Game Thread #31: Milwaukee Brewers (15-15) @ Chicago White Sox (7-22)

Tobias Myers takes on former Brewer minor leaguer

When you’re a team that hopes to contend, you find a way to win games against the Chicago White Sox. The Brewers did that yesterday, after a couple of first-inning mistakes by Freddy Peralta and a slow start from the offense had them behind for more than half the game. But the Brewer offense recovered and the Chicago offense failed to add to their two early runs, and the Brewers came away with a relatively easy victory. They’ll look to guarantee a series victory tonight (heaven help them if they can’t win a series against the White Sox) that would also move them back over .500 on the season.

Tobias Myers will make his second start since returning from his spring training oblique injury. He’ll take on a man who is a sore subject among some Brewers die-hards: Shane Smith.

Smith was an undrafted free agent signing with the Brewers in 2021 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, and then he pitched quite well in Milwaukee’s system in 2023 (a 1.96 ERA in 59 ²⁄₃ innings of relief across three levels) and 2024 (32 games, 16 starts, 113 strikeouts and 29 walks in 94 ¹⁄₃ innings split between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville). But Milwaukee needed to add him to the 40-man roster after last season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and they chose not to; the White Sox took him, and so far this season, Smith has allowed just seven runs in 27 ¹⁄₃ innings (a 2.30 ERA) in five starts.

Did the Brewers’ front office make a major error in not protecting Smith? It’s possible, but time will tell. In any case, I wouldn’t be surprised if Matt Arnold and company were privately hoping that their lineup puts a shellacking on him tonight.

Myers will pitch coming off a somewhat shaky first outing in San Francisco. In that game, Myers allowed only two runs in four innings, but there was a lot of traffic on the basepaths: he allowed four hits and, more alarmingly, walked four. I’m sure his command will settle in as he gets those first-start jitters out of the way, but he’ll hope to keep a few more White Sox off the bases tonight and pitch more efficiently.

Sal Frelick, who had a minor injury scare after getting hit by a pitch yesterday, is — as expected — back in the lineup this evening. Christian Yelich is tonight’s DH, and Pat Murphy will give the left-field start to Jake Bauers.

First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.

Update: Brice Turang has been scratched because of an illness. Isaac Collins will replace him in the lineup and play second base; the rest of the batting order is unchanged.