevertheless, two truths exist at the same time: the All-Star break just ended, and the season’s wind down period is in full promenade. In baseball parlance, “wind down” is misleading. The races heat up, and every game, inning and pitch has a condensed sense of importance. The Cubs won’t be playing meaningful baseball in October, and even after a spunky split-series performance against the Dodgers, the Brewers' playoff status is precarious. Can the fierce rivalry manifest some luck for the Crew, or send their tailspin in a terminal trajectory? Friday August 19th Aaron Ashby (2-10 4.24 ERA) Keegan Thompson (9-5 3.67 ERA) Aaron Ashby’s definitive trajectory won’t be determined by two games, but there were whispers of hopeful things to come in his most recent high-pressure start against the St. Louis Cardinals. Throwing with enhanced control, Ashby managed a quality start; on the back of three hits and two runs, it was ultimately a no-decision. Squaring off against Ashby is middling righty Keegan Thompson. Along with a 1.4 WAR and 8.4 H/9, Thompson brings with him a bit of notoriety for throwing at Andrew McCutchen very early in the season. Of his 100.2 IP this season, 1.2 were collected in his most recent start, where he labored for over 70 pitches to retire only five hitters. Saturday August 20th Freddy Peralta (4-3 4.21 ERA) Marcus Stroman (3-5 3.96 ERA) It was a game of “onlys” for Freddiy Peralta in his most recent start. Against the Dodgers he only lasted four innings, surrendering only one run on a Freddy Freeman solo shot. He gave up only one more hit after that. The only non-only for Peralta was, concerningly, in the walks department. Four walks in as many innings, because of his 92 pitches, only 51 were strikes. The first year of Marcus Stroman’s contract as a Chicago Cub has been as unremarkable as the North Sider’s season itself. His ERA was recently pushed just south of four; the FIP at 3.87 is just the tiniest bit lower. In Stroman’s most recent start, four runs were surrendered, but none were earned. This feels like a microcosm of the Cubs season generally. Sunday August 21st Brandon Woodruff (9-3 3.53 ERA) Justin Steele (4-7 3.43 ERA) It wasn’t categorically dominant, but Brandon Woodruff managed to stave off domination at the hands of the monstrous Dodgers. He managed to keep Los Angeles shut out until the fifth inning, where he’d eventually surrender dingers to a resurgent Joey Gallo and an always otherworldly Mookie Betts. Suffice to say, the Cubs should post a less pressing challenge. Justin Steele’s last two starts have been against a very bad Nationals team and he was appropriately effective in each start. All-in-all, the young Steele is enjoying a very capable sophomore campaign and, while there might not be a lot of flash to enjoy in the immediate, it’s worth keeping an eye on a player who looks poised to perform well for a division foe for years to come. Players To Watch Nico Hoerner: Watching All-Star snub Nico Hoerner is an inspiring exercise. Despite the fact that the Cubs are functionally moot in terms of competition, Hoerner takes the field with something to prove. Now that Javier Baez has taken his talents to the Detroit Tigers, Hoerner is the mainstay at shortstop. He’s batting .380 in the month of August, and has accumulated more WAR than any position player the Brewers have on the field. Willson Contreras: As one fraternal catching dynasty in the Molina clan winds down, a new one in the Contreras’ clan is just getting started. Atlanta Braves backstop William Contreras quietly started the All-Star game this year, while his big brother Willson (also an All-Star this year) was the subject of raised eyebrows after being mysteriously untraded at the deadline despite impending free agency. If it is indeed in the plans, keeping an asset like Contreras for the long-term makes perfect sense for the Cubs, as his passionate gameplay has helped substantiate himself as a thorn in the side for anyone who opposes him. Matt Bush: The acquisition of this storied righty largely flew under the radar, but there is something worth paying attention to in Matt Bush. He owns a solid 51:12 k/bb ratio, and a WHIP just above one. These aren’t particularly sexy stats, but with savvy bullpen management, Bush’s true asset, versatility, comes to life. Josh Hader was at his strongest when he could come in mid-game, snag a high leverage out or two, or close out the game. Bush won’t ever be as flashy as peak Hader, but where Hader eventually evolved exclusively into a closer, Bush can still pitch whenever he’s needed. Christian Yelich: There’s no equivalent around a .042 batting average in a 10-game stretch. That the hit was a well-demolished home run is exemplary of the kind of frustration Yelich has produced over the last couple of seasons. Still, there are reasons to be skeptical of how actually “bad” he is. It’s worth mentioning that Yelich leads the team in stolen bases (16) and runs created (61.56). It still feels like there is something Yelich can return to to perform at an upper-tier. Predictions Predicting anything in baseball is obviously folly. No one would have predicted at the beginning of the season, or even three weeks ago that the Cleveland Guardians would be leading the AL Central on August 18th. No one would have predicted that Corbin Burnes would switch candidacies from DFA to Cy Young in a season and a half's time. Logic and statistics would dictate that the Brewers are substantially better than the Cubs and should sweep them, but these Brewers just can’t dominate these mediocre to bad teams. I’ll say the Brewer take two of three. In Summary It’s mid-August, just through the dog days of summer, and the 2022 Milwaukee Brewers are the sad puppy in the rain looking from the outside in on an expanded playoff field. The trade deadline was itself a whimper and the deflated play since then reflected its neutered tone. Enough dog metaphors. Simply stated: the Brewers need to win, and win confidently. The Brewers need to step into Wrigley Field and own it like it was their home turf. The Cubs are a cobbling together of competent, but not elite, talents. Justin Steele and Patrick Wisdom are not Devin Williams and Willy Adames. The Brewers need to wrangle their potential and play like the better team that they are, or the season is already over. View full article