Game Thread #87: Milwaukee Brewers (48-38) @ New York Mets (49-38)

Brewers and Mets to determine series winner

In yesterday’s doubleheader, the Brewers won one, the Mets won one, and we were all reminded that Jacob Misiorowski is human after all. Tonight, the winner of this series between two tightly-packed National League rivals will be determined when recent former Met Jose Quintana takes on David Peterson.

Peterson is 29 and finally found a firm spot in New York’s rotation last year. A former first-round pick, Peterson got off to a good start in 2020 but mostly struggled over the next three seasons. Last season, though, he finally solidified that rotation spot and went 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts. This season, he’s carried over that success and has pitched to a 3.30 ERA (and nearly equivalent 3.36 FIP) while striking out 7.8 batters and walking 3.2 batters per nine innings. He’s had a couple of rough starts in a row, though; he didn’t complete five innings in either of his last two outings and gave up five earned runs in both (to the Phillies on June 22 and the Pirates on June 27).

Quintana has been about what you’d expect: pretty steady, maybe a little lucky (or crafty), a reliable veteran presence who isn’t blowing anyone anyway. His walks have been a little concerning this season — his 4.1 per nine mark would be the highest of his career barring a disastrously weird 2021 season — and at age 36, his strikeouts are predictably going down. He’s doing what he can, though, and letting his good defense do work behind him, and he’s pitched to a 6-2 record thus far.

An injury note today: Blake Perkins has been recalled from his rehab assignment with a groin strain. It’s not clear how long he’ll be out, but it no longer looks like his return will be soon.

Eric Haase is a somewhat surprising addition to tonight’s lineup as the designated hitter, while Andruw Monasterio is giving Brice Turang the night off at second base.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m., though it looks like the game will be delayed at least a bit by some weather. The game can be found on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.