Jason Wang

The Brewers ride the momentous tide of an explosive fifth inning to take the win in Pittsburgh. Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Brandon Woodruff - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 97 pitches, 63 strikes (64.9%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Brandon Woodruff (.253), Andruw Monasterio (.122), Carlos Santana (.119) Bottom 3 WPA: Mark Canha (-.087), Willy Adames (-.058), Clayton Andrews (-.018) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) There Might Be A New Ace In Town Following Corbin Burnes' less-than-stellar performance in the first game of the series and somewhat disappointing 2023 campaign overall, Brandon Woodruff continues to make a great case for himself taking the top spot in the rotation. He was nearly untouchable in this game, giving up just four baserunners over seven innings while striking out six. His velocity topped out at 97.8 mph on his sinker and 97.4 mph on his four-seam fastball. 40 innings is still quite a small sample size for this season and it may not be enough by itself for him to seize the mantle of top dog in the Brewers rotation. However, his 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over his last 253 innings pitched for the team put the idea firmly in the realm of possibility. Brewers Finally Start Hitting Again After a weak showing in the previous game against the Pirates, Milwaukee made the necessary adjustments to prove why they deserve to lead the NL Central. After three consecutive walks and a ground ball scored the Brewers’ first run in the fourth inning, they broke out in a big way in the fifth inning. With Sal Frelick able to draw a leadoff walk, an Andruw Monasterio triple and a subsequent Brice Turang single gave the Brewers a quick 3-0 lead. The Brewers piled it on, powered by a single by Tyrone Taylor, a sacrifice fly by Christian Yelich, and a walk by William Contreras to finally call for a Pittsburgh pitching change. Despite a fresh arm replacing Andre Jackson, a one-run double by Carlos Santana and a two-run single by Mark Canha would give Milwaukee a 7-0 lead by the time the dust cleared. It was an efficient offensive performance. The Brewers scored just two runs on six hits the previous day but scored seven runs with seven hits in this game. Clayton Andrews Still Not Ready With a seven-run lead heading into the eighth inning, it was a chance for some lesser-used bullpen arms to get some pitches in. After a scoreless eighth inning, Clayton Andrews was brought in to wrap things up. In his first major league game in two months, Andrews gave up three earned runs by way of a Connor Joe home run and failed to record a single out, lifting his ERA to an impressive 43.20. He’s pitched well in AAA all season, posting a 2.57 ERA over 49 innings but just can’t seem to put things together in the big leagues. While he does have value as one of the few lefties in the bullpen, the Brewers have a wealth of relief pitching talent so it remains to be seen whether they think his potential is worth the necessary development. What’s Next? In the final game of the series, Freddy Peralta will toe the slab against a starter to be determined before an off-day. The Brewers will then head to New York to face the Yankees in a three-game series. The Brewers are maintaining a 2.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs and a 5.5 game lead over the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Williams 20 24 0 0 0 44 Milner 14 16 0 14 0 44 Chafin 0 11 16 0 15 42 Megill 0 31 0 0 0 31 Wilson 0 0 18 13 0 31 Peguero 0 8 0 0 16 24 Payamps 17 0 0 0 0 17 Uribe 0 0 17 0 0 17 Andrews 0 0 0 0 5 5 Tweet Highlight View full article

Totaling just six hits and four walks, Milwaukee's weak offense wasn't enough to overcome a few extra-base hits by the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Yes, them.) Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 105 pitches, 68 strikes (64.8%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Mark Canha (.061), Andruw Monasterio (.029), Hoby Milner (.025) Bottom 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (-.201), Christian Yelich (-.131), Carlos Santana (-.111) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Gets Burned By Homers After managing just two hits in the first three innings, the Pirates finally figured out how to hit Burnes and tagged him for four earned runs. After a leadoff double by Andrew McCutchen in the fourth, Jack Suwinski hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 2-2. Things got worse in the fifth inning, as Burnes gave up a solo home run to Ke’Bryan Hayes and back-to-back doubles to Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen. On the bright side, it didn’t seem like any one pitch was to blame. His seven hits came pretty evenly distributed over his cutter, curveball, changeup, and slider. He was also able to get 16 swings and misses, receiving equal contributions from his slider, cutter, and curve. On the dark side, it seems that it might be a while before Corbin Burnes has another season with a sub-3.00 ERA. After having a smoking-hot July where he posted a 1.85 ERA over 39 innings pitched, Burnes regressed again, posting a 3.98 ERA in August over 31 2/3 innings pitched. He currently has a 3.63 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 171 innings for the year. Small Early Lead Doesn’t Hold Up The Brewers struck first, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. After back-to-back walks by Sal Frelick and Willy Adames, Mark Canha was hit by a pitch, to load the bases with no outs. Two consecutive sacrifice flies by Victor Caratini and Brice Turang scored what would ultimately be the Brewers’ only two runs. The closest thing the team had to an offensive rally thereafter was the fourth inning, in which a Caratini double and an Andruw Monasterio single put a runner on third with just one out. Unfortunately, a tailor-made double play ball by Christian Yelich dashed any hopes of plating Caratini and raising further offensive momentum. Milner Continues To Be Immensely Underrated While they weren’t able to directly contribute to scoring themselves, Hoby Milner and Bryse Wilson kept the game as close as possible, combining for two scoreless innings of relief. Milner, in particular, continues to have a standout year, posting an impressive 2.09 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 56 innings pitched. For a reliever with an 89-mph fastball, that’s shocking. With a great ability to pitch to contact and one of the best defensive teams in the sport, he’s been able to play to his strengths and add value to the team in 2023. What’s Next? In the second game of the series, Brandon Woodruff will face a still-to-be-determined starter. With just a 2.5-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the lead in the NL Central, every game for the Brewers is crucial, even if it’s against the Pirates--who are seven games back from the NL Wild Card spot. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Williams 0 20 24 0 0 44 Milner 0 14 16 0 14 44 Megill 0 0 31 0 0 31 B Wilson 0 0 0 18 13 31 Chafin 0 0 11 16 0 27 Payamps 0 17 0 0 0 17 Uribe 0 0 0 17 0 17 Peguero 0 0 8 0 0 8 Tweet Highlight View full article

This season, the Brewers offense has been about as weak as an iced coffee from Starbucks but there are signs that things are moving in the right direction. Who contributed the most to Milwaukee’s hitting in August? While it might be a stretch to say that the Brewers had a great offense in August, it was definitely a slight improvement over the rest of the season. They posted a .710 team OPS, a slight bump to their season-average of .693 OPS. So who showed up the most? Honorable Mention Sal Frelick - .239/.350/.388 (.738), 80 PA, 16 H, 4 2B, 2 HR There were some concerns around Frelick’s ability to perform at the major league level given his underwhelming .675 OPS at AAA this season but since being called up in July, he’s performed admirably. Aside from making highlight reel catches, he posted an .840 OPS over 36 plate appearances in July. He cooled down a decent amount in August but was consistent, displaying some strong on-base skills while getting some doubles and homers on the way. He’s got a long way to go, but he outperformed fellow rookies Andruw Monasterio and Joey Wiemer and has been exceeding expectations thus far. #4: Tyrone Taylor - .271/.339/.542 (.881), 65 PA, 16 H, 5 2B, 3 HR Tyrone Taylor hasn’t had a great season, but he had a great month of August. Posting a <.500 OPS heading into the month, he seemed to figure things out at the plate and racked up 11 RBI in August, four more than he had accumulated the rest of the season. While he had fewer plate appearances than his everyday counterparts, he made the most out of each opportunity. The hope is that these improvements aren’t transient and instead the results of an actual change to approach and swing, factors that could help the Brewers team significantly for the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs. #3: Mark Canha - .271/.357/.400 (.757), 98 PA, 23 H, 5 2B, 2 HR For many fans, Mark Canha was the second half of a disappointing trade deadline that just added him and Carlos Santana as new bats to the lineup. Sure, he isn’t putting up Barry Bonds numbers but he’s showed off some improved power and ability to hit in clutch moments. On the bright side, his OPS+ of 106 with the Brewers is still slightly better than his OPS+ of 102 with the New York Mets so the argument can be made that the team got an improved version of Canha. #2: Willy Adames - .250/.330/.413 (.743), 103 PA, 23 H, 3 2B, 4 HR After a freezing cold start to the season, Willy Adames is finally returning to the shortstop we all know and love. His hot streak really started towards the second half of the month, with his ability to hit for average and power returning in a big way. In his last 15 games, he’s slashed .293/.349/.534. His season OPS of .696 still leaves a lot to be desired but who’s to say that he won’t have as hot of a September as he did August? #1: William Contreras - .280/.374/.470 (.844), 115 PA, 28 H, 10 2B, 3 HR When I sit back and think of the Brewers’ best moments in August, Contreras is somehow involved in every one. Aside from being one of the best defensive catchers in the business, he’s also known to get an extra base hit or two. Looking at his slash line for the month, he really just did it all - hit for average, walked, and hit for power. While Christian Yelich still has a slight edge in rWAR, Contreras is just 0.1 behind him and making a strong case for being the Brewers’ most valuable player this season. He’s already earned his keep as Milwaukee’s best offseason addition which honestly isn’t saying much given his peer group includes Jesse Winker and Brian Anderson. View full article

facts

The Brewers had their best month since April, going 17-9. A lot of that success was due to the team’s excellent pitching staff, but who stood out in particular? In the month of August, Milwaukee pitchers combined to post a team ERA of 3.36, third best in the big leagues. More impressively, they had the lowest opposing batting average of .206. That being said, some guys pulled their weight more than others. Andrew Chafin struggled immensely out of the bullpen after coming to the team in a trade deadline move and Adrian Houser posted a 5.01 ERA before once again heading to the IL . But enough negativity, who put the team on their back? Honorable Mention Abner Uribe - 14 G, 2.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 7 H, 6 BB, 15 K In his second month of major league action, Abner Uribe continued to impress. One of the most exciting up and coming relievers, Uribe is another classic example of a live arm with some control issues. With an average fastball velocity of 99.5 mph and a slider that moves like magic, further development and time spent with the Brewers pitching lab could make him even more lethal than he already is. He also managed to throw the fastest pitch ever thrown by a Brewer in the Statcast era. August Pitchers of the Month #4. Bryse Wilson - 7 G, 1.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 11 K Bryse Wilson’s value as a long reliever continues to pay dividends for the Brewers, most notably in a game against the Padres on August 27th that saw him pitch four scoreless innings. In total, he made four relief appearances of two innings or more, giving up earned runs in only one of those games. After a rough end to July that saw him concede four runs in one inning against the Braves, this was a great way to bounce back. #3. Devin Williams - 11 G, 1.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 15 K It’s almost repetitive to continue lauding praise upon one of the best closers in professional baseball, but it’s important to recognize his contributions nonetheless. Along the way to giving up a single earned run all month, Williams recorded five saves and posted his best WHIP figure of his already superlative season. Still heavily dependent on his signature airbender, his opponent batting average on that pitch this season is a pitiful .106, but what do you expect when major-leaguers are struggling to make contact on bunts? #2. Trevor Megill - 6 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.682 WHIP, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 13 K In a surprising twist, Megill went from being optioned to AAA three times this season to having one of the most dominant months a relief pitcher can have. He’s always had intimidating power, averaging a blistering 99.0 mph on his four-seam fastball and sometimes getting into the triple digits, but better placement of his pitches within the zone was largely to credit for his improvement. Rather than dumping all of his pitches right into the heart of the zone like he did in 2021-22, he began to attack the edges of the zone, allowing him to cruise through August without giving up a single run. Matt Trueblood published a great analysis on the changes he made if you want to know more. #1. Freddy Peralta - 5 G, 2.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 30.0 IP, 17 H, 10 BB, 46 K August was the month where we saw what Freddy Peralta is truly capable of. Reminiscent of his 2021 all-star season, Peralta performed spectacularly in his five starts, posting his highest cumulative K/9 and K/W figures of the season at 13.8 and 4.60 respectively. While his last two starts were a little shaky and didn’t see him go a full six-innings, he had three starts that saw him strike out more than nine batters on the way to going 5-0. While the rest of the rotation had somewhat inconsistent performances throughout the month, Freddy Peralta was an unmoving beacon of hope, anchoring the pitching staff every five days. View full article

most reasonable yankees fan behavior

I think the closest thing to this was that his teammates didn't really have his back in the TA situation, publicly calling for him to apologize and never taking his side. That being said, there was never anything directly controversial that came up and it if it did it wasn't made super public.

After being released by the New York Yankees on August 29th, third baseman Josh Donaldson signed a minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. He’ll be eligible for the team’s postseason roster but why was he signed in the first place? Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports Donaldson of Days Past In the first half of the 2010s, Josh Donaldson was one of the best third basemen in baseball. From 2013-2017, he slashed .282/.377/.524, won three all-star nominations, two silver sluggers, and an MVP award. For his defensive efforts, he won a Fielding Bible award in 2014 and had a total of 17 defensive runs saved over the five-year period. He was one of the game’s most exciting players but he entered the league at a relative old age and was already an injury risk, resulting in him being traded to Cleveland in 2018. That season, he was sidelined by calf and shoulder issues and played in just 52 total games. Surprisingly, he had a career resurgence after joining the Atlanta Braves in 2019, putting up a .900 OPS and winning the NL Comeback Player of the Year award along with receiving some MVP votes. Leveraging this performance, he signed a four-year, $92mm contract with the Minnesota Twins. Two seasons, and a plethora in leg injuries later, he was part of a largely controversial trade to the New York Yankees. The Good If we take a look at purely his past two seasons in New York (he made just 120 plate appearances this season), there are still some positive qualities to speak of. Perhaps the two most standout characteristics of his game that still remain from the past are his exit velocity and defensive ability. In 2022, Donaldson had an average exit velocity of 90.7 mph, better than 81% of the league. This was helped by his 66th percentile barrel rate. While this was actually lower than his career average by about 3 mph, he was making quality contact more often than ever before, logging a career-high sweet-spot percentage of 34.8%. In 2022, Donaldson also had a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) of 7 and an Outs Above Average (OAA) of 6, third in the American League for both statistics. While not quite as prolific as his National League counterparts, his fielding ability allowed him to make some flashy plays and was definitely better than his cumulative output at the plate. As an added bonus, he’s still walking at a rate of about 10.0%, better than league-average (72nd percentile in 2022). The Bad So if Donaldson hits the ball hard and plays great defense, why was he released by the Yankees? Well the key thing to remember is that Donaldson hit the ball hard, but only when he actually hit the ball, which he didn’t do most of the time. With an incredible 27.1% strikeout rate and a whopping 33.2% whiff rate, Donaldson was missing pitches over the plate so much it became quite the internet meme. He was also only slightly faster than Rowdy Tellez last season, leading to a seventh percentile baserunning run value of -3. This often led to some downright hilarious baserunning gaffes, unless you were a Yankees fan in which case they were immensely infuriating. To make matters worse, he seemed to lean into his feast-or-famine approach in his limited playing in 2023, batting a paltry .142 with just 15 total hits, 10 of which were home runs. So what do you get when you combine a much-too-high strikeout rate with lower exit velocity and snail-like sprint speed? To many in New York, they got a spectacular waste of almost $46mm in salary. The Ugly Outside of performance, Donaldson has been a controversial player since entering the league full-time in 2013. After numerous altercations with the likes of Manny Machado, John Gibbons, Joe Musgrove, and numerous umpires, things came to a head in 2022 when he caused the benches to clear in a game against the White Sox. After greeting Tim Anderson as “Jackie Robinson,” a title Anderson gave himself in a 2019 interview with Bleacher Report, Donaldson’s public perception took an absolute nosedive. Coupled with his underwhelming performance and cocky attitude of bat flipping flyouts and singles, he became one of the least-liked players in all of baseball. There were further reports about his negative presence in the locker room, most recently a report by Jeff Passan that stated that he did not get along with teammates in Minnesota very well at all. So Why Is He A Brewer Now? Third base has been a hole in the Brewers lineup all season. After a white-hot first few weeks, Brian Anderson quickly regressed into a .675 OPS, ceding his top spot in the depth chart to rookie Andruw Monasterio. While Monasterio isn’t necessarily performing criminally, his .685 OPS isn’t much of an improvement. There are a few considerations when looking at the signing of Donaldson. First, it’s a minor-league deal, so Donaldson will only be paid a prorated portion of the major-league minimum salary, significantly less than the $23mm he was receiving before. Second, this signing structure means that he won’t be immediately added to the 40-man roster. All in all, this is an experiment by the Brewers. If he can perform well in a couple of games at the AAA level and show signs of being a potential value-add to the team to bolster one of the weaker parts of their roster, then he will likely be an important part of their playoff push. If not, then they don’t lose much anyway so fans should be more curious than upset about this deal. Who knows, maybe he’ll find a way to help bring rain to the city of Milwaukee. View full article

In another competitive game, some unfortunate luck in the eighth inning allowed the Cubs to take and maintain a one-run lead. Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Brandon Woodruff - 6.0- IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 96 pitches, 64 strikes (66.7%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Mark Canha (.170), Brandon Woodruff (.066), William Contreras (.066) Bottom 3 WPA: Brice Turang (-.233), Joel Payamps (-.232), Christian Yelich (-.183) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Woodruff Gets Hit Up But Finishes Strong Similar to Corbin Burnes in the second game of the series, Woodruff made a few mistakes in the first inning to give up the only two earned runs of his start. After walking Mike Tauchman and hitting Nico Hoerner with a pitch, Ian Happ hit a one-run double, and Dansby Swanson hit a sacrifice fly to give the Cubs an early 2-0 lead. Aside from a single by Nico Hoerner and yet another hit by pitch against Ian Happ, both of which happened in the third inning, Brandon Woodruff finally warmed up and became unhittable. He retired his final 11 batters in a row before passing the ball to Elvis Peguero. He got a total of 19 swings and misses, seven from his changeup and eight from his four-seam fastball. He also got 20 called strikes, 11 of which were from his four-seam fastball. Brandon Woodruff has an exceptional 2.70 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP over 40 innings pitched. Brewers Battle Back Milwaukee could only score a single run in the game's first seven innings. After a single and an error put Christian Yelich into scoring position, William Contreras sent him home with a single of his own. Things started to heat up in the eighth inning after Mark Leiter Jr. was brought in to replace Julian Merryweather. After Carlos Santana hit a foul pop-up to record the second out, Sal Frelick started a rally by hitting a single and stealing second base. Following two walks by Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez to load the bases, Mark Canha got hit by a pitch to send home the tying run. Payamps Has A Tough Eighth After Elvis Peguero had a perfect seventh inning and got three groundouts in a row, Joel Payamps was the next arm to come out of the bullpen. The first batter, Christopher Morel, reached on a fielding error by Willy Adames. Payamps walked the second batter, and a sacrifice bunt moved two Cubs into scoring position. Rowdy Tellez made a great defensive play to get Morel out at the plate. Still, an unfortunate single by Cody Bellinger was deflected off Payamps’ foot in a way that prevented the third out from being made, allowing Mike Tauchmann to score the go-ahead run and Bellinger to reach. Unable to score in the ninth inning, this run would allow the Cubs to win the series' final game. What’s Next? The Brewers will have an off-day before starting their series against the Philadelphia Phillies, where Freddy Peralta will pitch opposite Zack Wheeler. There is some uncertainty regarding the rotation, given Adrian Houser’s recent placement on the IL, so the starter of the second game is still to be determined. Milwaukee still holds a 3.0 game ahead of the Chicago Cubs and a 6.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT B Wilson 0 53 0 0 0 53 Payamps 15 0 16 0 17 48 Peguero 23 0 14 0 7 44 Uribe 0 18 0 17 0 35 Megill 0 32 0 0 0 32 Milner 0 13 18 0 0 31 Williams 14 0 0 0 0 14 Chafin 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

I'm just gonna say it. I'm not going to hide it anymore. Josh Donaldson is one of my favorite active players.

The Brewers' hot streak finally comes to a close in a hotly contested pitching matchup between two of the best pitchers in the National League. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 108 pitches, 70 strikes (64.8%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (.214), Abner Uribe (.031), Christian Yelich (.022) Bottom 3 WPA: Willy Adames (-.227), Tyrone Taylor (-.148), William Contreras (-.099) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Has A Bounceback Game After his last outing saw him give up eight hits and six earned runs to the Minnesota Twins, Corbin Burnes bounced back in a strong way. Although he still gave up eight hits, he was able to limit scoring to just one run. It came in the first inning after hitting Nico Hoerner with a pitch and a double by Ian Happ. A subsequent groundout by Cody Bellinger was enough to put the Cubs on the board. Burnes was able to cruise through six scoreless innings afterwards, giving up no more extra base hits and striking out seven. His curveball and cutter were especially effective, combining for 16 called strikes and ten swinging strikes. Burnes currently has a 3.55 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 165.0 innings pitched. No Extra Base Hits, No Runs Despite Corbin Burnes’ strong performance, Justin Steele was just a little better. Striking out eight, the Brewers struggled to put up any coordinated offense against the tricky lefty. There was a scoring opportunity in the first inning after a single by Mark Canha and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, but two quick outs would put an end to that. Other than that, the Brewers were simply outmatched. Mustering just one hit in the final three innings, it was just the second time in August that Milwaukee would be shutout. Uribe Steps In To Give The Everyone Else The Day Off Given the extended start by Corbin Burnes and low-scoring, only one inning of pitching relief was needed. Abner Uribe retired the heart of the Cubs lineup in order, striking out Seiya Suzuki along the way. On the bright side, the other relievers were able to get a much-needed day of rest as pitchers such as Bryse Wilson and Trevor Megill have had particularly hefty workloads recently. What’s Next? Brandon Woodruff will toe the slab against Kyle Hendricks in the third and final game of the series before the Brewers head home to host the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series. Milwaukee will face the Cubs one last time at the very end of the season. The Brewers currently hold a 4.0 game lead over the Chicago Cubs and a 7.0 game lead over the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Uribe 19 0 18 0 17 54 B Wilson 0 0 53 0 0 53 Megill 14 0 32 0 0 46 Peguero 0 23 0 14 0 37 Payamps 0 15 0 16 0 31 Milner 0 0 13 18 0 31 Chafin 26 0 0 0 0 26 Williams 0 14 0 0 0 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

@Matthew Trueblood seeing the Brewers get another win vs. seeing who it was against.

The Brewers seem unstoppable. They cruised into Wrigley Field and won their ninth game in a row Monday, making a statement in the process. Image courtesy of © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 82 pitches, 50 strikes (61.0%) Home Runs: Christian Yelich (17), Mark Canha (8) Top 3 WPA: Wade Miley (.128), Mark Canha (.108), Willy Adames (.102) Bottom 3 WPA: Tyrone Taylor (-.035), Brice Turang (-.032), Andruw Monasterio (-.006) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It’s Official - Wade Miley Is Good At Baseball Wade Miley might be your favorite pitcher’s favorite pitcher. He’s efficient, doesn’t use any fancy tricks, and is remarkably consistent. His strikeout rate of 5.8 per nine innings is a ways below the league average mark of 8.7, but his ability to pitch to contact is how he’s kept his ERA to a strong 3.17 over 93 2/3 innings. He put up a quality start against his old team, recording just one strikeout. He did manage to give up two home runs, one to Ian Happ and one to Patrick Wisdom, but these ended up being his only earned runs of the game. It was just his eighth start going six innings or more, an efficient 82-pitch workload allowing him to get there. He averages roughly 75 pitches per start, and at almost 37 years old, he continues to be an important contributor to the Brewers rotation. That being said, I wouldn’t expect him to repeat his 2021 no-hitter, nor would I expect him to have a Stephen Strasburg-type postseason performance anytime soon. Brewers Hit Big Right Off The Bat Milwaukee jumped out to 4-0 lead in the first inning, wasting no time establishing themselves against their division rival. Christian Yelich started things off with a leadoff home run, a 416-foot bomb to left center field. Did I mention this was on the third pitch of the game? After two singles and a sacrifice fly by Rowdy Tellez, Mark Canha took some time off from food blogging and hit a two-run home run to center field. No, Mark Canha is not usually known for his power. Yes, this home run traveled 436 feet and would’ve left the stadium in every ballpark in America. To tack on the team’s fifth run, William Contreras hit a single in the second inning to record his 63rd RBI of the season, just four fewer than team leader Christian Yelich. Finally, Willy Adames continued to tear things up by hitting an RBI double in the seventh inning. He’s slashing .333/.385/.625 over the last 14 days. Cubs Left Dazed And Confused At The Plate In the final three innings, Brewers relievers combined to allow just one walk and one hit. Joel Payamps and Hoby Milner continued to be two of the most underrated relievers in baseball, reducing their already low ERAs to 2.09 and 2.18, respectively. Payamps also had Willy Adames to thank for keeping his hit count to just one with this fancy defensive play. What’s Next? In the second game of the series, Corbin Burnes will face NL Cy Young contender Justin Steele. On the bright side, the Brewers have improved their ability to hit southpaws significantly since earlier in the season. Their team OPS stands at .717, 20th in MLB. Unfortunately, they’ll need all the luck they can get if they want to keep their winning streak alive. Steele is currently one of the best lefties in the sport, boasting a 2.80 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. The Brewers have pulled five games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and seven games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT B Wilson 0 0 0 53 0 53 Megill 0 14 0 32 0 46 Uribe 0 19 0 18 0 37 Peguero 0 0 23 0 14 37 Payamps 0 0 15 0 16 31 Milner 0 0 0 13 18 31 Chafin 0 26 0 0 0 26 Williams 0 0 14 0 0 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

Rangers starters heading to the dugout after needing 100 pitches to get through four innings

The Brewers' miniature homestand turned into the culmination of a fantastic surge. It wasn't quite easy, but the Padres did give them plenty of chances to make it so. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 43 pitches, 29 strikes (67.4%) Home Runs: William Contreras (14) Top 3 WPA: Carlos Santana (.296), Rowdy Tellez (.283), Sal Frelick (.200) Bottom 3 WPA: Adrian Houser (-.303), Abner Uribe (-.218), Willy Adames (-.211) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Houser Makes It A Bullpen Day Adrian Houser didn’t have the greatest outing of his career. After giving up just one run in the first inning, he gave up three earned runs in the second inning, all of which came from the two home runs he gave up to Gary Sanchez and Matthew Batten. To make matters worse, he left the game early and passed the ball to Bryse Wilson in the third inning, later reporting swelling in his elbow. While it wasn’t in the area of the UCL, according to Craig Counsell, it's yet to be seen whether Houser will be making another trip to the IL this season. Milwaukee Is Here To Mash Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Brewers were down 4-2 with just a 25.7% chance to win the game. Powered by the sheer might of the home crowd and the will to preserve their win streak, they went on a tear, scoring seven runs. After a single and two walks to load the bases, Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run double, his eighth of the year, to tie the game at 4-4. Following an intentional walk of Christian Yelich to again load the bases, Carlos Santana was walked unintentionally to score the go-ahead run. The Padres made a call to the bullpen, bringing in Nick Martinez, but it didn’t stop Sal Frelick from hitting a two-run double, nor Mark Canha from hitting a two-run single, his second hit of the inning. To add an insurance run, Contreras hit yet another double in the seventh inning to score the Brewers’ tenth run, but at this point any additional runs could’ve fairly been interpreted as bullying. Wilson Goes Deep, Uribe Gives Up Two Fulfilling his role as a truly long reliever, Bryse Wilson managed to pitch four shutout innings, giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out four. He threw 53 pitches, a herculean effort for a typical bullpen arm. Abner Uribe had a slightly tougher time, giving up no hits but three walks and two earned runs. He also hit Trent Grisham with a pitch and threw two wild pitches, all without recording a single out. Uribe clearly has a live arm but, like most young players who share the trait, evidently struggles with control from time to time. Hoby Milner and Trevor Megill combined for the final three innings of relief, with Megill striking out five and giving up just three hits. What’s Next? The Brewers are heading to Chicago to take on the division rival Cubs in a potential barn-burner of a series. Wade Miley will take on Jameson Taillon as the Cubs fight to regain ground in the still hotly-contested NL Central. The Brewers are 4.0 games ahead of the Cubs and 6.0 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT B Wilson 0 0 0 0 53 53 Uribe 10 0 19 0 18 47 Megill 0 0 14 0 32 46 Payamps 15 0 0 15 0 30 Chafin 0 0 26 0 0 26 Peguero 0 0 0 23 0 23 Williams 0 0 0 14 0 14 Milner 0 0 0 0 13 13 Tweet Highlight View full article