Jason Wang

A productive offense and a scoreless quality start by Freddy Peralta allowed the Brewers to do something that they hadn't accomplished in 37 years. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 103 pitches, 65 strikes (63.1%) Home Runs: Carlos Santana (15) Top 3 WPA: Freddy Peralta (.366), Willy Adames (.122), Abner Uribe (.080) Bottom 3 WPA: Tyrone Taylor (-.090), William Contreras (-.083), Brice Turang (-.076) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Peralta Pitches Six Shutout Innings In another quality start, Freddy Peralta gave up a total of seven baserunners but no runs, as he blew the ball past the White Sox lineup. He earned 18 swings and misses, 10 of which were from his four-seam fastball and seven of which were from his slider. He was utilizing the high fastball particularly well. Perhaps more impressive, he was never truly in trouble. The only innings in which he allowed more than one baserunner were the fourth and fifth. Through intelligent pitching and a display of his brilliant stuff, Peralta prevented the White Sox from having any sort of offensive rally through six frames. Crew Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Hitting The Brewers were able to bring home runners in four separate innings. Mark Canha broke the seal in the second inning with a sacrifice fly, after back-to-back singles by Sal Frelick and Willy Adames. In the fifth, Andruw Monasterio slapped an RBI double to left field to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. While Milwaukee maintained a 2-0 lead heading into the eighth inning, they tacked on three insurance runs thanks to a massive home run by Carlos Santana to center field to widen the lead to a comfortable 5-0. Finally, Christian Yelich hit a totally unnecessary (but still very impressive) two-run single in the ninth inning to crush any remaining comeback hopes for the White Sox. Mejia (Almost) Mucks It Up After another routine day for one of the best bullpens in baseball, J.C. Mejia dusted off his glove and entered the game for the first time since August 6. With a 7-0 lead and just three outs left to secure a series sweep, Mejia took the mound. A single by Andrew Vaughn and a subsequent wild pitch put a runner in scoring position right away. Mejia got two quick outs, but a double by Carlos Perez brought Vaughn home to score the first White Sox run. Zach Remillard then hit a single to place runners on the corners, and advanced to second base on defensive indifference. After a two-run single by Elvis Andrus, things seemed to be falling apart at the seams. Luckily, Andrew Benintendi lined out to end the game, allowing the Brewers to sweep the White Sox for the first time since April of 1986. What’s Next? The Brewers will have a day off, before facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers behind enemy lines. To kick things off, we’ll see a pitching matchup of Adrian Houser against Bobby Miller. With this win, the Brewers extended their division lead to 3.5 games over the Chicago Cubs and 4.0 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Williams 9 0 14 15 0 38 Payamps 18 0 18 0 0 36 Milner 18 0 0 17 0 35 Mejia 0 0 0 0 30 30 Uribe 8 0 10 0 10 28 Peguero 0 0 21 4 0 25 Chafin 0 0 0 0 15 15 B Wilson 14 0 0 0 0 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

In another close game, the Brewers break out in the seventh inning to score just enough runs to steal the win away from the White Sox in the penultimate game of the series. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Brandon Woodruff - 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 86 pitches, 53 strikes (61.6%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Hoby Milner (.221), William Contreras (.206), Devin Williams (.198) Bottom 3 WPA: Carlos Santana (-.184), Brice Turang (-.107), Christian Yelich (-.069) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Woodruff Pitches An Efficient Six In his second start since his IL stint, Brandon Woodruff was able to put up a quality start. While the Brewers have been vocal about being careful while ramping him up back to a big league workload, his efficient pitching allowed him to cruise through six innings in under 90 pitches. In comparison, he threw one fewer pitch in his last start against the Pirates but went just five innings. His first earned run came in the third inning after conceding a double, a single, and then a groundout. His second earned run came by way of a Yoan Moncada home run to center field. In the sixth inning, he struck out Yasmani Grandal and walked Gavin Sheets before finally being pulled. His four-seam fastball peaked at 97.0 mph in the fifth inning and he garnered 11 swings and misses. His work was enough to earn his first win since April 7th. Several Runs Come In The Seventh After being held scoreless for the first six innings of the game by White Sox starter Jesse Scholtens, the Brewers seemed to wake up in the seventh as they started to string together a nice offensive rally. It started off with a walk by Mark Canha and a single by Andruw Monasterio. Following a quick flyout by Brice Turang, Tyrone Taylor’s 2-RBI double tied the game at 2-2 and led the White Sox to make a call to their bullpen. With Taylor in scoring position, William Contreras officially took the lead with an RBI single. Relievers Stay Unhittable Following Woodruff’s extended effort, Hoby Milner followed things up with 1.1 innings of work, allowing no baserunners and striking out one. Elvis Peguero was brought into to deal with Eloy Jimenez and Devin Williams handled the ninth inning, recording his 28th save of the season. His changeup reached almost 3,000 rpm and warped space time, as per usual. What’s Next? Freddy Peralta will face off against Dylan Cease in the final game of the series before the Brewers travel to Los Angeles to start a series against the Dodgers on Tuesday. While the Brewers are still leading the NL Central by 2.5 games, the Chicago Cubs have officially surpassed the Reds for second place as Cincinnati is now behind by 3.0 games. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Williams 15 9 0 14 15 53 Payamps 9 18 0 18 0 45 Peguero 18 0 0 21 4 43 Uribe 20 8 0 10 0 38 Milner 0 18 0 0 17 35 B Wilson 0 14 0 0 0 14 Chafin 11 0 0 0 0 11 Mejia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

In a back-and-forth game against a competitive Chicago White Sox squad, the Brewers ultimately earn the last laugh with a turbo sinker and a timely double. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 107 pitches, 62 strikes (57.9%) Home Runs: Victor Caratini (6) Top 3 WPA: Abner Uribe (.441), Mark Canha (.281), William Contreras (.179) Bottom 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (-.251), Brice Turang (-.194), Andruw Monasterio (-.186) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Tosses A Wild One Prior to this game, Burnes had been having a spectacular second half, posting a 1.69 ERA over 32.0 innings pitched. It seemed like he had finally gotten over his early season struggles and managed to find his old self. The White Sox derailed the hype train a little bit, scoring runs in three of his 5.2 innings pitched. Things started to get out of hand almost immediately with Burnes conceding a walk, three consecutive singles, and a sacrifice fly to give the White Sox two early runs. A subsequent wild pitch moved two more runners into scoring position but he was able to strike out Trayce Thompson to escape the inning. The damage continued in the third inning where a 2-RBI home run by Eloy Jimenez gave Chicago a 4-2 lead. After a single by Andrew Vaughn, Burnes had yet another wild pitch and walked Yasmani Grandal before getting a much needed double play to end the third. His final earned run would come by way of an RBI single by Tim Anderson in the fourth inning. Burnes clearly had some control issues, failing to find his spots in the strike zone and allowing runners to advance on poorly placed pitches. Have No Fear, The Offense Is Here Despite a rough pitching start, Milwaukee was able to fight back with some strong offense of their own. The Brewers actually struck first off of an RBI single by William Contreras that scored Christian Yelich. Heading into the second inning with a 2-1 deficit, Victor Caratini led off with a home run to center field to tie the game. In the fifth inning, the Brewers hit three consecutive singles to score their third and fourth runs of the game and knocked out White Sox starter Michael Kopech. Still down 5-4 in the sixth inning, the Brewers strung together another four consecutive singles to score two runs and take a 6-5 lead. There was also a little help from a bad throw by pitcher Aaron Bummer. While there weren’t many extra base hits, the Brewers were able to string together a total of 11 hits and seven walks, a significant improvement over their usually lackadaisical offense. Bullpen Takes It To Extras Elvis Peguero was the first name out of the bullpen, taking on 1.1 innings of relief. He would allow the White Sox to tie the game at 6-6 following a groundout by Andrew Vaughn that allowed Eloy Jimenez to score from third. Joel Payamps and Devin Williams would lock down the eighth and ninth innings without allowing any runs. Payamps would walk two batters and notch just one strikeout but he’d get some fielding help from Sal Frelick who made this outstanding play in foul territory. Williams was dominant as per usual, striking out all three of his batters faced. In the tenth inning, the Brewers needed just one hit off the bat of Mark Canha, an RBI double, to take a one-run lead. It was his only plate appearance of the game as he was pinch-hitting for Joey Wiemer. To close the show, Abner Uribe recorded his first career save, getting a flyout and two groundouts to seal the deal for Milwaukee. What’s Next? The Brewers continue their series against the White Sox with Brandon Woodruff facing off against righty Jesse Scholtens. The Brewers currently maintain a divisional lead of 2.5 games over the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Uribe 0 20 8 0 10 38 Peguero 10 18 0 0 21 49 Payamps 0 9 18 0 18 45 Mejia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Williams 0 15 9 0 14 38 Milner 0 0 18 0 0 18 Chafin 11 11 0 0 0 22 B Wilson 0 0 14 0 0 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers rode their rotation to October in previous years and they hope to do it again in 2023. With more than enough starting pitchers to go around, who has been standing out and who will get to keep their spot in the rotation? Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The One-Two Punch After an inconsistent first half that saw him finish with an uncharacteristically high 3.94 ERA across 107.1 innings pitched, Corbin Burnes’ second half has been exceptional thus far, posting a 1.69 ERA over 32.0 innings pitched. July was his best month, making six starts and showing off the Burnes we all know and love by notching 10.8 K/9 and a 0.718 WHIP. Whatever struggles he faced before the All-Star break are hopefully behind him now. We may see a resurgence in ability just in time for October baseball. While the jury is still out on Brandon Woodruff, who’s pitched just 16.1 innings this season following a lengthy stint on the 60-day IL, the data in his major league return start painted a positive picture. Velocity and spin rates were consistent with recent career numbers, and other than him needing to rebuild his stamina to his former levels; there hasn’t been any cause for concern just yet. The Middle of the Pack Freddy Peralta and Wade Miley have been backing up the third and fourth spots of the rotation but could not have more different styles. Other than Miley being the only lefty starter on the Brewers, he’s earned his 2.90 ERA through crafty pitching and soft contact, logging a measly K% of 17.5% (14th percentile). His primary pitch, the cutter, averages just 87.2 mph, and his four-seam fastball is a blazing 90.3 mph. In comparison, Freddy Peralta has a K% of 29.7% (88th percentile) and has an average four-seam fastball velocity of 94.6 mph. His ERA of 4.28 isn’t quite as appealing as Miley’s, but he’s got a much higher ceiling and is nine years younger. The Fifth Spot As of now, Adrian Houser occupies the final spot of the rotation. After missing the first month of the season, he’s hovered around his current 4.19 ERA without much deviation up or down. He’s exactly what one might think of as a great back-of-the-rotation guy. He’s solid, consistent, and doesn’t fall painfully short in any particular area, but he likely won’t be winning any Cy Young votes any time soon. Assuming he returns to the roster fully healthy, Julio Teheran proves an interesting competitor for Houser’s spot. Originally brought on to be an innings-eater, he had an outstanding first two months with the team, posting a 2.85 ERA over 41.0 innings pitched through the end of June. However, after a disastrous July that saw him concede 20 earned runs in 21.2 innings, his stats began to regress to more realistic expectations. His strong suits are his elite command (4.3% BB%, 96th percentile) and his curveball, which has an xwOBA of .179. Because his skid was so sharp and sudden without a real chance at retribution, we’ve yet to see if he can return to his first-half form. His somewhat poor/average peripherals would suggest that he likely won’t, but there is the possibility he can recover enough to be a serviceable fifth starter. What About A Six Man Rotation? With more and more pitchers getting injured every year, discussion surrounding the implementation of a six-man starting rotation has been suggested as a possible solution, providing more rest for each starter. One common criticism of the six-man rotation is that it’s hard to find six good starting pitchers, but the Brewers do indeed have seven serviceable starters (assuming Teheran recovers). Colin Rea would likely be left out either way since instead of keeping him, he was optioned in exchange for Clayton Andrews (who was then promptly optioned to create room for Brandon Woodruff), leaving six on the current depth chart. Ultimately, it depends on how Teheran will be treated on his return from the IL, but a six-man rotation could be a novel way to utilize the Brewers' pitching wealth to its fullest. In the worst-case scenario, the rotation is kept as is. It’s the tenth-best rotation in MLB by ERA (4.14) and definitely not as much of a problem as the team’s continued offensive struggles. View full article

Hi all, Can someone point me to the Rockies fanbase? Have a package for them to sign.

What do you get when you combine a career-best performance by Freddy Peralta with 13 Brewers hits ? A 12-1 Brewers blowout. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 13 K, 94 pitches, 63 strikes (67.0%) Home Runs: Brice Turang (6), Tyrone Taylor (4), Sal Frelick (3) Top 3 WPA: Brice Turang (.280), Freddy Peralta (.186), William Contreras (.091) Bottom 3 WPA: Mark Canha (-.080), Andruw Monasterio (-.072), Carlos Santana (-.054) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Freddy Really Loves Pitching Against the Rockies, Huh? It’s long been known that Freddy Peralta has exceptional performances against the Rockies. In his 2018 major league debut, Peralta recorded 13 strikeouts and 19 swings and misses in 5.2 innings while maintaining a no-hitter until the sixth inning. On May 2nd of this year, he struck out ten and got 25 swings and misses. In this game, he struck out 13 batters, gave up no walks, and got an unbelievable 31 swings and misses. It’s performances like these that show us just how exceptional Peralta’s ceiling really is. While he struggles with giving up hard contact from time to time (34th percentile barrel %), his stuff at its best is undeniably on par with some of the best strikeout pitchers in the game. Brice Gets The Party Started, Contreras and Frelick Keep It Going After the Rockies took a 1-0 lead from an Ezequiel Tovar solo home run, the Brewers broke out in the fourth inning and never looked back. Brice Turang hit a 2-RBI home run to right center field to score himself and Sal Frelick in the fourth inning, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead. It ignited an explosion of Brewers offense with four consecutive hits to follow, one of which was a triple by Brian Anderson. By the time the dust cleared, the Brewers had brought the lead to a comfortable 5-1. Contreras and Frelick would both have RBI doubles in the seventh, followed by an RBI single by Andruw Monasterio. Finally, just to seal the deal, Tyrone Taylor and Sal Frelick hit home runs in the eighth to score the last few runs of the 12-run outburst. Bullpen Not Required, But Nice To Have It’s hard to blow an 11-run lead (even if you’re the Milwaukee Brewers), especially after seven innings of one-run baseball, so it's not like the bullpen needed to perform any miracles. Nonetheless, Elvis Peguero and Andrew Chafin combined for three strikeouts and no baserunners in their respective innings of relief. The Rockies struck out 16 times, with the sole hit being Tovar’s home run in the first inning. And we thought the Brewers' offense was bad! What’s Next? Wade Miley and Kyle Freeland will face off in a lefty duel as the Brewers aim to keep up the strong offensive momentum while the Rockies hope to redeem themselves in front of the home crowd. With this win, the Brewers are 1.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and 2.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central standings. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Mejia 28 0 0 40 0 68 Chafin 13 0 22 0 11 46 B Wilson 0 39 0 0 0 39 Uribe 0 17 0 15 0 32 Peguero 0 0 9 0 10 19 Milner 0 7 0 8 0 15 Williams 0 0 14 0 0 14 Payamps 0 0 12 0 0 12 Tweet Highlight View full article

Brandon Woodruff made his first major-league start since April 7th. How did he do after 121 days away from the mound? Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Brandon Woodruff has been such a key contributor to the Milwaukee Brewers starting staff and team, in general. Yes, Corbin Burnes has been healthy, and so has Freddy Peralta, but for the team to not only make the playoffs but feel confident that they can compete, having Woodruff available will be a huge key. On Sunday, he returned to the mound for the first time since early April. How did he do, but more important, how did his stuff look and are there reasons for optimism? Velocity And Spin Rate Remain Consistent Throughout his handful of minor-league rehab starts, Woodruff demonstrated that he had avoided any loss of velocity, an imperative feature for someone who uses the four-seam fastball approximately 40% of the time. Since 2019, Woodruff’s four-seam fastball has averaged about 96 mph. He has also maintained a spin rate around 2,350 rpm for the past two years. In Sunday’s game, he averaged a velocity of 95.7 mph and a spin rate of 2,424 rpm across 42 pitches. These numbers are certainly within his recent norms. He also topped out at 97.2 mph as late as the fifth inning of his start. Overall his fastball was good. He recorded nine swinging strikes, five called strikes, and thirteen foul balls. The one major slip-up he had came in the third inning when an inside fastball was hit by Endy Rodriguez for a home run to right field. Here’s how his other pitches fared in this game compared to his 2022 averages. Even with relatively small sample sizes, especially for the curveball, the data paints an optimist picture that Woodruff is indeed back. # of Pitches Avg. Velocity (08/06/23) Avg. Velocity (2022) Avg. Spin Rate (08/06/23) Avg. Spin Rate (2022) Sinker 18 94.5 mph 95.8 mph 2,358 2,286 Slider 11 89.0 mph 88.0 mph 2,469 2.408 Changeup 11 85.5 mph 86.1 mph 2,068 2,008 Curveball 3 81.3 mph 84.0 mph 2.571 2,530 Stamina Will Come Back Slowly But Surely Like getting over a recent breakup, some things just take time. Woodruff’s stamina was a key asset to the Brewers as he averaged about 5 2/3 innings pitched per start for 2021 and 2022. Having your #2 pitcher getting quality starts consistently without having to make early calls to the bullpen is a key characteristic, especially with starters like Wade Miley and Colin Rea averaging closer to five innings pitched per start. In Sunday's game, he completed five innings. He threw 85 pitches, 61 of them strikes (71.8% strikes). Aside from the home run to Rodriguez, he also conceded a home run to Connor Joe in the fourth inning. It came on a hanging slider. It didn’t seem like his pitch quality deteriorated too much, especially since his velocity didn’t decrease much in the later innings. He faced just three batters in the fifth inning. The Brewers have been smart with his return, taking a conservative approach to his Injury List stint and rehab assignments. It makes sense that they’ll continue working him up to his old workload gradually. Hopefully, all goes to plan and we will continue to see Woodruff make great starts all the way through to the postseason. Please share your thoughts and observations from Woodruff's return on Sunday. View full article

After struggling to string together runs, some timely hitting in the ninth and tenth innings by the Brewers gave Blake Perkins the opportunity to notch his first career walkoff hit. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 107 pitches, 66 strikes (61.7%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Blake Perkins (.473), Sal Frelick (.246), Devin Williams (.138) Bottom 3 WPA: Andruw Monasterio (-.225), William Contreras (-.156), Christian Yelich (-.119) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Struggles With Walks, Gives Up Two Runs While he did ultimately manage another quality start, the Brewers’ ace issued four free passes. He wasn’t at his sharpest, but still looked dominant at times. He recorded the first two outs of the fifth inning before giving up his first hit to Liover Peguero, who then stole second. Another walk by Alika Williams became the second Pittsburgh run, after a two-run double by Jason Delay. Both hits and the walk were on his cutter, which he had a little bit of trouble placing later in counts. It continues to be his primary weapon, but this season, his curveball and changeup have actually eclipsed it in terms of effective run value. Brewers Hit, But Fail To Score on, Falter While the Brewers actually performed well from a statistical perspective against starter Bailey Falter, they failed to string enough offense together to score more than a single run. Falter gave up six hits and one walk while striking out only two, but his sole earned run came in the fifth inning, in a lackluster way. After two singles by Victor Caratini and Brice Turang followed by a wild pitch, a weak groundout by Christian Yelich allowed Caratini to score from third base. Both bullpens were stout for a few frames. The Crew still trailed 2-1 heading into the ninth, but a clutch RBI single by Sal Frelick forced the game into extra innings after a monumental three-inning bullpen effort from Elvis Peguero, Andrew Chafin, and Joel Payamps to keep the Pirates dazed and confused at the plate. Blake Perkins Hits His First Career Walkoff After Devin Williams retired the Pirates in order and stranded the automatic runner, the Brewers had a chance to seal the deal in the bottom of the 10th inning. Pirates reliever Angel Perdomo struck out Brian Anderson and Christian Yelich, but chose to intentionally walk Mark Canha and William Contreras. With two outs and the bases loaded, Blake Perkins hit a single into right field to score the final run of the game. What’s Next? Brandon Woodruff will make his long-awaited return to the rotation and face off against Johan Oviedo in the final game of the series. With the Reds’ loss, the Brewers extended their division lead to 1.5 games. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT B Wilson 0 21 0 39 0 60 Williams 14 21 0 0 14 49 Uribe 22 0 0 17 0 39 Chafin 0 0 13 0 22 35 Payamps 7 11 0 0 12 30 Mejia 0 0 28 0 0 28 Milner 0 11 0 7 0 18 Peguero 0 8 0 0 9 17 Tweet Highlight View full article

You know what's the biggest change from 2022 to 2023? In 2022, the pitch he hit best compared to league average was the slider (10 run value) and he had a .321 xwOBA. In 2023, the pitch he hit worst compare to league average was the slider (-8 run value) and he has a .266 xwOBA. The unfortunate reality is that I know nothing about hitting and all I do is read numbers, but I'm curious as to how this happened so quickly.

I was somewhat optimistic after seeing the offensive outburst in the first game of the series but I guess the Brewers are the same ole team as before.

Colin Rea gave up a few too many runs in the first two innings of his start for the Brewers to stage a comeback in the second game of the Pirates' four-game visit to Milwaukee. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 90 pitches, 57 strikes (63.3%) Home Runs: Carlos Santana (14) Top 3 WPA: Carlos Santana (.145), Mark Canha (.092), Brice Turang (.069) Bottom 3 WPA: Colin Rea (-.413), Joey Wiemer (-.122), Willy Adames (-.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rea Gets Rocked It didn’t take long for the Pirates to figure out Colin Rea. After recording the first two outs of the first inning, he walked Jack Suwinski, gave up a single to Henry Davis, and then yielded an opposite-field home run to Alfonso Rivas. Rea would concede another single, stolen base, and walk before finally getting Alika Williams to line out and end the inning. After spending 35 pitches to get through the first inning, Rea’s struggles continued in the second, as he gave up a walk to Vinny Capra, a double to Bryan Reynolds, and another home run to Henry Davis, bringing the Pirates' run total to six by the time he had recorded that many outs against them. While Rea was able to pitch the third and fourth innings without further damage, the Brewers went to the bullpen from the fifth inning forward, after Rea’s pitch total hit 90 with a clear dip in quality from his usual stuff. New Guys Finally Show Up Both Mark Canha and Carlos Santana finally showed fans what they were capable of, performing well in their own ways. Mark Canha went 3-for-5 with an RBI. His projected value was through his on-base skills, and while he usually achieves that through walks, he did it with just the bat in this game. Carlos Santana was supposed to add some pop to the lineup, and he did so, slamming a home run to right-center field to lead off the fifth inning. It was his first home run in front of his new fan base, and hopefully the first of many to come this season. He also had an RBI single in the first inning. Unfortunately, Sal Frelick was the only other Brewer to contribute to the scoring, as the team had eight hits in total but just one extra-base hit other than Santana’s home run, a double by Christian Yelich. Wilson Gives Up a Couple of Bombs Bryse Wilson was the first man to come out of the bullpen. After cruising through the fifth inning and allowing just one single, things quickly got out of hand in the sixth inning. To start things off, Josh Palacios hit a 386-foot no-doubter to right field. Bryan Reynolds followed things up by hitting another solo home run, a 388-foot rocket to the same spot. Wilson gave up another triple to Rivas, but ultimately finished his second relief inning without giving up more runs. In the chaos, Milwaukee bench coach Pat Murphy was also ejected for arguing about the strike zone. Abner Uribe and Hoby Milner pitched the final three innings of the game without conceding any additional baserunners, but were unable to compensate for the run deficit. What’s Next? In the third game of the series, the Brewers will start at the top of the rotation again, with Corbin Burnes taking the mound against lefty Bailey Falter. Luckily for the team, the Cubs and Reds both lost their games as well, so the Brewers maintain their narrow but very real division lead. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT B Wilson 14 0 21 0 39 74 Uribe 0 22 0 0 17 39 Williams 0 14 21 0 0 35 Peguero 20 0 8 0 0 28 Mejia 0 0 0 28 0 28 Milner 1 0 11 0 7 19 Payamps 0 7 11 0 0 18 Chafin 0 0 0 13 0 13 Tweet Highlight View full article

0.1% chance to make the playoffs? is it time to raise the jolly roger yet?

Sal Frelick heard that Brewers fans weren't too happy about the lack of powerful bats acquired at the trade deadline, so he took matters into his own hands in a blowout against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Image courtesy of Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 95 pitches, 62 strikes (65.3%) Home Runs: Brice Turang (5), Sal Frelick (2) Top 3 WPA: Sal Frelick (.207), Joey Wiemer (.115), Adrian Houser (.109) Bottom 3 WPA: William Contreras (-.069), Carlos Santana (-.046), Mark Canha (-.030) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Houser Bounces Back After his last two outings saw him concede nine earned runs in ten innings against the Atlanta Braves, Adrian Houser returned to form against the Pirates, putting up a quality start. While the Pittsburghs have a comparatively anemic offense, seeing him take care of business while conceding just one earned run was a positive sign. Things started off shaky, with Houser walking Alfonso Rivas and giving up a single to Bryan Reynolds. Two subsequent weak grounders would become outs, but they allowed Rivas to score Pittsburgh’s first run. Through the power of positive thinking and friendship, Houser kept the Pirates scoreless through the remainder of the start. Houser’s velocity on his fastball peaked at 94.0 mph and was still at 93.6 mph by the end of his start. His sinker and four-seam fastball were excellent, and he used the slider to moderate effectiveness, earning a few swinging strikes and a few foul balls. Frelick’s Five RBI In one of the best performances of his young major-league career, Sal Frelick went 2-for-3 with two walks and five RBI, piling on the Pittsburgh punishment. His first two RBI came by way of a double in the first inning, a power shot to left field. He also pummeled a three-run home run to the right field corner in the sixth inning, sending it 355 feet. While it wasn’t the hardest ball ever hit, the placement was key, as it would’ve been a home run in 26/30 ballparks. Other hitting highlights included Brice Turang hitting a 414-foot no-doubter to right field for his fifth long ball of the season, and Joey Wiemer extending his hitting streak to eight games. How’d The New Guys Do? Carlos Santana and Mark Canha combined to go 1-for-9 and didn’t add much value to this game. It’s still way too early to tell, but they’re both yet to have their first real Milwaukee Moment. Andrew Chafin also made his first relief appearance as a Brewer, and other than looking like he was 3D-printed by the front office to be the stereotypical Milwaukee man, struck out one and allowed no baserunners in the ninth inning. What’s Next? With this win and the Reds' Thursday loss, the Brewers reclaimed the top spot in the NL Central for what seems like the umpteenth time. Unfortunately, the Reds ceded ground to the Chicago Cubs, who have quickly become one of the hottest teams in baseball. They’re in third place, but just 2.5 games behind the Brewers. Colin Rea will face off against Quinn Priester in the second game of the four-game series. Hopefully, the Brewers will be able to take advantage of an easy schedule to create separation between themselves and the rest of the division. They’ll spend the next nine games facing the Pirates, Rockies, and White Sox. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Peguero 13 20 0 8 0 41 Williams 0 0 14 21 0 35 Payamps 17 0 7 11 0 35 B Wilson 0 14 0 21 0 35 Mejia 0 0 0 0 28 28 Milner 15 1 0 11 0 27 Uribe 0 0 22 0 0 22 Chafin 0 0 0 0 13 13 Tweet Highlight View full article

i heard there's this one guy who is really good at it. can't seem to remember his name though. oh yeah, it's zack greinke.

The long-awaited return of one of the team's best starters is right around the corner. Now that he’s preparing to wrap up his minor-league rehab assignment, when can we expect him back, and what can we expect him to do? Image courtesy of © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK Road to Recovery The Brewers have been patient with Woodruff’s rehabilitation process, especially since his injury was not a minor one. After throwing a few successful bullpen sessions at the beginning of June, he began his rehab assignment. His first appearance wasn’t until July 22 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in High A, and the original plan was to ease him back to the workload of a major league starter. This meant three to five rehab starts, with five days of rest in between. He was excellent in Wisconsin, making two starts for seven total innings and posting a 1.29 ERA. His velocity hovered around the 95-96 mph range, the same heat he had before the injury, an optimistic sign. Furthermore, he was able to safely get his pitch count to 52 in his final start with the Timber Rattlers. He made just one start at AAA with the Nashville Sounds, and started strong, but he saw some deterioration in pitch quality in the last two innings of his start. He was able to touch 97 mph with his fastball, but will likely need more time to refine his command and reestablish his stamina. Over 4 2/3 innings, he gave up three earned runs. While it hasn’t yet been solidified whether the Brewers are satisfied with this single showing at Triple A, chances are they would like to see one (or maybe two) more starts in the minor leagues to ensure that he has the necessary stamina to perform as a quality starter at the major-league level. What Should We Expect Upon His Return to the Rotation? In an ideal world, we should expect Brandon Woodruff to return to the major-league team as if nothing happened. He’d be the same workhorse, with an ERA around 3.00 and a dangerous follow-up to Corbin Burnes in the rotation. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for pitchers to return from long injury stints with a few pieces missing (remember when Noah Syndergaard was averaging 98.7 mph on his fastball instead of the 92.7 mph he’s averaging now?). As mentioned earlier, Woodruff’s velocity is definitely back to where it was before, but whether he’s able to maintain that velocity into the later innings of his starts may be called into question. His pitch arsenal may also change to better fit his recovery process. In the past, he depended primarily on his four-seam fastball and his sinker, but over the past few years he’s started to utilize the changeup and slider slightly more, leaning on the former as his main put-away pitch in 2022. If he sees decreased spin rates and a subsequent increase in hanging breaking balls, he may rely more heavily on pure velocity. Unfortunately for Woodruff, he doesn’t have a ton of time to get back to work. With just over 50 games left in the regular-season schedule and the Cincinnati Reds atop the NL Central by 0.5 games, Woodruff returning to form sooner rather than later could be the difference between a postseason spot and watching the playoffs from home. View full article