Jason Wang

After two runs by Christian Yelich in the first few innings, the Brewers offense completely falls off the face of the Earth and the team fails to come back from a late two-run deficit. Image courtesy of © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports After two runs by Christian Yelich in the first few innings, the Brewers offense completely falls off the face of the Earth and the team fails to come back from a late two-run deficit. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 98 pitches, 58 strikes (59.2%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Christian Yelich (.085), Peter Strzelecki (.035), Freddy Peralta (.019) Bottom 3 WPA: Elvis Peguero (-.135), Raimel Tapia (-.118), Luis Urias (-.111) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Peralta’s Pitching Continues To Be Satisfactory Today was another typical day for Freddy, giving up a few earned runs but avoiding any irreparable damage. His first earned run came in the fourth inning after a single and two walks loaded the bases before a single out was recorded. Josh Naylor would save him some trouble by grounding into a double play but Steven Kwan would score. The bases would stay loaded after Peralta would walk Josh Bell and hit Andres Gimenez with a pitch, but a strikeout of David Fry allowed him to escape the jam. In the sixth inning, Peralta would give up back-to-back singles before being replaced by Hoby Milner. Unfortunately, these baserunners would both score off of more singles by Josh Naylor and David Fry. Peralta’s pitching is far from extraordinary but he’s somewhat able to get the job done these days. He’s still got electric stuff, boasting an 80th percentile Whiff%, but boy does he give up some hard contact. He currently has a 26th percentile Barrel% at 9.9%, the highest clip that he’s had in his career thus far. He also has a 24th percentile Chase Rate and a 38th percentile walk rate, meaning if he’s not blowing past batters with his fastball, they’re not really biting on his pitches outside of the zone, culminating in too many free trips to first base. It Takes Four A combined effort from Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero, Peter Strzelecki, and Matt Bush would finish the final three innings of the game. After Milner gave up the RBI single to Josh Naylor to tie the game at 2-2, he would record two more outs before being replaced by Peguero. Peguero gave up an RBI single to David Fry to give the Guardians the lead at 3-2 before getting Bo Naylor to ground out to end the inning. While Strzelecki had a pretty straightforward inning in which he gave up zero earned runs, Matt Bush would give up a double to Josh Bell and an RBI single to Andres Gimenez to bring the score to 4-2. Guardians Score Half the Brewers Runs After a leadoff single by Christian Yelich in the first inning, a wild-pitch strikeout of William Contreras allowed Yelich to advance to second. Rowdy Tellez hit what seemed to be a routine fly ball to right field until David Fry completely missed the catch, allowing Yelich to round third and head home, giving the Brewers a first inning lead. Unfortunately, Milwaukee didn’t do much of anything else. Yelich hit another single in the third before stealing second base and reaching home off of a Contreras single to give the Brewers their second run, but that was really it for the team. In total, the team put up just four hits and four walks, not nearly enough to win. What’s Next? Corbin Burnes will make the start in the final game of the series against Aaron Civale. Burnes is trying to bounce back from a horrid last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks that saw him give up seven earned runs in just five innings of work while the team hopes to clinch the series. The Cincinnati Reds finally snapped their winning streak at 12 games, meaning they are still just 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers, who are also 1.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Strzelecki 0 29 0 20 22 71 Milner 17 3 0 0 14 34 Bush 0 0 0 9 19 28 Peguero 0 24 0 0 3 27 Houser 0 0 0 19 0 19 Payamps 16 0 0 0 0 16 Williams 14 0 0 0 0 14 B Wilson 3 10 0 0 0 13 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers have a massive outburst of offense in the second half of the game to take a dominant victory over the Guardians in the first game of the series. Image courtesy of © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers have a massive outburst of offense in the second half of the game to take a dominant victory over the Guardians in the first game of the series. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 67 pitches, 49 strikes (73.1%) Home Runs: Willy Adames 2 (12) Top 3 WPA: Wade Miley (.315), Willy Adames (.189), William Contreras (.084) Bottom 3 WPA: Raimel Tapia (-.038), Jesse Winker (-.036), Christian Yelich (-.030) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Miley Pitches With Lethal Efficiency Of pitchers with at least 150 plate appearances, Wade Miley has the 13th lowest strikeout rate. Wade Miley also has an ERA of 2.91 and a WHIP of 1.03, proving his elite ability to draw weak contact and save himself the effort of trying to get three strikes on the young whippersnappers of today’s game. Today was an excellent example, as he used just 67 pitches to record his 18 outs while giving up three hits and no earned runs. While he did sometimes bring out his blazing 91 mph velocity to get a few strikeouts, he got seven lineouts, three groundouts, two pop outs, a flyout, and a double play to retire most of his batters faced. He likely would’ve extended his start if not for some cramping that he felt towards the end of his start, choosing to complete his quality start while preventing a potential future IL stint. Strzelecki Slips, Houser Holds, Bush is Back The sole run earned by Cleveland occurred in the seventh inning when Jose Ramirez hammered a long ball to right center field off of Peter Strzelecki. While it wasn’t the greatest way to lead off his relief appearance, Strzelecki promptly retired the next three batters in order. Adrian Houser and Matt Bush would pitch two scoreless innings. Houser gave up two hits but was able to keep them as infield singles and recorded the third out without too much issue. Matt Bush was perfect in the ninth inning, giving up no base runners and striking out Josh Bell to end the game. Boy Oh Boy, What A Sixth! The Brewers took a one-run lead in the first inning after a double by William Contreras was followed by an RBI single by Willy Adames. After that mistake, Shane Bieber would cruise through the remainder of the first half before hitting a wall in the sixth inning. It started off with a single by William Contreras. A double by Rowdy Tellez put two runners in scoring position, both being sent home by a dinger to left field by Willy Adames, bringing the score to 4-0 in favor of Milwaukee. A no-doubter that left the bat at 109.2 mph, it sure was a pretty sight to behold. Oh, it also traveled 423 feet and casually sailed out of Progressive Field. After what had already been a pretty long night for Bieber, he was replaced by Tim Herrin. Unfortunately, the Brewers were not finished. After recording two outs, Herrin gave up a single to Blake Perkins and hit Luis Urias with a pitch. Joey Wiemer would send Perkins home with a single, making the score 5-0. Christian Yelich piled on the pain with a single to score Urias and bring the score to 6-0 before Contreras would finally ground out to end the inning. Just for the sake of insurance, Willy Adames also hit another home run in the ninth inning, a solo shot to center field that traveled 397 feet. A beneficiary of ballpark conditions, Progressive Field was one of just eight fields where the ball would’ve ended up in the stands. What’s Next? Freddy Peralta will toe the slab against Tanner Bibee in the second game of this series. He’s looking to iron himself out after a recent trend of rough outings, posting a 6.06 ERA over his last seven games. Unfortunately for the Brewers, the Cincinnati Reds won their barnburner of a game against the Atlanta Braves to maintain their lead in the NL Central, 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee. The Brewers are also 2.5 games ahead of the third-place Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Houser 77 0 0 0 19 96 Strzelecki 0 0 29 0 20 49 Megill 0 0 34 0 0 34 Peguero 0 0 24 0 0 24 Milner 0 17 3 0 0 20 Payamps 0 16 0 0 0 16 Williams 0 14 0 0 0 14 B Wilson 0 3 10 0 0 13 Bush 0 0 0 0 9 9 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Diamondbacks are also one of the most well-rounded team in the MLB, placing 4th in team OPS at .771, To skirt by while giving up zero runs is undoubtedly an impressive accomplishment. Now if only our own offense weren't 27th in MLB in offense...

After walking nine batters and falling behind late, the Milwaukee could do nothing but watch as the Diamondbacks clinched the series in the third game. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports After walking nine batters and falling behind late, the Milwaukee could do nothing but watch as the Diamondbacks clinched the series in the third game. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Julio Teheran - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 88 pitches, 50 strikes (56.8%) Home Runs: Raimel Tapia (2) Top 3 WPA: Julio Teheran (.280), Raimel Tapia (.115), Peter Strzelecki (.055) Bottom 3 WPA: Elvis Peguero (-.296), Owen Miller (-.197), Trevor Megill (-.189) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Teheran Gives Up A Few Free Bases But Avoids Damage Julio Teheran didn’t have the cleanest start but was overall able to prevent any runs from being scored. He got into trouble immediately, having to escape a bases loaded jam in the first inning after giving up two walks and a single. Teheran seemed to have an issue with control in particular, walking four batters and hitting Ketel Marte with a pitch while striking out only three. He hasn’t been much of a strikeout pitcher this season, posting a 5.86 K/9 vs. the league-average figure of 8.70. When he does get strikeouts, it’s usually through deception and mischief rather than raw velocity and athleticism. Nonetheless, his incredible ERA of 1.53 proves that soft contact can be just as good, if not better, at limiting scoring and giving your team the defensive edge needed to win games. Scary Scenes For Peguero & Strzelecki Elvis Peguero took the mound in the sixth inning and ended up giving the Diamondbacks the lead. After a walk by Pavin Smith, Emmanuel Rivera hit what seemed to be a routine single to center field. However, Joey Wiemer failed to get a proper handle on the ball, allowing Smith to round third and head home, scoring the Diamondbacks’ first run. While Smith’s run was unearned, Peguero's lone earned run would come by way of an Alek Thomas single that would score Rivera and give Arizona a 2-1 lead. Peter Strzelecki got into his own jam, walking three batters in a row to load the bases after getting two outs. After some struggles with a particularly tight zone, he finally got Emmanuel Rivera to strike out swinging on a four-seam fastball. Megill Just Makes It Worse Trevor Megill was originally intended to take over the final two innings of the game following a recently intensive workload for the bullpen. However, following three earned runs in 1.1 innings of work, he was replaced by Bryse Wilson. Despite his brief relief appearance, he gave up five hits and one walk. Wilson would complete the final two outs of the ninth inning without issue. Tapia Time! Raimel Tapia scored the first run of the game for the Brewers, sending a ball 401 feet to right center field. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, that was really all they could muster by way of offense. Notching just three hits in this game, Zac Gallen and Scott McGough simply outmatched the best efforts of the lineup. In the ninth inning, with a four-run deficit, the Brewers were retired in order. What’s Next? The Brewers will have a day off before heading to Cleveland to play a three-game series against the Guardians. The first pitching matchup will be between Wade Miley and Shane Bieber. With the Reds continuing their win streak, the Brewers are now 1.5 games behind the division lead and ahead of the Chicago Cubs by 1.5 games. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Megill 22 7 0 0 34 63 Strzelecki 21 0 0 0 29 50 Milner 12 9 0 17 3 41 Peguero 8 0 0 0 24 32 Williams 0 11 0 14 0 25 Payamps 0 0 0 16 0 16 B Wilson 0 0 0 3 10 13 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers overcome an early four-run deficit with some late but timely hitting. Overall, it was an exhilarating bounce-back performance following a blowout against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers overcome an early four-run deficit with some late but timely hitting. Overall, it was an exhilarating bounce-back performance following a blowout against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 74 pitches, 49 strikes (66.2%) Home Runs: Jesse Winker (1) Top 3 WPA: William Contreras (.203), Luis Urias (.183), Jesse Winker (.120) Bottom 3 WPA: Colin Rea (-.165), Christian Yelich (-.057), Hoby Milner (-.054) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rea Gets Hit Up Early All four of Rea’s earned runs were given up in the first two innings. After a one-run first inning, Rea started off the second inning by giving up a double to Carson Kelly and a walk to Jake McCarthy before allowing all of them to score by giving up a home run to Ketel Marte. Rea was able to collect himself for the remainder of his five innings, retiring the Diamondbacks in order in the third and fourth inning and giving up just one baserunner in the fifth inning. He was pulled after getting Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to pop out and giving up a single to Evan Longoria. Rea is sitting right around his career averages, posting a 4.88 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP over 62.2 innings pitched this season. Over his 217.0 total innings pitched as a big-leaguer, his ERA and WHIP are 4.89 and 1.34. Relievers Keep On Relievin’ Hoby Milner was the first pitcher to come out of the bullpen but quickly ran into trouble after Alek Thomas made it to first on a fielder’s choice but was able to advance to third after a Carson Kelly groundball resulted in a throwing error by Willy Adames. Jake McCarthy would hit another RBI single to score Arizona’s fifth run but Milner would get Geraldo Perdomo to hit a weak grounder to end the inning. Bryse Wilson, Joel Payamps, and Devin Williams would take on the final 2.1 innings of the game, giving up just one hit and one walk between them. Joel Payamps in particular had a spectacular outing, recording all three of his outs by strikeout. Williams' ninth inning earned him his 13th save of the season, the fifth most in the National League. Warming Up In Wisconsin While the Brewers had bits and pieces of offense in the first half of the game, they entered the seventh inning down 5-3. Many fans will attest to the fact that the Brewers often tend to disappear in the later parts of the game. In fact, the team’s OPS is just .632 in the seventh inning and later, 26th of all MLB teams. But tonight was different. Milwaukee started with three consecutive baserunners, with Luis Urias drawing a walk followed by back-to-back singles by Blake Perkins and Joey Wiemer to load the bases. Christian Yelich hit a soft grounder to record the first out but scored Urias, bringing the score to 5-4. Then, a huge double by William Contreras sent Perkins and Wiemer home, taking the lead and putting the score at 6-5. Owen Miller came up with a single to advance Contreras to third base and Willy Adames would put the nail in the coffin for the Diamondbacks, hitting a ground out that allowed Contreras to score the seventh run of the game for the Brewers. In other news, Jesse Winker hit his first home run of the season, a 416-foot, 107.1 mph, 2-RBI shot to center field in the fourth inning. Winker’s still got it, folks! What’s Next? Julio Teheran will make the start in the deciding game of the series against NL Cy Young frontrunner Zac Gallen. With the red-hot Reds extending their win streak to ten games, the Brewers are still behind by 0.5 games but are holding their own in the division thus far. In contrast, the former division leaders, the Pittsburgh Pirates, are now second-to-last in the division. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Williams 23 0 11 0 14 48 Milner 0 12 9 0 17 38 Megill 0 22 7 0 0 29 Payamps 13 0 0 0 16 29 Peguero 17 8 0 0 0 25 Strzelecki 0 21 0 0 0 21 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 3 3 Tweet Highlight View full article

guys just wait until he learns the slutter

The Brewers have a horrid first game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, throwing away their chance of victory in the first inning. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers have a horrid first game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, throwing away their chance of victory in the first inning. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 5.0 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 86 pitches, 53 strikes (61.6%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Brian Anderson (.031), Christian Yelich (.025), Blake Perkins (.000) Bottom 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (-.400), Victor Caratini (-.039), Rowdy Tellez (-.029) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Gets Burned In The First It didn’t take long for the Diamondbacks to gain an insurmountable lead, scoring six runs in the first inning alone. Let’s take a look at the series of unfortunate events. Geraldo Perdomo hit a double. Ketel Marte hit a single. Perdomo moved to third. Corbin Carroll walked to load the bases. Christian Walker hit a single, scoring Perdomo and loading the bases again. Lourdes Gurriel Jr./strong>. hit a single, scoring Marte and Carroll. Walker moved to third. Emmanuel Rivera made it to first on a fielder’s choice while scoring Walker. Gabriel Moreno struck out Alek Thomas hit a two-run home run. Jake McCarthy grounded out By the time he had recorded his first out, Burnes had already given the Diamondbacks a 4-0 lead. By the time he recorded his third out, the game was all but over. Heading into the bottom of the first inning, the Brewers had just a 9.3% chance to win the game. This was one of Burnes’s worst performances of the season and there wasn’t much the lineup could do after a crushing start to the game. Houser Takes On Entire Second Half By the time Adrian Houser took the mound in the sixth inning of the game, the score was 7-1 and Craig Counsell didn’t really feel like wasting any bullpen arms, using Houser to eat up the last few innings of the game. He pitched well, giving up just three hits and one unearned run in his four innings of work. Most importantly, he gave his teammates an important day off to give his team a better chance of taking the remaining games in the series following this blowout. Low Morale, Low Offense After a brutal first inning, the Brewers strung together just three hits for the entirety of the game, plating one runner in the process. After a Brian Anderson walk in the third inning, he would get sent home by a Christian Yelich triple but it was too little too late. The team seemed unwilling or unable to fight the uphill battle that was in front of them. What’s Next? Colin Rea will try to help the Brewers put this ugly game behind them as they move to the second game of the series. Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson may be a bit of an easier test than Merrill Kelly was today but the team will have to put up a competitive effort on both sides if they hope to take down the current leaders of the NL West. With the Brewers’ loss and the Reds’ victory, Milwaukee now lags behind Cinicinnati by 0.5 games for control of the NL Central. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Williams 0 23 0 11 0 34 Megill 0 0 22 7 0 29 Peguero 0 17 8 0 0 25 Milner 0 0 12 9 0 21 Strzelecki 0 0 21 0 0 21 Payamps 0 13 0 0 0 13 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

Entering the weekend, both the Pirates and the Brewers were limping, and neither seemed especially secure in their grip on the top rungs of the NL Central ladder. By Sunday, the Crew made it clear that they are (at least among these two clubs) the real deal. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Entering the weekend, both the Pirates and the Brewers were limping, and neither seemed especially secure in their grip on the top rungs of the NL Central ladder. By Sunday, the Crew made it clear that they are (at least among these two clubs) the real deal. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, 103 pitches, 58 strikes (56.3%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: William Contreras (.456), Jesse Winker (.219), Christian Yelich (.138) Bottom 3 WPA: Rowdy Tellez (-.258), Owen Miller (-.098), Joey Wiemer (-.093) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Peralta Puts Up Power Performance Freddy Peralta’s nine strikeouts were incredible to watch over his six innings. He was able to get up to 98.0 mph with his fastball and still reached 96.6 mph on his 100th pitch. Despite his spectacular strikeout abilities, he still has issues with walks and giving up hard hits. Today’s two earned runs came by way of a two-run homer by Bryan Reynolds, a 415-foot rocket ship that left the bat at 110 mph. Peralta’s HR/9 and BB/9 currently stand at 1.6 and 3.5, respectively. Compared to the league-average figures of 1.2 and 3.4, Peralta is a subpar pitcher when looking at these figures. He is able to make up for it by having an above-average K/9 figure of 9.9, but his seasonal ERA of 4.60 is not quite what Brewers fans would expect from such a talented player. Relievers Lock It Up Hoby Milner, Trevor Megill, and Devin Williams kept up the recent trend of near-invincibility by the Brewers bullpen, pitching three scoreless innings while giving up just two hits and zero walks. Williams, in particular, chose to lean on his four-seam fastball today, instead of his usual changeup, using the Airbender just twice. After a three-pitch strikeout of Carlos Santana, he threw five consecutive four-seamers to Connor Joe, striking him out with an off-speed pitch. After getting Tucupita Marcano to fly out, he was able to get his 12th save of the season. Turns Out The Brewers Can Indeed Hit Baseballs After the Pirates took an early 2-0 lead in the third inning, it seemed like this game would be another episode of Milwaukee’s often disappointing offense. In the fifth inning, the Brewers would score on a Jesse Winker RBI single, but it seemed like a futile effort. For the whole season, the Brewers seemed to really struggle in the second half of games. The eighth inning was a welcome twist. The Brewers started with two consecutive walks by Winker and Willy Adames. A William Contreras single pushed home Winker to tie the game at 2-2, before another walk by Owen Miller loaded the bases. Raimel Tapia hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly to record the second out and put the score at 3-2. Finally, a crucial single by Luis Urias would score Contreras and Miller, putting the Brewers in a dominant position at 5-2 heading into the ninth inning. What’s Next? While this series sweep was crucial for creating separation between the Brewers and the Pirates in the NL Central standings, the Cincinnati Reds have become the new threat, dominating the Astros and completing a sweep this past weekend to stay just 0.5 games behind Milwaukee for the division lead. Corbin Burnes will make the start tomorrow at home against Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, while the Reds will start a series against the (likely) less challenging Colorado Rockies. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Williams 0 0 23 0 11 34 Milner 12 0 0 12 9 33 Megill 0 0 0 22 7 29 Peguero 0 0 17 8 0 25 B Wilson 23 0 0 0 0 23 Strzelecki 0 0 0 21 0 21 Payamps 0 0 13 0 0 13 Tweet Highlight View full article

Against the Pirates' ace, the Brewers were undaunted. They climbed out to an early lead, extended it, and cruised to a Sunday win on a Saturday. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Against the Pirates' ace, the Brewers were undaunted. They climbed out to an early lead, extended it, and cruised to a Sunday win on a Saturday. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 77 pitches, 46 strikes (59.7%) Home Runs: Joey Wiemer (10), Blake Perkins (2) Top 3 WPA: Wade Miley (.270), Joey Wiemer (.157), Rowdy Tellez (.080) Bottom 3 WPA: Jesse Winker (-.058), Raimel Tapia (-.038), Luis Urias (-.038) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Miley Masterpiece Wade Miley was untouchable over five innings, shutting out the Pirates in his start despite giving up a few baserunners here and there. Having just returned from the 15-day IL following a lat strain, this was an encouraging return to early-season form. After posting a 5.43 ERA in his last five starts (over 23 2/3 innings), the rest seemed to have done wonders for Miley’s pitching abilities. As usual, he wasn’t overpowering batters, just outwitting them. While he recorded just four swinging strikes, he earned 17 called strikes. He also used his cutter brilliantly, painting the edge of the strike zone and producing six instances of soft contact to get batters out. To make space for Miley’s return, Tyson Miller was optioned back to Triple-A. Miley currently has a 3.28 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over his 47 innings pitched. Bullpen Keeps The Buccos In The Dark Peter Strzelecki stepped in for 1.2 innings of relief, giving up just one hit and zero earned runs along the way. He followed Miley’s trend of soft contact, using his sinker and changeup to get three flyouts and a groundout. Hoby Milner recorded just one out in the seventh inning, giving up a hit and a walk along the way. Elvis Peguero and Trevor Megill would keep the Pirates scoreless for the remainder of the game, including Megill striking out three batters to finish the game in dominant fashion. Did I mention that he threw three pitches that clocked in at triple-digit velocity? It’s Big Boy Season For Tellez and Wiemer Joey Wiemer would score the first runs of the game, hitting a 366-foot, two-run home run to right field. More Milwaukee offense would come in the fifth inning when a walk by Christian Yelich and a single by Willy Adames would result in two more runs on a Rowdy Tellez double, bringing the score to 4-0. Finally, to tack on a final insurance run, Blake Perkins hit his second home run of the season while pinch hitting for outfield newcomer Raimel Tapia. It was an absolute moonshot, traveling 423 feet and being counted as a home run in all 30 ballparks. It seems the Brewers offense is starting to thaw out and warm up in this series, but there are still some clear issues. Many players, including Wiemer and Tellez, are able to hit for power but have low batting averages that drag down their offensive production. What’s Next? In the final game of the series, Freddy Peralta will take the ball against Luis Ortiz. Peralta, whose ERA and WHIP currently stand at 4.73 and 1.36, is hoping to bring his statistics closer to his career averages of 3.95 and 1.16. In the meantime, the Cincinnati Reds have officially relegated the Pittsburgh Pirates to third place as they now sit just 0.5 games behind the Brewers for control of the NL Central. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Payamps 25 0 0 13 0 38 Williams 14 0 0 23 0 37 Milner 11 12 0 0 12 35 Peguero 6 0 0 17 8 31 B Wilson 0 23 0 0 0 23 Megill 0 0 0 0 22 22 Strzelecki 0 0 0 0 21 21 Sousa 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers finally ended their losing streak Friday night, scraping by in a close, crucial game against the (former) leaders of the NL Central division. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers finally ended their losing streak Friday night, scraping by in a close, crucial game against the (former) leaders of the NL Central division. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Julio Teheran - 6.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 85 pitches, 56 strikes (65.9%) Home Runs: Joey Wiemer (9) Top 3 WPA: Blake Perkins (.163), Devin Williams (.162), Julio Teheran (.153) Bottom 3 WPA: Elvis Peguero (-.106), Christian Yelich (-.050), Willy Adames (-.015) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Teheran Keeps Showing Up & Showing Out Julio Teheran keeps exceeding expectations. He put up his fourth quality start in a row, adding a new page in the scrapbook of his surprising comeback season. He made just two mistakes, but both resulted in earned runs. The first was a home run to Carlos Santana, who pounded a hanging sinker 386 feet into right field. Luckily, it was a solo home run and Teheran retired the next three batters with no issue. The second mistake was a walk to Ji Hwan Bae, who would promptly steal second base, advance to third on an Austin Hedges groundout, and then score on a Tucupita Marcano sacrifice fly. Nonetheless, Teheran's performance was just what the doctor ordered for the ailing patient that was the home club. He (Teheran, not the proverbial doctor) was an integral part of this victory, staying one step ahead of the Pirates lineup. The last full season Julio Teheran spent in the major leagues was 2019. He was a reliable starter on the Atlanta Braves, with a 3.81 ERA over 175 innings pitched. After barely pitching in 2020 and 2021, he spent the entirety of 2022 in the Mexican League before returning as a Brewer (by way of the Padres' farm club) this year. Originally brought in to help fill in the gaps left by injuries in the team’s starting rotation, he currently holds an outstanding 1.78 ERA over 30 1/3 innings pitched. Brewers Take A Few Leisurely Strolls Pirates starter Rich Hill had a rough first inning, kicking off the game by walking four batters. While Owen Miller’s leadoff walk was negated by William Contreras grounding into a double play, those worked by Christian Yelich and Willy Adames would be far more impactful. Catcher’s interference gave Luis Urias a free pass to first and loaded the bases. Hill then walked Brian Anderson to give Milwaukee their first run. A single by Blake Perkins scored Adames and Urias, giving the Brewers an early 3-0 lead before a Joey Wiemer strikeout put an end to the onslaught. Hill would give up another two walks in the fourth inning to Perkins and Andruw Monasterio, before a Contreras double brought Perkins home, giving Milwaukee a 4-1 lead. The final Brewers run came by way of a 390-foot solo home run to right field by Wiemer, extending the lead to 5-2. Bullpen (Almost) Blows It After Teheran's sturdy six innings of work, Elvis Peguero did his best to give Brewers fans a scare, as he gave up two runs in his one inning of relief. After walking Andrew McCutchen and giving up a single to Carlos Santana, he hit Jack Suwinski to load the bases before recording a single out. Josh Palacios hit a weak enough grounder to allow the Brewers to force McCutchen out at home, but the bases were loaded once again. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a single that scored Santana and Suwinski before some nifty defense allowed Blake Perkins to throw Palacios out at third base, but the Brewers were now nursing a one-run lead. To make matters worse, Hayes swiped third base and put himself 90 feet away from tying the game, but a Bae strikeout to end the inning was a sigh of relief for fans everywhere. To close out the game, Joel Payamps and Devin Williams combined for one hit, three walks, and zero earned runs, allowing Milwaukee to preserve their narrow lead and get a much-needed win over their divisional rival. What’s Next? Wade Miley will face Pirates ace Mitch Keller in the second game of this red-hot NL Central matchup. With this win, the Brewers now stand alone atop the division, but the Cincinnati Reds are now tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for second place, just 0.5 games behind. Let’s hope those wins keep rolling in! Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Payamps 0 25 0 0 13 38 Williams 0 14 0 0 23 37 Peguero 0 6 0 0 17 23 B Wilson 0 0 23 0 0 23 Milner 0 11 12 0 0 23 Miller 0 0 14 0 0 14 Strzelecki 0 0 0 0 0 0 Megill 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sousa 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

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Milwaukee's losing streak extends to six games as they lose the second and final game to the Minnesota Twins in disappointing fashion. Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Milwaukee's losing streak extends to six games as they lose the second and final game to the Minnesota Twins in disappointing fashion. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 90 pitches, 56 strikes (62.2%) Home Runs: Brian Anderson (9), Luis Urias (1) Top 3 WPA: Luis Urias (.070), Hoby Milner (.027), Bryse Wilson (.021) Bottom 3 WPA: Colin Rea (-.269), Owen Miller (-.112), Willy Adames (-.093) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rea Gets Hammered In The Third After two scoreless innings, the Twins put up four runs in the third inning to take the lead. Colin Rea had looked solid all day but some good contact paired with a few defensive mishaps proved to be too much. Edouard Julien would start by hitting a double and Donovan Solano would follow up with a walk. Rea would get Michael A. Taylor and Alex Kirilloff to flyout and he needed just one more out to close out the inning. With runners on the corners, Carlos Correa hit a triple off of the wall in right field, clearing Brian Anderson’s head after a hard bounce and allowing Julien and Solano to score, tying the game at 2-2. Then, Trevor Larnach then hit a double to score Correa and give the Twins a 3-2 lead. Finally, Joey Gallo hit a single to score Larnach but was tagged out after failing to slide into second base. The Twins had extended their lead to 4-2 and while Rea would pitch two more innings before departing the mound, the damage had already been done. Rea’s ERA and WHIP currently stand at 4.71 and 1.26 over 57.1 innings pitched this season. Bullpen Keeps It Scoreless Brewers relievers would get the job done, taking over the final three innings and giving up zero hits, four walks, and zero earned runs. Hoby Milner, Bryse Wilson, and Tyson Miller combined to give Milwaukee as much of a chance to win as possible, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to make up for the mistakes in the third inning. Brewers Go Back To Back, But That’s It As has been a consistent theme this season, the Brewers offense started strong but trailed off into nothingness by the second half. In the second inning, Brian Anderson and Luis Urias would hit back-to-back home runs to take a 2-0 lead. It was also Urias’s first home run of the season after a lengthy IL stint. But that was it. After the second inning, the Brewers would have just one walk and one single for the remainder of the game. Willy Adames and Owen Miller went 0-for-4. Jon Singleton went 0-for-3. Joey Wiemer went 0-for-2. Milwaukee’s offense has just been freezing cold for the entirety of this six-game skid. What’s Next? The Brewers will get an off day before facing the Pittsburgh Pirates at home. Julio Teheran will toe the slab against a currently undecided Pirates starter. This three-game series will have major divisional implications as a sweep would put the Brewers back on top. However, the Cincinnati Reds are slowly but surely creeping their way up the standings as well. They are currently just one game behind Milwaukee. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Peguero 23 17 0 6 0 46 Payamps 19 0 0 25 0 44 Williams 23 0 0 14 0 37 B Wilson 0 12 0 0 23 35 Milner 0 11 0 11 12 34 Strzelecki 0 20 0 0 0 20 Miller 0 0 0 0 14 14 Megill 0 6 0 0 0 6 Sousa 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers losing streak extends to five games after a heartbreaking ninth-inning rally by the Minnesota Twins. Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers losing streak extends to five games after a heartbreaking ninth-inning rally by the Minnesota Twins. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 99 pitches, 69 strikes (69.7%) Home Runs: Christian Yelich (9) Top 3 WPA: Christian Yelich (.410), Rowdy Tellez (.086), Joel Payamps (.083) Bottom 3 WPA: Devin Williams (-.916), Joey Wiemer (-.115), Owen Miller (-.082) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Puts Up Another Quality Start While he did give up quite a few hits, he still limited scoring and struck out eight Twins batters. After two scoreless innings, he gave up three consecutive hits to Michael A. Taylor, Edouard Julien, and Donovan Solano, batting in Minnesota’s first run. Carlos Correa followed by hitting a grounder to third base, getting himself out at first but allowing Julien to score the Twins’ second run. After cruising through innings four through six, Burnes attempted to extend his start into the seventh inning, but Kyle Farmer promptly sent him packing after hitting a home run to left field. Want to read this game recap from the perspective of a Twins fan? Check it out here! While he made mistakes, we again saw glimpses of greatness throughout his start. He recorded his first three strikeouts in the first inning and was using his rarely seen slider with lethal efficiency. He threw it just eight times and recorded five strikes, two balls, and a groundout. Burnes’s ERA and WHIP currently stand at 3.44 and 1.10 over 83.2 innings pitched and 14 starts. Brewers Take The Lead Early Milwaukee scored its first runs in the third inning where a leadoff walk and a single by Victor Caratini would be driven in by a Christian Yelich double to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. A Rowdy Tellez RBI single would bring Milwaukee to a 3-0 lead. Yelich continued the onslaught in the seventh inning, hitting a 401-foot 2-RBI home run to left field and putting the Brewers up 5-2. By the time Yelich rounded the bases, the Brewers had an 89.0% chance of winning the first game of the series. With just two more innings left, Milwaukee’s bullpen just had to bring the team in nice and easy. Even Gods Can Bleed Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero, and Joel Payamps would get the job done in the seventh and eighth innings, allowing two hits, one walk, and zero runs between the three of them. This is exactly what the Brewers wanted. They just needed to get the ball to Devin Williams, their lockdown closer who had been solid all year. He took the mound with a 0.42 ERA and it seemed like the game was all but over. Unfortunately, this is Milwaukee, so nothing can ever break our way. Let’s break down the series of unfortunate events that followed. Michael A. Taylor hits a home run. The score is now 5-4 in favor of Milwaukee. Edouard Julien walks. Willi Castro enters the game as a pinch runner for Edouard Julien Willi Castro steals second base Donovan Solano singles on a line drive to allow Castro to score, tying the game at 5-5. Carlos Correa hits a 2-RBI home run to walk the game off. Without recording a single out, Williams conceded four earned runs and almost single handedly lost the game. In an almost perfect depiction of the chaos of baseball, one of the best closers in the game today had one of the worst ninth inning relief appearances all season. Anything can happen in this game. Twins Fans Perspective from Twins Daily Our friends over at Twins Daily had a slightly different perspective on the end of this game. Check out the game recap over there to see how it differs. What’s Next? Colin Rea will face Bailey Ober in the second game of this midwest matchup and hope to escape with a much-needed win. The Brewers are looking to build up some semblance of momentum before facing the team’s division rival and current NL Central leader, the Pittsburgh Pirates. They currently trail the Pirates for the division lead by one game. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Milner 32 0 11 0 11 54 Peguero 0 23 17 0 6 46 Payamps 0 19 0 0 25 44 Williams 0 23 0 0 14 37 Megill 27 0 6 0 0 33 B Wilson 18 0 12 0 0 30 Strzelecki 0 0 20 0 0 20 Miller 10 0 0 0 0 10 Sousa 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The somnambulists the Brewers currently call a lineup were unable to make up for yet another late bullpen slipup, as the Oakland Athletics (yes, them) clinched a series win. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The somnambulists the Brewers currently call a lineup were unable to make up for yet another late bullpen slipup, as the Oakland Athletics (yes, them) clinched a series win. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Julio Teheran - 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 98 pitches, 65 strikes (66.3%) Home Runs: William Contreras (8) Top 3 WPA: William Contreras (.332), Julio Teheran (.235), Devin Williams (.137) Bottom 3 WPA: Joel Payamps (-.300), Christian Yelich (-.269), Willy Adames (-.196) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Teheran Tosses A Terrific One Teheran was excellent in Saturday’s start, stretching out to seven innings while giving up just one earned run. After cruising through four scoreless innings, Teheran gave up two singles to Jace Peterson and Aledmys Diaz, before a ground ball by JJ Bleday allowed Peterson to score. If Andruw Monasterio had fielded the bouncer perfectly, the Crew could have turned an inning-ending double play to deny the tally, but the lost segment of a second when he let it find the heel of his glove proved costly. Teheran wasn’t able to match the blazing velocity of pitchers like Shintaro Fujinami or Joel Payamps, topping out at 90.7 mph on his sinker. Nonetheless, his craftsmanship and masterful control allowed him to get 12 swings and misses and notch six strikeouts. Contreras Comes Up Clutch After Oakland scored the first run of the game in the fifth inning, the Brewers would tie it up in the eighth inning off of a crucial pinch-hit solo home run by William Contreras. The ball was an absolute missile to dead center field, coming off of the bat at 109.3 mph and traveling an astonishing 440 feet. It had an xBA of 1.000 and would’ve been a home run in any ballpark. Extra Innings, Extra Disappointment Devin Williams was his usual self in his ninth-inning relief appearance, opposite the aforementioned Fujinami. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the same could not be said about Joel Payamps who would enter the game in the 10th inning. With a runner already placed on second to start the frame, Aledmys Diaz hit a leadoff single to drive in the go-ahead run. Payamps would escape the inning without further scoring by Oakland, but the damage had already been done. With just a one-run deficit, the Brewers rolled over and recorded three consecutive outs to end the game. What’s Next? Freddy Peralta will toe the slab against JP Sears in the final game of the series, as the Brewers try to avoid a sweep. If Milwaukee is indeed swept by the meme team of MLB, I’m not sure how I or anyone else on this site will react. Probably not well. The Brewers are now technically tied with the Pirates for the lead in the NL Central division, and we likely won’t see real separation until they face each other in a series next weekend. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Payamps 18 0 14 0 19 51 Peguero 15 0 8 0 23 46 Megill 17 0 0 27 0 44 B Wilson 0 0 20 18 0 38 Strzelecki 16 0 21 0 0 37 Williams 11 0 0 0 23 34 Milner 0 0 0 32 0 32 Sousa 0 25 0 0 0 25 Miller 0 0 0 10 0 10 Tweet Highlight View full article