Jason Wang

The Brewers get to work early, striking first and finding victory in the first game of the series against the current NL Central leader. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers get to work early, striking first and finding victory in the first game of the series against the current NL Central leader. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 90 pitches, 50 strikes (55.6%) Home Runs: Joey Wiemer (12), Willy Adames (14) Top 3 WPA: Willy Adames (.172), Corbin Burnes (.114), Joey Wiemer (.102) Bottom 3 WPA: Tyson Miller (-.040), Blake Perkins (-.036), Christian Yelich (-.033) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Goes Scoreless (Almost) Corbin Burnes had a strong beginning to his start, cruising through the first time through the lineup in order. After a walk of TJ Friedl in the fourth inning, a forceout, pickoff, and strikeout kept his dominant pitching performance going. The fifth inning is when things started to come apart at the seams. After giving up a single and a stolen base to Elly De La Cruz, Joey Votto blasted a home run to right center field to give the Reds their first two runs of the game. Burnes followed up by conceding two more walks before finally getting out of the inning with a flyout and a groundout. In his final inning of work, he’d give up a single and yet another walk but escape unscathed. On the bright side, his cutter was back to usual nasty form, topping out at 96.3 mph. Bullpen Keeps It Up Hoby Milner had another standout performance, striking out four batters in 1.2 innings without giving up a single hit or walk. Tyson Miller wasn’t as lucky, giving up two walks and a double to Joey Votto to assign himself an earned run before allowing Devin Williams to step in for the save, his 19th of the season. In his defense, it was Miller’s first major league relief appearance since June 14th where he gave up just one walk in 1.0 inning against the Twins. While his ERA is a somewhat subpar 5.79 over 9.1 innings, it’s important to know that ERA can often be skewed for relievers, especially those with a small sample size of innings pitched. His WHIP of 1.286 is slightly closer to the acceptable range. Brewers Have A Field Day The offense was cooking as Milwaukee scored in four separate innings, finally proving that they can indeed hit lefty pitching after all. Three consecutive doubles by William Contreras, Willy Adames, and Owen Miller scored the first two runs for the Brewers in dominant fashion and put Reds starter Andrew Abbott on high alert. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Joey Wiemer hit a 2-RBI home run in the second inning to give the Brewers an imposing 4-0 lead very early in the game. His 397-foot bomb to left center field brought Milwaukee’s win probability to an optimistic 87.2% After Votto’s 2-RBI home run to bring the score to 4-2, the Brewers responded with a 2-RBI home run of their own, courtesy of Willy Adames. His 378-foot moonshot to left field essentially sealed the deal, bringing the win probability to 93.3%. Last but not least, Victor Caratini continued his late-inning RBI streak by hitting a single in the seventh inning to score Blake Perkins who had gotten on base after a walk. What’s Next? Colin Rea will take the ball against righty Luke Weaver to try and keep the momentum going. With a dominant home win to start the series, who’s to say the Brewers aren’t able to carry this positive tempo through the rest of the season? Milwaukee is currently a single game behind the Reds and 6.0 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Milner 0 19 20 0 23 62 Williams 19 0 25 0 15 59 Payamps 16 0 14 14 0 44 B Wilson 0 31 0 10 0 41 Peguero 0 12 0 16 0 28 Miller 0 0 0 0 22 22 Mejia 0 0 4 17 0 21 Tweet Highlight View full article

After going blow-for-blow, Victor Caratini decides enough is enough and secures the win with a moonshot, ending the most exciting series of the season. After going blow-for-blow, Victor Caratini decides enough is enough and secures the win with a moonshot, ending the most exciting series of the season. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, 104 pitches, 64 strikes (61.5%) Home Runs: Christian Yelich (11), Victor Caratini (5) Top 3 WPA: Christian Yelich (.315), Victor Caratini (.299), Joel Payamps (.163) Bottom 3 WPA: J.C. Mejia (-.259), Brian Anderson (-.164), Brice Turang (-.073) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Peralta Battles For 10 Strikeouts Like most of his starts this season, Freddy Peralta gave up a few hits and a few earned runs on his way to double digit strikeouts. In all fairness, he gave up just one earned run in his first five innings, the result of back-to-back doubles by Christopher Morel and Cody Bellinger in the second inning. In the sixth inning, a walk by Seiya Suzuki paired with a Cody Bellinger home run and a pitch count over 100 signaled that it was time to make a call to the bullpen. Despite giving up some hard contact, Freddy Peralta’s performance was dazzling, flashing some phenomenal stuff and touching up to 98.7 mph with his four-seam fastball. Peralta is still performing worse than his career average, posting a 4.70 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP vs. his average figures of 3.98 and 1.16. Mejia Makes a Boo-Boo, Payamps Saves The Day A team effort from Bryse Wilson, Elvis Peguero, J.C. Mejia, and Joel Payamps combined to pitch the final 3.2 innings of the game following Peralta’s departure from the mound. While Wilson and Peguero were excellent, conceding no baserunners and striking out two of their three assigned batters, J.C. Mejia got himself into hot water. After getting a double play, he gave up a single to Cody Bellinger and a game-tying home run to Yan Gomes, a shot that brought the score to 5-5. Despite striking out Jared Young in the very next at-bat, the Cubs were right back in the game with a 41.8% chance to win the game. Luckily, Joel Payamps was lights out, giving up just a single to Trey Mancini before retiring the next three Cubs in order to close out the game. It’s Milwaukee’s Turn To Squeak Away With The Win After going scoreless for the first half, the Brewers finally started to find their swings in the fifth inning, putting up four runs. Following a single and a walk to put Raimel Tapia and Victor Caratini on first and second, Joey Wiemer’s single sent Tapia home to tie the game at 1-1. To continue the scoring fun and his own redemption arc as of late, Christian Yelich hit a three-run blast to left field, scoring three runs and giving us a glimpse of the old Yelich we all know and love. Yelich was in the spotlight again in the seventh inning, walking, stealing second base, advancing to third from a throwing error by catcher Yan Gomes, and finally coming home after a Willy Adames sacrifice fly. But it was Victor Caratini who would strike the final blow. After the Chicago Cubs tied it up in the eighth inning, he hit a clutch home run to right field, giving the Brewers a 6-5 lead they would maintain until the last pitch. What’s Next? Continuing their tour of divisional rivals, the Brewers will host the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a crucial six-game set composed of two, three-game series. Corbin Burnes will face Andrew Abbott, a lights-out leftie with a 1.21 ERA over 37.1 innings pitched. And no, the Brewers still have not improved their hitting against lefty pitching and are still the worst in MLB (.661 OPS). This series will definitely cause some movement within the division as the Brewers are currently 2.0 games behind Cincinnati and 6.0 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Williams 9 19 0 25 0 53 Peguero 20 0 12 0 16 48 Payamps 0 16 0 14 14 44 B Wilson 0 0 31 0 10 41 Milner 1 0 19 20 0 40 Mejia 0 0 0 4 17 21 Miller 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

In a rare blown save, Devin Williams failed to secure the last out needed to claim victory. A couple of well-placed hits and a couple of insufficient plays by the Brewers defense allowed the Cubs to squeak by with a narrow 4-3 victory. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports In a rare blown save, Devin Williams failed to secure the last out needed to claim victory. A couple of well-placed hits and a couple of insufficient plays by the Brewers defense allowed the Cubs to squeak by with a narrow 4-3 victory. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 104 pitches, 60 strikes (57.7%) Home Runs: Willy Adames (13) Top 3 WPA: Adrian Houser (.160), Hoby Milner (.132), Brian Anderson (.116) Bottom 3 WPA: Devin Williams (-.725), Joey Wiemer (-.104), Brice Turang (-.089) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Houser Leaves It All On The Field Adrian Houser was able to limit the tepid Cubs lineup to just one run in his five-inning start. It wasn’t easy, requiring over 100 pitches from him after giving up six total hits, but he was able to escape inning after inning. His only earned run came in the third frame, after he hit Mike Tauchman with a pitch. Tauchman advanced to second following a failed pickoff attempt and two more singles from Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ brought him home, to give Chicago the first run of the game. With two runners on, Houser got a crucial double play out of Dansby Swanson to escape the inning. The fifth inning started to seem like more trouble, with two walks and a single loading the bases with just one out. Once again, a handy-dandy Swanson double play ended the inning and Houser’s day. Houser currently has a 3.68 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP over 51 1/3 innings pitched. While his ERA is serviceable for a starter, a 1.54 WHIP is quite high, boosted by starts like today. Bats Slow Down, But Do Enough Milwaukee’s offense wasn’t as explosive in Wednesday’s game as the rest of the series, but it was enough to take a lead in the sixth inning. The Brewers tied the game in the third, following a single by Andruw Monasterio. He advanced to second on a groundout by Christian Yelich and scored on a William Contreras single to right field. The go-ahead run came in the form of a monstrous leadoff home run by Willy Adames, a 390-foot bomb to left center field that put the Brewers up 2-1. After a single and a stolen base by Jahmai Jones, Brian Anderson’s dad-powered RBI single made the score 3-1 heading into the seventh inning. Disaster Strikes Devin After three scoreless relief innings by Hoby Milner, J.C. Mejia, and Joel Payamps, Devin Williams stepped in to close out the game. Tasked with preserving a 3-1 lead, it seemed like just another day in the office for Williams, who had blown just one save all season. After two singles and two outs, Williams needed just one more out to seal the deal and walk away with yet another victory. Unfortunately, a Tauchman double scored Cody Bellinger and Jared Young to the game at 3-3, a catastrophic outcome. To make matters worse, Nico Hoerner hit a ground ball to Anderson, who made a throwing error to allow Tauchman to score the go-ahead run. While Hoerner was the third out at second base after trying to stretch his luck, it was too late for Milwaukee. The Brewers were retired in order in the ninth inning, fully blowing the small but very real lead they had at the start of the inning. What’s Next? Freddy Peralta will duel Marcus Stroman in the fourth and final game of the series. Currently down 1-2, the Brewers will hope to tie it up and prevent the Cubs from inching closer to their spot in the NL Central. This series has been extremely competitive and the final game of the set should be no different. Milwaukee is now 2.0 games behind the Cincinnati Reds and 5.0 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Williams 0 9 19 0 25 53 Payamps 13 0 16 0 14 43 B Wilson 11 0 0 31 0 42 Milner 0 1 0 19 20 40 Peguero 0 20 0 12 0 32 Mejia 0 0 0 0 4 4 Miller 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers come alive in the late innings to overcome a 6-2 deficit heading into the bottom of the 8th inning before losing by one run in the 11th. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers come alive in the late innings to overcome a 6-2 deficit heading into the bottom of the 8th inning before losing by one run in the 11th. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 87 pitches, 59 strikes (67.8%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Raimel Tapia (.254), Willy Adames (.204), Jesse Winker (.159) Bottom 3 WPA: Owen Miller (-.364), Clayton Andrews (-.299), Brice Turang (-.294) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Wade Wobbles Through Start While Miley’s start wasn’t necessarily horrible, his four earned runs gave the Cubs important early momentum to carry until the last two innings. After a smooth first inning, he gave up a triple to Seiya Suzuki and a double to Yan Gomes to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead. He also conceded a home run to Dansby Swanson to lead off the third inning but pitched a scoreless fourth. In his final inning, a single by Ian Happ and double by Christopher Morel led to two more Chicago runs after a sacrifice fly by Trey Mancini and a single by Cody Bellinger. In Miley’s defense, the Chicago Cubs are one of the best teams in baseball at hitting lefties, posting a team OPS of .768, 8th in MLB. He’s still posting great percentile figures for a soft contact pitcher, including a 78th percentile average exit velocity, 84th percentile HardHit%, and a 81st percentile walk rate. Brewers Spread ‘Em Out Rather than depending on a few breakout innings as per usual, the Brewers scored in four different innings. The first run came in the fifth inning after a single and stolen base from Owen Miller placed him on second with one out. After a Blake Perkins ground out advanced him to third base, he was waved in off of a single by Brice Turang. In the sixth inning, Yelich followed suit to score Milwaukee’s second run, hitting a single and stealing second base, coming home after a William Contreras single. The Cubs looked like they were going to cruise through the eighth inning, hitting Joey Wiemer with a pitch before recording two quick outs. Unfortunately for them, Contreras and Rowdy Tellez hit back-to-back singles to score Wiemer and a double from Willy Adames scored Contreras, bringing the score to 6-4. The ninth inning was as dramatic as it gets. Down by two runs, Raimel Tapia and Brice Turang hit back-to-back singles before a Yelich single scored Tapia and Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A Contreras sacrifice fly would tie the game before Tellez would strike out, slamming his bat in frustration for not sealing the deal. Bullpens Duel In Extras Following Miley’s start, Bryse Wilson would relieve 2.1 innings, giving up just one hit and one earned run. Hoby Milner would finish the remainder of the eighth inning, giving up two hits and an earned run of his own. In a clutch situation, J.B. Bukauskas and Elvis Peguero pitched the ninth and tenth innings, giving up no hits and keeping the game winnable. Bukauskas especially had a great outing, striking out two of his three assigned batters. Unfortunately, Clayton Andrews couldn’t keep the boat afloat, conceding a lone single to Nico Hoerner to score the extra-innings runner, giving the Cubs the lead at an eventual final score of 7-6. What’s Next? Adrian Houser will take the ball against left-handed breakout phenomenon Justin Steele in the third game of what’s been an immensely competitive series thus far. While the Cubs are great at hitting against lefties, their hitting against righties is slightly less impressive, posting a team OPS of .710, 18th in MLB. Meanwhile, the Brewers remain the worst team against lefty pitching, posting a dismal .656 OPS. The Brewers are currently 1.0 games behind the Cincinnati Reds and 6.0 games ahead of both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Andrews 0 30 0 0 13 43 B Wilson 0 11 0 0 31 42 Peguero 0 0 20 0 12 32 Payamps 0 13 0 16 0 29 Williams 0 0 9 19 0 28 Bukauskas 0 0 0 11 10 21 Milner 0 0 1 0 19 20 Tweet Highlight View full article

Kinda bad luck. They're 7-12 in one-run games and rarely get blown out. They have a positive run differential of +22 (Milwaukee's is -14) mostly from losing a bunch of close games and winning a bunch by a wide margin.

In one of the best comebacks of the season, the Brewers get through an early 6-0 deficit to get an important win at home. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports In one of the best comebacks of the season, the Brewers get through an early 6-0 deficit to get an important win at home. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Julio Teheran - 6.0 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 93 pitches, 65 strikes (69.9%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Jahmai Jones (.396), Christian Yelich (.318), Joel Payamps (.107) Bottom 3 WPA: Julio Teheran(-.257), Brice Turang (-.198), Owen Miller (-.057) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Teheran Recovers From Early Struggles In his second rough start in a row, Julio Teheran gave up six earned runs across the second and third inning. He had a great start, giving up just one baserunner in the first inning off of an error by Owen Miller, but quickly started to spiral. To start things off in the second, Dansby Swanson hit a leadoff double before being scored by a Cody Bellinger single. Christopher Morel hit an RBI-double to bring the Cubs lead to 2-0 before Tucker Barnhart’s RBI single brought Morel home as the third run. The third inning seemed like Teheran was starting to settle in, recording two outs with just Dansby Swanson on first. After Christopher Morel’s single to put runners on the corner, it kicked off an episode of deja vu. Nick Madrigal’s 2-RBI double put the score at 5-0, before he came home off of a Tucker Barnhart single. While it ultimately had no impact on the game, Teheran balked Barnhart to scoring position before finally getting Mike Tauchman to ground out. On the bright side, he was able to pitch the second half of his start without giving up another earned run, an impressive feat given the punishment he received in the first half of the game. After conceding 13 runs in his past 11.2 innings pitched, Teheran’s season numbers have finally regressed to his career averages. His current ERA and WHIP of 3.64 and 1.02 seem to be more sustainable than his outstanding numbers earlier in the year. Jahmai Jones - Remember The Name By the bottom of the third inning, the Brewers were already facing a grim 6-0 deficit. With just a 6.1% chance to win the game, the team began one of the most exciting comebacks of the season. Who powered this comeback? It was Brian Anderson’s paternity leave replacement, Jahmai Jones. With his last major league appearance in 2021, most were not expecting him to break out the way he did today. The comeback started with a Brice Turang walk, followed by an RBI double by William Contreras and an RBI triple by Christian Yelich (who is looking like Yelich of Yesteryear, by the way). With the score at 6-2, Willy Adames scored Yelich with a single of his own before two more strikeouts by Owen MIller and Blake Perkins to close the inning. The seventh inning seemed like it would be quick, with Christian Yelich hitting a single in between two outs. Owen Miller and Raimel Tapia kept things going with two back-to-back walks to load the bases before a massive Jahmai Jones double cleared the bases to tie the game at 6-6. The bases were loaded again following a walk of Joey Wiemer and Victor Caratini being hit by a pitch, but a Brice Turang strikeout kept the game even. The eighth inning is where the Brew Crew finally began to take over. After two back-to-back singles by William Contreras and Christian Yelich, Yelich stole second base. The go-ahead single by Willy Adames was insured by a Rowdy Tellez sacrifice fly. Coupled with the shutout performance by the bullpen, Milwaukee kept the score at 8-6. Bukauskas Makes Strong Brewers Debut, Bullpen Continues to Impress In his first relief appearance for Milwaukee and just his second inning pitched all season, J.P. Bukauskas gave up just two baserunners. Bukauskas used his slider and sinker to induce weak contact, getting an important double play to compensate for a leadoff hit by pitch. Joel Payamps retired his three batters in order in the eighth inning, a crucial outing for what was at the time, a very close game. In his 18th save of the season, Devin Williams got two groundouts while giving up a double to Nico Hoerner and a walk to Ian Happ. Facing a dangerous hitter in Dansby Swanson in a clutch situation, Williams caught him looking with a perfectly painted four-seam fastball to finalize the amazing comeback. What’s Next? In the second game of the series, Wade Miley will face off against Kyle Hendricks, a dangerous right-handed opponent on the mound. The Brewers are riding some decent momentum, hitting at a team average of .754 over the past seven days, 13th best in MLB. In comparison, the Chicago Cubs are batting just .657 over the same period, 25th best in MLB. With this victory, the Brewers have officially reclaimed the top spot in the NL Central, 0.5 games ahead of the Reds and 6.0 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Williams 26 0 0 9 19 54 Payamps 18 0 13 0 16 47 Andrews 0 0 30 0 0 30 Peguero 3 0 0 20 0 23 Milner 15 0 0 1 0 16 B Wilson 0 0 11 0 0 11 Bukauskas 0 0 0 0 11 11 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers found their sea legs on a treacherous annual voyage to Pittsburgh, avoiding a tragic deja vu situation to maintain the lead, even after a six-run eighth inning by the Pirates. The Brewers found their sea legs on a treacherous annual voyage to Pittsburgh, avoiding a tragic deja vu situation to maintain the lead, even after a six-run eighth inning by the Pirates. Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 7.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 99 pitches, 65 strikes (65.7%) Home Runs: Christian Yelich (10), Raimel Tapia (3) Top 3 WPA: Christian Yelich (.192), Corbin Burnes (.131), Willy Adames (.087) Bottom 3 WPA: Victor Caratini (-.032), Bryse Wilson (-.025), Jesse Winker (-.020) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Burns The Bucs In a strong bounce-back performance following two disappointing starts against the Guardians and Diamondbacks, Corbin Burnes tossed five perfect innings before starting to come apart in the sixth. After walking Jared Triolo and Ji Hwan Bae, he hit Andrew McCutchen with a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Jack Suwinski hit a two-run single to end the shutout, but Burnes quickly got a groundout from Carlos Santana to avoid further trouble. He retired his last three Pirates in order in the seventh inning before departing the mound for good, turning back the clock to his former self. It’s clear the stuff is still there, and he hasn’t fully regressed as an ace, but I’m sure fans would love to see these types of outings more consistently. His ERA and WHIP stand at 4.00 and 1.13, quite a bit worse than his career averages of 3.34 and 1.06. Andrews Struggles In Big League Debut After seven innings of two-run baseball from Burnes, Clayton Andrews was brought in for relief. A recent callup from the Nashville Sounds, he and J.B. Bukauskas will be taking over for Matt Bush and Thomas Pannone, who were both designated for assignment. Unfortunately for Andrews, his first major-league appearance was not the most encouraging display of his skillset. Let’s see how he managed to give up five runs while recording just two outs. Ji Hwan Bae grounds out. Jason Delay hits a double. Josh Palacios hit a single to score Delay. The score is 11-3 in favor of Milwaukee. Andrew McCutchen grounds out, moving Palacios to second base. Jack Suwinski hits a home run, scoring himself and Palacios. The score is 11-5. Connor Joe walks Henry Davis hits a single. Joe advances to third. Bryse Wilson replaces Andrews Tucupita Marcano hits a triple, scoring Joe and Davis, serving as Andrews’s fourth and fifth earned runs. Andrews has been great in Triple A this season, posting a 1.65 ERA over 32 2/3 innings. After taking some time to adjust to major-league hitting, (hopefully) he'll find his spots a little better and avoid future outings like this. Brewers Are Heating Up Like A Microwave Oven Like I wrote about yesterday, the Brewers chose to do most of their scoring in two innings instead of spreading it across the board more evenly. After a sacrifice fly by Rowdy Tellez in the first inning, the second inning quickly got out of hand for Pittsburgh. Brian Anderson hit a single and then advanced to third on a Brice Turang single. After a Blake Perkins groundball, Turang was forced out at second while Anderson safely scored Milwaukee’s second run of the game and Perkins made it to first base. After a Raimel Tapia walk, Christian Yelich hit a crucial home run to right field to bring all three Brewers home, putting the Brewers up 5-0. A Jesse Winker walk and a Willy Adames double became the sixth run, after a Tellez groundout. But Wait, There’s More! The sixth inning was more of the same, starting off with back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with zero outs. Jesse Winker’s double cleared the bases, giving the Brewers an incredible nine-run lead. Wanting to express his love for round numbers, Victor Caratini hit an RBI single of his own to set the score at an even 10-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Last but not least, Raimel Tapia hit a solo home run to drive in the 11th and final run of the game for Milwaukee. This outburst of offense was crucial to saving the game, as even Pittsburgh’s six-run eighth inning was all in vain, with the Brewers maintaining a three-run lead throughout the duration of the ninth. What’s Next? Colin Rea will face current oldest-player-in-the-major-leagues Rich Hill in the deciding game of the series. Both games have been somewhat close, with Pittsburgh refusing to quit in the later innings, but the Brewers have demonstrated excellent resilience and have finally figured out how to put bat to ball. Milwaukee and Cincinnati are currently tied with records of 44-39, 4.5 games ahead of the Pirates and the Cubs, who are tied for second place in the division. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Payamps 0 17 18 0 13 48 B Wilson 14 21 0 0 11 46 Williams 0 13 26 0 0 39 Andrews 0 0 0 0 30 30 Milner 0 5 15 0 0 20 Peguero 0 9 3 0 0 12 Bukauskas 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

Good question. I think we're still a bit away from this but when he does return, I imagine dropping Rea from the rotation as he is currently the weakest starter, but who knows for sure?

How did the Brewers lose in such heartbreaking fashion following a strong offensive display? Let's just say that one guy had a WPA of -.909 and there might be some bullpen changes moving forward. Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports How did the Brewers lose in such heartbreaking fashion following a strong offensive display? Let's just say that one guy had a WPA of -.909 and there might be some bullpen changes moving forward. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 108 pitches, 64 strikes (59.3%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Christian Yelich (.145), Owen Miller (.083), Raimel Tapia (.065) Bottom 3 WPA: Matt Bush (-.909), Blake Perkins (-.079), Brian Anderson (-.061) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Peralta Pitches Acceptably It feels like every Freddy Peralta start these days can be described as “meeting expectations.” It’s never anything extraordinary and the good aspects usually come with some asterisks. While he struck out eight Pirates and was pumping gas like a Shell employee in New Jersey, he gave up three earned runs and required almost 110 pitches to get through a little over five innings. While it’d take its own article to diagnose his current shortcomings, a few key things to highlight can be found on his Baseball Savant page. Simply put, he’s giving up a lot of hard hits, walks, and not getting guys to chase pitches. He’s great in the zone, but hasn’t been so great outside of it this season. While his recent 50 PAs have seen his xwOBA trend in the right direction, it's still trying to correct for a steady upward trend over the course of the season. He’s currently working with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP over 86.2 innings pitched. Big Third, Big Seventh Like Peralta’s satisfactory starts, another trend for the Brewers this season has been how concentrated their offense is. Rather than putting up one or two runs across several innings, they typically ride the momentum from good leadoff hitting and score all their runs at once. The third inning started with a hit by pitch by Joey Wiemer and a single by Raimel Tapia. A double by Christian Yelich (who has been hitting fantastically as of late) scored Wiemer and put Tapia at third. William Contreras would make it to first base after the Pirates failed to make a play at the plate, watching as Tapia slid across home to score the Brewers’ second run. A Rowdy Tellez single would score Yelich and move Contreras to third followed by a sacrifice fly to score Contreras, bringing the score to 4-0 in favor of Milwaukee by the end of the inning. The seventh inning was a similar story, starting with a fielding error and a hit by pitch to put Christian Yelich and William Contreras on base. After Brian Anderson popped out and Willy Adames struck out, Owen Miller hit an RBI double to score Yelich. Brice Turang hit a double of his own to score Conteras and Miller, giving the Brewers a comfortable 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. Surely a winnable game, right? The Ninth…We Don’t Talk About The Ninth Before the Greek tragedy that was the final inning of this game, Thomas Pannone made his season debut, pitching 2.2 innings and giving up two earned runs while striking out four. While not the most inspiring outing, he posted a 2.70 ERA over 53.1 innings while primarily pitching as a starter in AAA this season, so we’ve yet to see if he’s truly an improvement over Peter Strzelecki. As we headed into the bottom of the ninth, the score was 7-5 in favor of the Brewers and Milwaukee had a 90.9% chance to seal the deal. In stepped Matt Bush to record the final three outs. Ji Hwan Bae hit a single followed by a groundout by Josh Palacios. As the tying runner, Andrew McCutchen hit a clutch double to score Bae and bring the score to 7-6. Henry Davis grounded out, and with the tying run in scoring position and two outs on the board, Carlos Santana hit a crushing home run to right field, walking off the Brewers while wearing some of the worst City Connect uniforms the league has ever seen. Matt Bush currently has a 9.58 ERA and three blown saves. In his current state, he will likely be moved from the team either by being traded designated for assignment. What’s Next? Corbin Burnes will face Johan Oviedo in a chance at redemption. While the Pirates will undoubtedly be riding the momentum of the home crowd following an impressive walk-off victory, the Brewers have shown that their offense has made the necessary adjustments to succeed against Pittsburgh’s pitching staff. The Brewers now trail the Cincinnati Reds by a full game and lead the Pirates by 3.5 games. The Cubs are only 4.0 games behind the Brewers and the Cardinals are still trying to relearn the sport of baseball, lagging behind Milwaukee by 9.0 games. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Pannone 0 0 0 0 59 59 Williams 6 0 13 26 0 45 Payamps 0 0 17 18 0 35 Milner 15 0 5 15 0 35 B Wilson 0 14 21 0 0 35 Peguero 6 0 9 3 0 18 Bush 0 0 0 0 11 11 Tweet Highlight View full article

After being tied heading into the second half of the game, some timely hitting and lights-out pitching by the bullpen gave Milwaukee the win in the third game of their series in Queens. The Mets came unraveled in the eighth, and they might never ravel back up. Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports After being tied heading into the second half of the game, some timely hitting and lights-out pitching by the bullpen gave Milwaukee the win in the third game of their series in Queens. The Mets came unraveled in the eighth, and they might never ravel back up. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 74 pitches, 40 strikes (54.1%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Christian Yelich (.194), Jesse Winker (.184), Blake Perkins (.122) Bottom 3 WPA: Brian Anderson (-.125), Rowdy Tellez (-.110), William Contreras (-.065) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Miley Works In And Out Of Trouble Wade Miley had some mixed results in his start, giving up two earned runs and having quite the tense fourth inning. After retiring the first four batters in a row, he gave up a solo home run to Tommy Pham in the second inning to bring the score to 2-1. After retiring the Mets in order in the third inning, Miley opened the fourth with a walk of Francisco Lindor, a single by Pete Alonso, and a walk by Pham to load the bases with no outs. After a Francisco Alvarez walk to tie the game at 2-2, Miley knew he had to lock it in. He struck out Brett Baty and got Mark Canha to ground into a double play, limiting the damage to just one run and leaving the mound in triumph. After a brutal 28-pitch workload for just one inning, the decision was made to replace Miley with Bryse Wilson; the bullpen would take us through the remainder of the contest. This was Miley's third start following his return from the injured list, so it makes sense that the team would be more conservative than not for the sake of longevity. One funny moment of the game that was caught on the broadcast was this friendly umpire call that was received quite poorly by Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Relievers Roll Through Mets Lineup Five relievers were used to finish the final five innings of the game: Wilson, Hoby MIlner, Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps, and Devin Williams. Between the five of them, they’d give up four hits, zero walks, and strike out five batters. Not only were they unhittable, they were ruthlessly efficient. Peguero and Williams each recorded their three outs in fewer than 15 pitches. Williams recorded his 15th save of the season, and continues to dominate on the mound, posting a 1.63 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Did I mention his airbender is still one of the hardest pitches to hit in baseball? It currently boasts an opponent batting average of .140 and a Whiff% of 41.1, mostly due to its incomprehensible movement. Attention - The Brewers Are Finally Hitting In The Second Half While their offense is still one of the worst in baseball (.675 team OPS, 27th in MLB), they still found a way to win. Milwaukee put up two runs early, thanks to a double by Christian Yelich, a walk by Willy Adames, and a double by Jesse Winker to send them both home. After the Mets tied the game, the Brewers pulled ahead once again in the sixth inning following a leadoff double by Owen Miller and an RBI single by Blake Perkins. To add some insurance, they piled on more offense in the eighth inning with a double by Brian Anderson, a walk by Blake Perkins, a (highly controversial) hit by pitch by Joey Wiemer, and a two-run single by Christian Yelich to lift the score to 5-2. Despite their record and current divisional position, make no mistake: the Brewers have many weaknesses as a team. They are currently 23rd in MLB for run differential (-25) and are 26th in MLB for runs scored (321). While the pitching has gotten better and important roster moves (such as optioning Peter Strzelecki and calling up Thomas Pannone) will hopefully continue that trend, the offense must follow suit in order for the team to stay competitive. What’s Next? In the final game of the series, Adrian Houser will make his first start since June 9th against Max Scherzer, a truly exciting matchup on the mound. While Houser is looking to return to his regular spot in the Brewers rotation, Max Scherzer is looking to return to his regular form, as he's posted uncharacteristically shaky stats this season. With both teams victorious, the Brewers remain 0.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds but are now 4.0 games ahead of the third-place Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Payamps 0 26 0 0 17 43 Milner 14 3 15 0 5 37 Peguero 3 19 6 0 9 37 Williams 0 16 6 0 13 35 B Wilson 0 0 0 14 21 35 Bush 19 0 0 0 0 19 Pannone 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Mets hit four home runs against starting pitcher Julio Teheran Tuesday night, on their way to a comfortable victory in the second game of the series. Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports The Mets hit four home runs against starting pitcher Julio Teheran Tuesday night, on their way to a comfortable victory in the second game of the series. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Julio Teheran - 5.2 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 87 pitches, 59 strikes (67.8%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Willy Adames (.094), Christian Yelich (.018), Rowdy Tellez (.002) Bottom 3 WPA: Julio Teheran (-.211), Luis Urias (-.158), Blake Perkins (-.083) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Julio Gets Rocked For The First Time As A Brewer Julio Teheran has been rock-solid for Milwaukee all season, until this game. His first three innings were flawless, as he retired the first nine batters in a row, but the cracks started to show in the fourth inning. Brandon Nimmo started things off with a leadoff home run to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Francisco Lindor would follow up with a home run of his own, bringing the Mets lead to 2-0. Teheran also gave up a single to Jeff McNeil and moved him to second on a balk, but got Tommy Pham to lineout to complete the inning. The fifth inning was more trouble for Teheran, as Brandon Nimmo hit another home run, scoring himself and Daniel Vogelbach to bring the score to 4-0. To pile on the punishment in the sixth inning, Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch before stealing second base, eventually being sent home on a Tommy Pham double. After a Daniel Vogelbach home run to officially credit Teheran with seven earned runs, he was replaced by Peter Strzelecki. As someone who prefers to pitch to contact, Teheran was due for a slight regression. With that approach, even a small mistake results in great contact for the opposing team. Despite his tough night, his season stats still stand at an impressive 2.85 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Bullpen Does Its Best After a starter gives up seven runs, there’s only so much a few relievers can do. Strzelecki and Bryse Wilson did their best, giving up no earned runs in their combined 2 1/3 innings of work. While Strzelecki gave up hits to Starling Marte and Lindor, Wilson would be perfect, retiring his three assigned batters in order. Late Rally Falls Short After going scoreless for the first seven innings of the game, the Brewers finally got some offense going in the eighth, loading the bases after a single by William Contreras and two walks by Christian Yelich and Rowdy Tellez. Brian Anderson’s 2-RBI hit put Milwaukee’s first few runs on the board, but Joey Wiemer grounded out to halt the momentum. The Brewers continue to struggle against lefties, posting an MLB-worst .646 aggregate OPS against them. The worst offenders? Rowdy Tellez - .532 OPS, 40 PA Brian Anderson - .543 OPS, 68 PA Willy Adames - .565 OPS, 79 PA Christian Yelich - .599 OPS, 82 PA What’s Next? With the series now tied, Wade Miley will face Kodai Senga in the third game of the series. Both pitchers have been exceptional to watch this season, with Miley posting a 2.91 ERA over 52 2/3 innings pitched and Senga posting a 3.52 ERA over 76 2/3. We’ll see how the Brewers deal with Senga’s patented “ghost fork,” a pitch that boasts a frightening .093 xBA and 58.4 Whiff%. The Cincinnati Reds continue to battle for first place, as they overtake the Brewers again for the NL Central lead, maintaining a 0.5 game lead while the Cubs remain 3.0 games behind Milwaukee. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Strzelecki 20 22 0 0 31 73 Milner 0 14 3 15 0 32 Peguero 0 3 19 6 0 28 Bush 9 19 0 0 0 28 Payamps 0 0 26 0 0 26 Williams 0 0 16 6 0 22 Houser 19 0 0 0 0 19 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 14 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

He's been brutal in the majors so far, posting an 8.08 ERA over 39.0 innings pitched. He's been optioned since May but HOPEFULLY this is a chance for the team to score some runs off of a relatively green pitcher.

The Brewers struck down the Mets in the first game of a series in Queens, thanks to one mighty jolt by your favorite mullet-wearing rookie. Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers struck down the Mets in the first game of a series in Queens, thanks to one mighty jolt by your favorite mullet-wearing rookie. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 86 pitches, 59 strikes (68.6%) Home Runs: Joey Wiemer (11) Top 3 WPA: Joey Wiemer (.299), Colin Rea (.220), Devin Williams (.178) Bottom 3 WPA: Owen Miller (-.166), Willy Adames (-.103), Jesse Winker (-.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rea Stretches Out And Reaches For Six And A Third In one of his longest starts this season, Rea went past six innings while giving up just one earned run, one of his best performances for the Brewers. He’s averaging right around 5 1/3 innings in his 13 starts this season, but after making quick work of the Mets early, he was able to find a few more outs. His one earned run came by way of a Starling Marte single, followed by a stolen base and a throwing error by William Contreras that allowed Marte to move to third, eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly by Francisco Lindor. Overall, incredible stuff by Rea, as his pitching was an integral part of holding the Mets to just three hits and one run all game. His veteran craftiness and use of six different pitches kept the Mets dazed and confused enough for the Brewers to steal away the victory. He currently holds a 4.57 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 69 innings pitched this season, just barely under his career averages of 4.80 and 1.32. Bullpen Turns Off The Lights In Queens It was another dazzling performance by one of the hottest bullpens in baseball. Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero, and Devin Williams combined for a perfect 2 2/3 innings pitched, striking out two along the way. Despite their best efforts, the Mets simply could not make good contact and found themselves grounding and lining out five times. Williams was able to record his 14th save of the season, currently fifth in the National League. The bullpen currently has five relievers with ERA below 3.00: Devin Williams - 1.69 Joel Payamps - 2.29 Hoby Milner - 2.61 Bryse Wilson - 2.75 Elvis Peguero - 2.86 Wiemer Takes The Lead And Keeps It The Brewers only scored in one inning, but it was enough. In the sixth inning, Drew Smith replaced Justin Verlander on the mound and gave up a single to Jesse Winker before recording two outs. Powered by whatever performance-enhancing substance is in that hair of his, Joey Wiemer hit yet another clutch home run, sending Winker and himself to home plate with a missile to center field. The ball had an exit velocity of 108.4 mph and traveled 422 feet, nearly enough for it to land in the East River. That was, ultimately, the nail in the coffin for the home team, as the Brewers' incredible relief pitching made up for the lack of late offense as the team would maintain their precious 2-1 lead until the very last out. What’s Next? Julio Teheran will seek to replicate Rea’s stellar outing as a fellow come-out-of-nowhere star, taking the mound against lefty David Peterson in the second game of the series. With today’s crucial win and recent momentum, the Brewers have reclaimed the lead in the NL Central, with half a game separating them and the second-place Cincinnati Reds and three games separating them from the third-place Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Strzelecki 0 20 22 0 0 42 Milner 0 0 14 3 15 32 Peguero 0 0 3 19 6 28 Bush 0 9 19 0 0 28 Payamps 0 0 0 26 0 26 Williams 0 0 0 16 6 22 Houser 0 19 0 0 0 19 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

Owen Miller and Elvis Peguero stepped up in the 10th inning to give the Brewers the victory, in a very competitive final game of the Crew's weekend series in Cleveland. Image courtesy of © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Owen Miller and Elvis Peguero stepped up in the 10th inning to give the Brewers the victory, in a very competitive final game of the Crew's weekend series in Cleveland. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 99 pitches, 66 strikes (66.7%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Owen Miller (.314), Christian Yelich (.211), Elvis Peguero (.195) Bottom 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (-.273), Brian Anderson (-.154), Willy Adames (-.136) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Burns Out In The Sixth Corbin Burnes was having a fine outing, giving up just one run in his first five innings of work. In the sixth inning, however, cracks began to show. After a leadoff walk by Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez hit a triple to right field, allowing Ramirez to score Cleveland’s second run of the game. Burnes would then walk Tyler Freeman and throw a wild pitch, allowing Gimenez to come home and Freeman to advance to third. Next, he gave up an RBI single to Will Brennan, tying the game at 4-4. After a pop out by Gabriel Arias, he conceded yet another single to Bo Naylor, finally showing enough to prompt Craig Counsell to remove him from the game. There were some flashes of the old Burnes, but overall, it was not the best outing from the team's ace. His ERA and WHIP for the season stand at 4.10 and 1.19, respectively, over 94 innings pitched. What A Relief! Despite a shaky start, the bullpen stepped up in the best way possible. Hoby Milner stepped in to face Steven Kwan and record the final out of the sixth inning, getting him to ground out. Joel Payamps would pitch in the seventh and eighth innings, giving up two hits and zero earned runs, and Devin Williams would pitch in the ninth, allowing no base runners and taking the game into extras. With the game on the line, Elvis Peguero took the mound in the 10th, striking out two and giving up zero baserunners to close out the game after the Brewers took a 5-4 lead in the top of the frame. Big Third, Big Tenth After Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, Milwaukee started getting to work in the third inning. After Joey Wiemer hit a leadoff single, Christian Yelich and Owen Miller hit back-to-back singles, giving the Brewers the lead at 2-1. With Miller on second base, Rowdy Tellez hit an RBI single to bring the lead to 3-1. After the Guardians tied the game in the sixth, Milwaukee surprised everyone by striking first in extras. Miller hit a crucial go-ahead double to score Joey Wiemer who had started on second base. While it was the only hit they got, it was the only one they needed. What’s Next? Colin Rea will make the first start in a four-game series against the New York Mets, who will send Justin Verlander to the mound. The Mets have struggled all season, currently posting a record of 35-42 and having even more pitching issues than the Brewers. With this win, the Brewers stand just 0.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the lead in the NL Central and 3.0 games above the Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Strzelecki 29 0 20 22 0 71 Peguero 24 0 0 3 19 46 Bush 0 0 9 19 0 28 Payamps 0 0 0 0 26 26 Milner 3 0 0 14 3 20 Houser 0 0 19 0 0 19 Williams 0 0 0 0 16 16 B Wilson 10 0 0 0 0 10 Tweet Highlight View full article