Jason Wang

Despite some quality hits by Milwaukee's lineup, Eric Lauer couldn't keep it close. The Rays took game two of the series, leaving the Crew to try to salvage one game in the set on Sunday. Image courtesy of © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Eric Lauer - 3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 71 pitches, 40 strikes (56.3%) Home Runs: Owen Miller (2), Brian Anderson (7) Top 3 WPA: Brian Anderson (.163), Bryse Wilson (.064), Owen Miller (.027) Bottom 3 WPA: Eric Lauer (-.460), Rowdy Tellez (-.062), Jesse Winker (-.056) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Lauer Gets Lit Up Eric Lauer didn’t have a particularly inspiring start Saturday, going just three innings and giving up six earned runs. Most notably, he gave up three home runs, two of which were off of his curveball. The most consequential home run was hit in the bottom of the second by Yandy Diaz and scored three runs, bringing the Rays lead to 4-0. With almost the same pitch placement, Lauer gave up another solo shot to Christian Bethancourt in the fourth inning. Both home runs were conceded on hanging curveballs that got stuck on the outside of the zone, perfect conditions for barreled balls and long shots. Lauer is throwing his curve way too often again this year, in that he's throwing it at all. As Matthew Trueblood wrote back before the start of the season, Lauer's curve just isn't a good pitch. Yet, he's throwing it about 15 percent of the time against righties, apparently afraid to deploy the reshaped slider he developed late in 2022. Last year, opponents slugged .600 on his hook. This season, they're slugging 1.310, which would be hilarious if it didn't hurt so much. Following a double by Taylor Walls and a single by Manuel Margot to score the Rays’ sixth run, it was decided that Lauer’s day would end early, recording just nine outs in total for the team in his start. His struggles continue, as his ERA climbs to 5.48 and his WHIP rises to 1.52. The Bullpen Was So Good…Until It Wasn’t To make up for the abbreviated start, Bryse Wilson tossed three scoreless innings, giving up just two baserunners in total. His Herculean effort gave me and Brewers fans everywhere hope for a potential comeback, especially since the bats were starting to wake up during his innings of relief, scoring some runs and bringing the score to 6-3. Nonetheless, all good things must come to an end. Jake Cousins would take the mound in the seventh inning and immediately get into trouble. After conceding two singles and a walk, the bases were loaded with just one out recorded. Cousins would walk the next batter, Isaac Paredes, and then walk Taylor Walls to give the Rays another two runs, pushing the score to 8-3. After two hits, three walks, and a clear decline in pitch quality, Counsell made the decision to replace Cousins with Trevor Megill who would finally strikeout Manuel Margot to escape trouble and end the inning. How rough was Cousins’s outing, exactly? In his one inning of relief, he threw just three fewer pitches than Wilson’s three innings of relief. Are RBI Popups The New Wave? All but one of Milwaukee’s runs were scored by home runs, a third inning solo shot from Owen MIller and a 2-RBI shot from Brian Anderson in the seventh inning. Miller’s home run was hit to left field at an exit velocity of 102.9 mph and a total distance 377 feet, good enough to be a home run in every ballpark except PNC Park and Oriole Park. He extended his hit-streak to 12 games. Anderson’s home run was a true no-doubter to left field, going 408 feet with an exit velocity of 102 mph. According to Statcast, this would be a home run in all 30 ballparks. But by far the most impressive RBI of today’s game was Christian Yelich’s RBI popup. After a shallow fly ball that caused the entirety of the Rays infield to converge, confusion amongst Tampa’s players caused it to drop on the grass harmlessly. This allowed Yelich to reach first base and Brice Turang to score the Brewer’s fourth run. Jesse Winker Is My Favorite Brewer Winker has always been a feisty individual, and while he is still looking to return to the prowess at plate that he had while on the Cincinnati Reds, he’s always been one to speak his mind. Today was no different. After a questionable pitch clock violation that had him start the at-bat with an 0-1 count, Winker argued that the only reason that he wasn’t in the batter’s box is because the Rays pitching coach was taking a walk to the mound. After striking out, he reignited the discussion in a calm, cordial manner and was subsequently ejected. It seemed like an unfair ejection to me, but what are your thoughts? What’s Next? Freddy Peralta will make the final start of the Rays series, as the Brewers look to avoid a sweep. Their offense continues to lag behind in the month of May, coming in 25th in terms of team OPS at .677. On the bright side, the team’s pitching this month is currently ranked 10th in the major leagues with a team ERA of 4.06. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Payamps 34 0 0 14 0 48 Strzelecki 30 0 0 18 0 48 Cousins 0 12 0 0 36 48 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 39 39 Williams 27 0 0 0 0 27 Megill 0 12 0 0 14 26 Peguero 23 0 0 0 0 23 Milner 22 0 0 0 0 22 Varland 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

In what seemed to be the pitching duel of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers ultimately buckled in the first game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 84 pitches, 53 strikes (63.1%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Adrian Houser (.335), Darin Ruf (.136), Jesse Winker (.115) Bottom 3 WPA: Brian Anderson (-.311), Peter Strzelecki (-.255), Tyrone Taylor (-.236) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Houser Has Dominant Performance Adrian Houser looked incredible, tossing six scoreless innings and giving the Brewers one of the best starts of the season. While he didn’t rack up an insane amount of strikeouts, he conceded just five baserunners in total and didn’t give up a single earned run. The pitching duel was a real treat, as Shane McClanahan had a similar performance, giving up just six hits and one walk in his seven-inning start and also giving up zero earned runs. Ruf Has First Big Game As Brewer The lineup struggled as a whole to put up any offense, stringing together just eight hits and one walk, but there was one player in particular who had a standout performance. Darin Ruf went 2-for-2 with a walk, earning his first Brewers hit on the way. In his very limited four total games with the team, he’s slashing .250/.333/.250 for an OPS of .583. There wasn’t much else to say. Owen Miller extended his hit streak to 11 games while Christian Yelich, Brian Anderson, and Tyrone Taylor all went 0-for-4, although Anderson’s flyout in the seventh inning would have been a home run in 14 of 30 ballparks and had an xBA of .850. Similarly, Taylor’s flyout in the fifth inning had a total distance of 403 feet and an xBA of .880. Strzelecki Is First To Flinch After Houser’s scoreless six-inning start, Joel Payamps would follow up with two strikeouts and zero hits in his inning of relief to match McClanahan’s final scoreless inning. To start the eighth inning, the Rays brought out reliever Jason Adam who would strike out two and keep the game tied at 0-0. Peter Strzelecki would not be so lucky. After being hit by a pitch, Luke Raley would steal second base and take third on a throwing error by William Contreras. A sacrifice fly by Francisco Mejia would score Raley and serve as the Rays’ only run, which was all they needed to win the game since the Brewers offense failed to score any runs of their own in the ninth inning. What’s Next? In the second game of the series, Eric Lauer will face Zach Eflin as the Brewers try to maintain their delicate hold over the NL Central. After their vicious performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Pittsburgh Pirates are now tied for the division lead and are four games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Payamps 0 34 0 0 14 48 Strzelecki 0 30 0 0 18 48 Varland 33 0 0 0 0 33 B Wilson 33 0 0 0 0 33 Williams 0 27 0 0 0 27 Peguero 0 23 0 0 0 23 Milner 0 22 0 0 0 22 Megill 0 0 12 0 0 12 Cousins 0 0 12 0 0 12 Tweet Highlight View full article

In the final game of their pivotal series in St. Louis, the Brewers got shut out for the fifth time in 2023. They struggled, once again, both to hit with runners in scoring position and to handle left-handed pitching in general. Image courtesy of © Paul Halfacre-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 89 pitches, 58 strikes (65.2%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Owen Miller (.132), Jesse Winker (.076), Tyrone Taylor (.052) Bottom 3 WPA: William Contreras (-.177), Rowdy Tellez (-.142), Brice Turang (-.116) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Is Getting There Corbin Burnes made a strong start Wednesday, giving up just one earned run in the first five innings of work. After an RBI single by Nolan Arenado in the first inning (one that didn't leave the infield and could almost have been an inning-ending double play), Burnes cruised through the second and third frames. The fourth inning saw him get out of a bases-loaded jam by recording three consecutive outs, hyping him up like a kid on Christmas. A bit of deadly hesitation by Rowdy Tellez in the sixth led to a two-run home run by Paul DeJong and brought the score to 3-0 in favor of the Cardinals, but Burnes earned himself a quality start by finishing that inning. In his three outings in May, he’s maintained a 2.50 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and a K/9 rate of 9.5, numbers that paint an optimistic picture for the remainder of the season. Miller & Taylor Go Off, Other Guys Not So Much Owen Miller and Tyrone Taylor combined for five of the team’s seven total hits. Miller went 3-for-4 with a walk, bringing his batting average to .350 over 76 at-bats. Taylor managed 2-for-3 with a walk, to lift his anemic batting average to .196, almost over the Mendoza line. That’s pretty much all there is to say about the hitting for this game. The Brewers absolutely could not get things going until the ninth inning, when Jesse Winker and Miller both got on base, allowing William Contreras to step to the plate as the tying run. His strikeout and Willy Adames's lineout wasted the opportunity, though, and the game was lost. Trevor Megill Makes Brewers Debut After being designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins at the end of April, Megill was picked up to bolster Milwaukee’s injury-ridden bullpen. Wednesday, he pitched one inning and was lights-out, giving up no base runners and notching two strikeouts. In 2022, Megill recorded a 4.80 ERA over 45 innings pitched with the Twins, but recorded a not-too-shabby K/9 of 9.8. He’s struggled with control, holding a strikeout-to-walk ratio of just 2.88, but let’s hope that’s a teachable skill. What’s Next? After a day of rest, the Brewers will fly to Tampa Bay to start a series against the red-hot Rays. Adrian Houser will take the mound against a starter to be named later. The Rays currently have a record of 32-12 and lead the major leagues in pretty much every offensive category, such as hits, home runs, RBI, and OPS. After the rough stretch of the past month, the team OPS of Milwaukee is 20th, coming in at .704 as opposed to the Rays’ team OPS of .859. Maybe there’s a silver lining somewhere? Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Payamps 19 0 0 34 0 53 Milner 27 0 0 22 0 49 Strzelecki 14 0 0 30 0 44 Williams 10 0 0 27 0 37 Varland 0 0 33 0 0 33 B Wilson 0 0 33 0 0 33 Peguero 0 0 0 23 0 23 Megill 0 0 0 0 12 12 Cousins 0 0 0 0 12 12 Tweet Highlight View full article

me after the sixth inning

The Brewers dropped the second game of the series against the Dodgers, after giving up four runs in the first three innings. They'll have to play a rubber game for the set on Wednesday afternoon. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Eric Lauer - 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 67 pitches, 44 strikes (65.7%) Home Runs: Rowdy Tellez (10), Victor Caratini (2) Top 3 WPA: Jesse Winker (.037), Elvis Peguero (.024), Christian Yelich (.012) Bottom 3 WPA: Eric Lauer (-.238), Willy Adames (-.106), Rowdy Tellez (-.101) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Lauer Has Shaky Start It was a relatively short day for both Eric Lauer and Noah Syndergaard, as we saw abbreviated appearances from both pitchers. While Syndergaard left after one scoreless inning due to a cut on his right index finger, Lauer simply had a rough outing. He gave up a leadoff homer to Mookie Betts, walked Freddie Freeman, let him steal second base, made a throwing error, then allowed him to score on a sacrifice fly by Will Smith. In the second inning, a double from James Outman and a Miguel Rojas single extended the Dodgers' lead to 3-0. In the third inning, Lauer yielded another home run, this time to Smith, giving the Dodgers 4-0 lead. Finally, after getting the first two outs of the fourth inning, he walked Trayce Thompson and was replaced by Bryse Wilson. It was clear that Lauer's stuff was lacking, and that an extended start would destroy the already paltry 12.8% probability the Brewers had of coming back after he left the mound. Lauer has historically performed remarkably well against the Los Angeles Dodgers, holding hitters to a combined .640 OPS over 263 plate appearances. History was just that, though, on Tuesday night. Bryse Wilson Has Shaky Relief Appearance Like his mound predecessor, Bryse Wilson gave up two earned runs of his own. In the sixth inning, a Max Muncy single followed by a Miguel Vargas home run essentially sealed the game, inflating the lead to 6-0 in favor of Los Angeles. He’d get James Outman to ground out and strike out Trayce Thompson to finish the inning, but at this point it was pretty clear that the lineup would be unable to generate the run support needed to come back after trailing early. After Vargas’s homer, the Brewers were estimated to have a 2.7% chance of winning, a prediction that was painfully accurate. To make matters even worse, Gus Varland threw an enormous 44 pitches in his four-out relief appearance, a heavy workload for someone who just got off the injured list. 40% Of Brewers Hits Were Home Runs! That’s Great, Right? This statistic would mean a lot more if the Brewers had more than five hits. After Syndergaard’s early departure, the Dodgers relievers got to work picking apart the Brewers lineup from top to bottom. Rowdy Tellez put the first run on the board for Milwaukee with a solo shot to center field. The ball had an exit velocity of 105.8 mph and a distance of 413 feet. Victor Caratini followed this up with a home run of his own, a 103.6-mph moonshot that traveled 398 feet to right-center field. Because of its placement, Caratini’s batted ball was a home run in all but two parks, Kauffman Stadium and Oracle Park, whereas Tellez’s home run was a home run in just over half of all ballparks. But there wasn’t much else to speak of by way of offense. Three singles and three walks would make up the remainder of the Brewers plate appearances, not nearly enough to claw back victory. What’s Next? The third game of this series will be decided by two of the greatest left-handed pitchers to grace the mound--Clayton Kershaw and Wade Miley. With Miley’s ERA at 2.31, he is clearly the superior pitcher in every way to Kershaw, whose ERA sits at a ghastly 2.53. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT B Wilson 18 0 0 0 35 53 Peguero 11 0 0 16 19 46 Varland 0 0 0 0 44 44 Milner 17 0 18 0 0 35 Sousa 0 0 0 30 0 30 Payamps 0 0 24 0 0 24 Strzelecki 0 0 21 0 0 21 Williams 0 0 14 0 0 14 View full article

The Brewers started the Dodgers series with a bang, putting on a show for the home crowd after the kind of week on the road that makes you miss home something fierce. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 94 pitches, 56 strikes (59.6%) Home Runs: Joey Wiemer (3), Willy Adames (7) Top 3 WPA: Joey Wiemer (.342), Freddy Peralta (.260), Elvis Peguero (.070) Bottom 3 WPA: Jesse Winker (-.051), Rowdy Tellez (-.046), Brice Turang (-.041) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Freddy Fans Five Freddy Peralta had an excellent showing on the mound Monday night, giving up just three hits and one earned run. His stuff was electric, deploying a blazing fastball that touched 97 mph and a menacing slider. Peralta stepped up in a big way against a formidable Dodgers lineup and never backed down. The one earned run on his record was the result of a double by Freddie Freeman in the top of the sixth inning, when he was able to advance to third and eventually score after back-to-back groundouts by Jason Heyward and Max Muncy. With Peralta's ERA at 3.32, we may see a return to his 2021 All-Star form. Since Corbin Burnes has been struggling more often than not thus far, he may even need to serve as the team’s new ace. The Boys Go Yard After four innings of what seemed like a building pitchers' duel, the Dodgers blinked first by giving up an absolute nuclear missile to your favorite rookie’s favorite rookie, Joey Wiemer. The ball had an exit velocity of 108.8 mph and a distance of 403 feet, granting it a .970 expected batting average and the status of true no-doubter, being a home run in all 30 ballparks. (Wait, does the fact that the expected average was .970 mean it was a "three-percent doubter"? Forget it. He's rolling.) The home run drove in Brice Turang and Tyrone Taylor, who had reached base on a fielder’s choice and a single, respectively. It gave the Brewers a crucial 3-0 lead and had a WPA of 21.7%. The seventh inning was more Milwaukee mayhem, as both Brian Anderson and Turang started off with singles. Anderson would score on a Wiemer double. Christian Yelich then hit a two-run single to plate Wiemer and Turang before the Dodgers made a much-needed pitching change, bringing Wander Suero to the mound. He didn’t fare much better. He walked Jesse Winker, then gave up a three-run home run to Willy Adames, inflating the score to 9-1 in favor of the Brewers. Man, where was this offense last week? Dodgers Use 2-RBI Homer! It’s Not Very Effective… After Peralta’s quality start, Elvis Peguero and Bennett Sousa would split up the final three innings of the game. Peguero was lights-out, giving up just one hit in 1 1/3 innings of relief. I mean, with a 96 mph sinker that has 20 inches of horizontal break, are we really surprised? Bennett Sousa had a bit of a rougher relief appearance. He was able to strike out Freeman and get Muncy to pop out to end the eighth inning, but a single to James Outman and subsequent home run by Chris Taylor is how he started the ninth inning. Nonetheless, the win probability graph actually stayed at 99.9%, and the prediction came true after Sousa was able to net the final outs. What’s Next? Eric Lauer will face Dodgers reboot project Noah Syndergaard in the second game of the homestand. Syndergaard currently has an ERA of 6.32 after six starts, and still hasn't been able to recover the fastball velocity he lost after Tommy John surgery, so he might be an easy target for a hungry and revitalized Brewers lineup. With Milwaukee just 0.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates for the NL Central leadership, it could be a pivotal moment in the season. That being said, the NL Central seems even weaker than usual, with the Pirates and Cubs losing seven out their last ten; the Cardinals floundering so badly that their fans are calling for manager Oli Marmol's job; and the Reds still being owned by Bob Castellini. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Strzelecki 27 0 0 21 0 48 Payamps 21 0 0 24 0 45 Milner 0 17 0 18 0 35 Sousa 0 0 0 0 30 30 Peguero 0 11 0 0 16 27 B Wilson 0 18 0 0 0 18 Williams 0 0 0 14 0 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers finally find a win after a painfully long six-game losing streak to bounce back in the final game of the series against the San Francisco Giants. Image courtesy of © Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 4.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 87 pitches, 53 strikes (60.9%) Home Runs: William Contreras (2), Willy Adames (6) Top 3 WPA: Willy Adames (.188), Joel Payamps (.179), William Contreras (.146) Bottom 3 WPA: Tyrone Taylor (-.077), Brian Anderson (-.037), Hoby Milner (-.031) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Houser Keeps It Cool In Season Debut Adrian Houser gave up seven hits but gave up just two earned runs. Since each hit was a single, he was able to limit the damage but his pitching began to deteriorate in the fifth inning and thus was pulled before he could concede any longer balls. He showed off some good stuff, almost touching 96 mph with his four-seam fastball and putting some great horizontal run on his sinker. As with any player returning from injury, the hope is that Houser has truly made a full recovery and will be operating within the starting rotation at 100%. To make room for his activation from the IL, Tyson Miller was optioned to the Nashville Sounds. Adames Was Tired Of Losing With 4 RBI, it’s no surprise that Adames had the highest individual WPA. The four RBI came by way of a sacrifice fly in the third inning, a two-run home run in the fifth inning, and a single in the ninth inning. In addition to putting his team on his back, an important individual milestone was met today as the home run was his 100th as a major leaguer. The home run had an exit velocity of 103.5 miles per hour and a total distance of 394 feet, good enough for a .730 xBA and to be a home run in every ballpark except Orioles Park at Camden Yards. Interestingly enough, his sacrifice fly had a higher xBA at .920, boasting an exit velocity of 109.8 mph and a total distance of 336 feet. William Contreras also had two RBI by way of an early home run in the second inning to score himself and Rowdy Tellez. The batted ball data on his home run was remarkably similar to that of Adames’s home run, having an exit velocity of 107.7 mph and a total distance of 396 feet. Christian Yelich joined the RBI party in the ninth inning by hitting a single to score Joey Wiemer and add an insurance run, bringing the score to 7-2 in favor of the Brewers. Williams Is Imperfect, Just Like Us After Houser’s relatively short start, the bullpen was tasked with finishing off the rest of the game and they passed with flying colors. Across the final four innings of the game, Hoby Milner, Joel Payamps, and Peter Strzelecki gave up zero earned runs, and struck out eight across the three of them. Joel Payamps especially played a crucial role in getting out of trouble in the sixth inning after Hoby Milner had given up a double to Wilmer Flores and a single to Blake Sabol. He did give up a single and was called for another balk in the seventh inning, his second of the series, but back-to-back strikeouts of Mitch Haniger and Joc Pederson nixed any hopes of any runs being scored for San Francisco. In more unfortunate news, Devin Williams gave up his first earned run today in the form of a home run to Thairo Estrada in the ninth inning. To make matters worse, it was crushed on his patented “airbender” pitch. His ERA for the season now stands at 0.87. What’s Next? After snapping what seemed to be a never-ending losing streak, the Brewers will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home as Freddy Peralta will pitch opposite fellow-righty Tony Gonsolin. Perhaps a longer stretch at American Family Field will be what Milwaukee needs to return the win column on a more frequent basis. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Miller 0 12 0 31 0 43 Strzelecki 0 27 0 0 21 48 Payamps 0 21 0 0 24 45 Cousins 33 0 0 0 0 33 Milner 12 0 17 0 18 47 Peguero 16 0 11 0 0 27 B Wilson 0 0 18 0 0 18 Williams 0 0 0 0 14 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

The struggles continue as the Brewers score just one run in a second loss to the San Francisco Giants. You know things are bad when the third-highest WPA for a player is .000. Image courtesy of © Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 89 pitches, 59 strikes (66.3%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Brice Turang (.018), Rowdy Tellez (.009), Joey Wiemer (.000) Bottom 3 WPA: Owen Miller (-.126), Colin Rea (-.118), William Contreras (-.071) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rea Gets First Quality Start Rea got his first six-inning start and gave up just three earned runs, striking out four on the way. The third inning would be where he took the most damage, giving up a single to LaMonte Wade Jr. and then a 2-RBI home run to Thairo Estrada. The pitch was a sweeper that had 37 inches of vertical break but ended up too comfortably in the strike zone and eventually crushed into left field. Somewhat of an interesting batted ball, it was a home run in 27/30 ballparks but had an xBA of just .270, partially due to a relatively low exit velocity of 97.6 mph and low distance of 376 feet. In comparison, Christian Yelich had a batted ball off of closer Camilo Doval that had an exit velocity of 101.7 mph, a total distance of 381 feet, and an xBA of .710 but ended up dropping down as a harmless flyout. After the third inning, Rea would retire the next nine batters in a row, capping off his promising start in dominant fashion. With five starts now under his belt, his ERA stands at 4.73 and his WHIP at 1.05, slightly above his career averages of 4.87 and 1.31. Run Support Still Needed The Brewers lineup had some moments but ultimately failed to back up the team’s pitching with the offense needed to clinch the victory. Hitting didn’t really start going until the fourth inning where the Brewers would load the bases off of a Willy Adames single, a Rowdy Tellez walk, and a Brice Turang single, but a groundout by Owen Miller would prevent the Brewers from scoring any runs. After the Adames single, there was some conflict regarding whether Giants starter Alex Cobb had exceeded the number of allotted engagements and thus the Brewers believed that they were owed a balk. Following a heated discussion with the crew chief to argue his team’s case, Craig Counsell was ejected. He had already been frustrated with some called strikes and balls, so the general dissatisfaction with the umpiring in this game simply boiled over. The lone Brewers run would be scored in the ninth after Giants reliever John Brebbia would give up two consecutive walks to William Contreras and Brian Anderson followed by an RBI single to Owen Miller. It was enough pressure for the Giants to replace Brebbia after just four batters and one out for Doval to seal the deal. Tyson Takes Two, Gives Up One Tyson Miller would give his bullpen comrades a day of rest as he took on the final two innings of the game. He’d give up just one earned run in the form of a home run to rookie Brett Wisely, his first as a major leaguer. It seemed to be a changeup that hung up just a little too much, similar to Rea’s sweeper that similarly ended up in the seats. Miller is still relatively new to the major leagues but has performed well thus far, boasting a 1.93 ERA over 4.2 innings pitched and a 0.64 WHIP. His endurance has been a strong suit as he’s shown the ability to make multi-inning relief appearances without significant degradation in performance, so he’ll likely be an integral part of the bullpen staff moving forward. What’s Next? Adrian Houser is set to make his season debut after a stint on the 15-day IL caused by a right groin strain. His appearance may serve as a refreshing reset to what seems to be a slacking team and snap the current six-game losing streak that has seriously halted the positive momentum they had at the end of April. Let’s hope the team can finally put the pieces together and return to their winning ways. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Miller 0 0 12 0 31 43 Strzelecki 10 0 27 0 0 37 Payamps 14 0 21 0 0 35 Cousins 0 33 0 0 0 33 Milner 0 12 0 17 0 29 Peguero 0 16 0 11 0 27 B Wilson 0 0 0 18 0 18 Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers extend their losing streak to five games as they drop the first game of the series against the San Francisco Giants. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 94 pitches, 56 strikes (59.6%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Tyrone Taylor (.193), Willy Adames (.108), Owen Miller (.078) Bottom 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (-.349), Christian Yelich (-.187), Brian Anderson (-.109) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Let’s Face It - Bur nes Just Isn’t The Same Brewers fans have been waiting patiently for their usually dominant ace to return to his usual form but that seems to be more and more wishful thinking with each subsequent start. While he wasn’t credited with all five runs that occurred during his start, his WPA tells a different story. After walking LaMonte Wade Jr, Burnes gave up a crucial 2-RBI home run to J.D. Davis in the first inning. These were the two earned runs as noted by the official scorer. Davis had some interesting post-game comments regarding what he was looking for and how the hanging cutter ended up in the seats. The fifth inning started off with a flyout by Joey Bart before things got quite out of hand. Brett Wisely hits a single. Brett Wisely steals second. Cal Stevenson reaches on a throwing error by Willy Adames, allowing him to get to second base while advancing Wisely to third LaMonte Wade Jr. strikes out Thairo Estrada hits a single to score Wisely and advance Stevenson to third. J.D. Davis walks, advancing Estrada to second and loading the bases. Joc Pederson hits a single to score Stevenson and Estrada but gets thrown out trying to snag an extra base, ending the inning. If Adames had made the out of Stevenson, the strikeout of Wade would have ended the inning and avoided the damage. If Burnes had struck out Estrada or gotten him to ground out, the inning would have ended. There are several different “ifs” where we could’ve put this all behind us but if "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, the Brewers would be in the World Series every year. There have been several articles on this site trying to diagnose what has caused Burnes’ regression this year, citing his inability to utilize the entirety of the strike zone and an altered pitch mix as possible causes. His percentile rankings are all above average and hovering within the ballpark of last season, except his strikeout rate which has dropped to the 33rd percentile, significantly down from the 89th percentile strikeout rate he had in 2022. All in all, it’s clear that a Burnes start is no longer the free win to which we had grown accustomed in years past. Running Out Of Steam There were some shake-ups to the batting order today, with Contreras batting leadoff and hitting a double to start things strong. Owen Miller and Willy Adames would then hit back-to-back singles to score the first run of the game and give the Brewers an early lead. Miller would score the second run of the inning before Brian Anderson would get caught stealing and end a productive offensive push. Milwaukee scoring would be quiet until the fifth inning where two back-to-back singles by Tyrone Taylor and Joey Wiemer followed by both guys stealing a base would put two base runners in scoring position. A throwing error by Joey Bart would help Taylor score the Brewers’ third run of the game and a sacrifice fly by Owen Miller would allow Wiemer to score the Brewers’ fourth run of the game. The Brewers held a 4-2 lead before the Giants would bounce back with three runs of their own to take the lead at 5-4, but a comeback didn’t seem out of the realm of possibility. In the final four innings of the game, just two Brewers would get on base. Willy Adames hit a single in the seventh inning and Jesse Winker had a crucial walk in the ninth, none of which materialized into runs. It didn’t help that Giants closer Camilo Doval has been averaging a 100 mph cutter which he utilizes 33% of the time. Winker's great at-bat showed off what continues to be his best quality, plate discipline, but it was too much for Luke Voit, Victor Caratini, and Rowdy Tellez. Milwaukee pitching has been its own issue as of late, but the lineup has also struggled to make offensive pushes late into games, preventing them from regaining leads and leading to sad faces in the dugout. The Bullpen Is Back…? Maybe? Don’t Quote Me On the bright side, Brewers relievers had their first solid performance in what seems like eons, giving up just one hit and one earned run across two innings. Bryse Wilson had a scare by giving up two consecutive walks in his one inning of relief but after what seemed to be a crucial mound visit, he was able to lock it in and escape the jam by getting a lineout and a groundout. Hoby Milner, who is deeply struggling and holds a 5.11 ERA, gave up a home run to Wilmer Flores in the eighth inning. As Milwaukee’s only lefty reliever, there is a chance he swaps places with Ethan Small, who currently holds a 2.70 ERA with the Nashville Sounds over 13.1 innings pitched. Jake Cousins was optioned prior to the series and replaced by Bennett Sousa, another lefty who has a 5.40 ERA in 5.0 total innings so far this season. He saw 20 major league innings with the Chicago White Sox in 2022, but hopefully his 8.41 ERA is not something he brought over from the Windy City. What’s Next? Colin Rea will duel Alex Cobb as the Brewers aim to return to the winning ways of the start of the season in the second game of the Giants series. While it seems like the offense has slowly started to return to form, the pitching will need to straighten itself out if the team truly hopes to make its mark on the division. Luckily, the Pittsburgh Pirates also lost today so Milwaukee is still just 1.5 games behind. In fact, the whole NL Central seems to have forgot how to win baseball games so the playoff implications haven't been drastically affected. According to FanGraphs, the Brewers still have a 60.9% chance to go to the postseason and a 51.6% chance to win the division, the most likely division leader by far. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Strzelecki 0 10 0 27 0 37 Payamps 0 14 0 21 0 35 Cousins 0 0 33 0 0 33 Milner 0 0 12 0 17 29 Peguero 0 0 16 0 11 27 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 18 18 Miller 0 0 0 12 0 12 Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers blew a 92.6% chance to win in the final three innings of one of the most tragic games of the season thus far. Image courtesy of © Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 90 pitches, 59 strikes (65.6%) Home Runs: Christian Yelich (4), Rowdy Tellez (9), Tyrone Taylor (1) Top 3 WPA: Wade Miley (.100), Brian Anderson (.063), Christian Yelich (.063) Bottom 3 WPA: Peter Strzelecki (-.332), Willy Adames (-.147), Joel Payamps (-.140) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Miley Goes A Tad Too Long Wade Miley started strong, pitching his first six innings without giving up a run. He’s been great at inducing soft contact, with 10 of his batted balls in today’s game having an exit velocity under 75 miles per hour. Miley has never been a power pitcher; his highest season-average fastball velocity clocked in at 91.4 mph when he was with the Orioles in 2017. To address this, he’s been using a cutter more frequently, which averages just 86 mph. He trades strikeouts for ground balls and shallow pop-ups, which explains his typical low-strikeout stat line. His changeup is also quite nifty, and relies more on movement than a velocity difference, since its average velocity of 82 mph is just 4 mph slower than his cutter. Unfortunately, it seemed that he was kept in the game a little too long. When he took the mound in the seventh, he immediately gave up three consecutive hits - two singles and a double. Ezequiel Tovar’s double batted in the Rockies’ first two runs and promptly led Craig Counsell to replace Miley with Joel Payamps before he was able to log a single out in the inning. Payamps Struggles… If I were to sum up the second half of today’s game with a single action, it would be a heavy sigh beneath a furrowed brow. Joel Payamps had a chaotic relief appearance, inheriting a single base runner and then giving up a single to Brenton Doyle, which put Rockies runners on the corners. Then he allegedly balked. Allegedly is probably the most accurate way to describe the call, since it was at best an extremely strict interpretation of the balk rule, but it allowed Tovar to score the Rockies third run. A sacrifice fly by Elias Diaz would score Doyle and tie the game at four runs each. …But Strzelecki Struggles Even Harder Before this game, Peter Strzelecki had a 1.23 ERA and a WHIP of 0.886. By the end of his eighth inning relief appearance, his ERA rose to 4.20 and his WHIP to 1.13. So what happened? Let’s take a look: Kris Bryant struck out. C.J. Cron hit a single. Mike Moustakas hit a double. Harold Castro hit a single to score Ryan McMahon, Cron’s pinch runner, and Moustakas. The Rockies are now up 6-4. Ezequiel Tovar is hit by a pitch. Brenton Doyle walks, loading the bases. Strzelecki is replaced by Tyson Miller Elias Diaz hits a sacrifice fly (again?) to score Castro. The Rockies are now up 7-4. Charlie Blackmon hit a single to score Tovar and Doyle. The Rockies are now up 9-4. Jurickson Profar lines out, finally ending the suffering. Of the three hits that Strzelecki surrendered, two were on his changeup and one was on his slider. He also seemed to have trouble controlling his four-seam fastball, with seven balls and zero called strikes. Well At Least We Hit The Ball, Right Guys? The cheesehead made three pate appearances, as Christian Yelich, Rowdy Tellez, and Tyrone Taylor all hit home runs in this game. A Brian Anderson triple followed by a Victor Caratini RBI single would bring the lead to 4-0 and for a moment, it seemed that Milwaukee would avoid being swept. Brian Anderson’s triple had seemingly conflicting batted ball data, having an xBA of just .100 but also ending up as a home run in 27/30 ballparks, the three exceptions being Fenway Park, Coors Field, and Kauffman Stadium. After the bullpen began to collapse, the lineup made a valiant effort to win back the game. Brice Turang led off the ninth with a walk, then advanced to second base on defensive indifference. Yelich scored him with a single, before scoring a run himself on a single by Jesse Winker. The Brewers had closed the deficit to three runs and Winker was on base. In an ideal world, Adames would’ve gotten on base, Tellez would have tied it, and then Anderson would have hit the go-ahead home run. But much to the chagrin of Brewers fans everywhere, Adames instead hit a weak ground ball, ending what should’ve been a straightforward victory with the final twist of defeat's blade. What’s Next? The Brewers are traveling to the Bay Area to face off against the San Francisco Giants. Corbin Burnes will make his seventh start of the season against lefty Sean Manaea and the team as a whole will look to snap this recent four-game skid. On the bright side, the Pirates have also been losing consistently, so the Brewers are still just 1.5 games behind the current division leader and three games ahead of the Cubs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Cousins 16 0 0 33 0 49 Payamps 5 0 14 0 21 40 Strzelecki 0 0 10 0 27 37 Milner 19 0 0 12 0 31 Miller 19 0 0 0 12 31 Peguero 0 0 0 16 0 16 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 0 Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

The unfortunate reality is that many men struggle to be vulnerable and seek help in tough times. There's been a "push" for more men to seek therapy but to me, it's a false narrative used to belittle men even further. I see a lot of jokes made about how all men "need therapy" because of seemingly innocuous things they do or say. It doesn't address the fact that in many areas (like Seattle, where I live), there is an extreme shortage of available therapists or the fact that therapy is extremely pricey and can be inaccessible for many. Sean, I relate a lot to your story. Every few months, I get in the same state. I feel that I'll never get the respect I want or deserve and that there is no hope. When I try to tell others about how I feel, they always just tell me to "get therapy" or to "change the way I see the world," the equivalent of telling people with depression to "just be happy." I've been to therapy for a while but it hasn't been effective for me thus far. I'm hoping to find a more productive solution down the line but for now, I've more or less had to depend on myself and a few very close friends. I'm glad you surfaced this and I hope that you know that if nothing else, there is a small but enthusiastic community of cheesehead-wearing people on this site that will have your back if you find yourself back in the trenches.

Caratini low-key been pounding at the plate too. Small sample size (just 27 PAs over the past month) but .958 OPS over that span is very respectable for a catcher.

The Brewers came up short in Denver, dropping the first game of the series with the Rockies. Despite the end result, there were a lot of things to like on Tuesday night. Image courtesy of © Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, 94 pitches, 61 strikes (64.9%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Freddy Peralta (.142), Jesse Winker (.107), Rowdy Tellez (.076) Bottom 3 WPA: Willy Adames (-.212), Brian Anderson (-.206), Peter Strzelecki (-.185) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Peralta Overcomes Early Struggles En Route to 10 Strikeouts Freddy Peralta has a special relationship with Coors Field. On Mother’s Day in 2018, Peralta made his major-league debut and struck out 13 batters while allowing no hits until the sixth inning. He set a new Brewers record for strikeouts in a game as a rookie, and became just the fifth pitcher since 1908 to have 13 or more in his first game. Today, he had a (ahem) rockier start. He gave up two home runs, one to Ezequiel Tovar in the third inning and one to Elias Diaz in the fourth. After a few mound visits from William Contreras and a few encouraging gestures, Peralta seemed to figure things out, allowing no more earned runs through the remainder of his start and becoming the first Brewers starter to crack double digits with a strikeout total this year. He also recorded a tremendous 25 swings and misses, mostly thanks to some truly filthy moment from his slider and curveball. The importance of this start was to see if Peralta would be able to work his way through tough early innings to flex his stuff. His fastest pitch of the start was a 97.6-mph four-seam fastball, his 80th pitch, showing an ability to maintain velocity deep into games. Out of the active rotation, Peralta has the second-best ERA at 3.63--trailing only Wade Miley, who stands at an exceptional 1.86. Doubles Are Pretty Much The Same As Homers, Right? While Milwaukee wasn’t able to hit any balls into the seats, they came pretty darn close. Rowdy Tellez himself hit two doubles, one in the first inning and one in the sixth. Christian Yelich also hit a lead-off double in the sixth inning, with some particularly interesting batted-ball data. Many of us know that Coors Field is the most hitter-friendly park in baseball, due to its high-altitude location that allows balls to fly higher and farther than usual. However, this advantage is slightly offset by the sheer size of its outfield. Yelich’s double had an exit velocity of 109.5 mph, a launch angle of 20 degrees, a total distance of 421 feet, and an expected batting average of .870. In 24 out of 30 ballparks, it would’ve been a home run. Just a particularly interesting batted-ball anomaly in tonight’s game. Contreras joined the party in the ninth inning, hitting a key automatic double to left-center field in the ninth inning while the Brewers were down by a run. A groundout by Brian Anderson allowed pinch-runner Mike Brosseau to advance to third base, but a Brice Turang strikeout was the nail in the coffin. Oh wait, did I mention that Contreras's batted ball went 408 feet and would've been a home run in 28 ballparks? The two exceptions: Coors Field and PNC Park. That also makes two batted-ball anomalies in what is supposed to be a hitter-friendly park. Who broke a mirror before the game? Winker Dazzles While Flexing New Ice We all know that baseball players love chains, but nowadays, they mostly look the same: some form of gold links, sometimes bedazzled with diamonds if the contract extension signed in the offseason was long enough. Today, Winker bucked that trend by showing off a 1-of-1 curb chain designed by his daughter, just a day late to be shown on the Met Gala red carpet. As if imbued by the powers of parenthood, Winker got on base three times, with two hits and one walk. It might’ve been four times if not for a somewhat controversial pitch clock violation that led to his only strikeout of the night. Craig Counsell seemed particularly careful after being recently ejected and quickly pulled Winker into the dugout to avoid further trouble. After all, there are few things more intimidating than a Winker donning a bead necklace arguing pitch clock violations. What’s Next? Eric Lauer will face Kyle Freeland in a lefty-on-lefty matchup for the second game of this series. The Rockies have an OPS of .652 against lefties this season, a slight decrease from their OPS against righties of .712. The Brewers, on the other hand, have the second-worst OPS against lefty pitching at just .623, while holding an OPS against righty pitching of .738. But who needs stats, when they don't suit our biases? Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Strzelecki 15 12 0 0 10 27 Peguero 0 23 0 0 0 23 Payamps 14 0 5 0 14 19 Milner 0 0 19 0 0 19 Miller 0 0 19 0 0 19 Williams 13 4 0 0 0 17 Cousins 0 0 16 0 0 16 B Wilson 0 7 0 0 0 7 Tweet Highlight View full article