Brewers welcome NL Central foe to town
The Milwaukee Brewers are headed back to town to close out the month of June, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies on deck. The Pirates are up first, as they’ll head to Milwaukee for three games beginning Monday evening.
The Crew is on a four-game win streak as they won their finale with the Cubs before sweeping the Twins in Minnesota. On the other side, the Pirates have lost each of their last two series against the Tigers and Rangers, salvaging the series finale in each.
Milwaukee’s injured list is headlined by pitchers Brandon Woodruff and Nestor Cortes. Woodruff is looking like he’ll be back in early July barring any further setbacks, while Cortes is aiming an All-Star break return. Among position players, Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins are the key names, with Mitchell suffering a setback to his shoulder after previously being shelved with an oblique injury. Perkins is still on a rehab assignment and could be back in early July.
For the Pirates, pitchers Ryan Borucki, Jared Jones, Tim Mayza, Justin Lawrence, and Johan Oviedo are all on the 60-day injured list, while Colin Holderman is on the 15-day IL. None are expected to return any earlier than July. Catcher Endy Rodriguez is also on the 60-day IL with elbow inflammation, while infielder Enmanuel Valdez is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Christian Yelich leads Milwaukee’s offense with 14 homers and 54 RBIs, tacking on 37 runs scored and 12 steals as he’s hitting .259/.337/.446 for the season. Jackson Chourio has 12 homers, 22 doubles, and 15 steals this year, while Rhys Hoskins also has 12 homers. William Contreras, Brice Turang, Isaac Collins, and Sal Frelick have also been key to the Brewers’ recent success. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .245/.321/.377 (.698 OPS ranks 18th) with 71 homers (25th), 362 runs scored (tied for ninth), and 96 steals (second).
Oneil Cruz’s 13 homers lead the Pirates, while Andrew McCutchen’s .762 OPS leads the team as he’s hitting .264/.345/.417 with eight homers, 13 doubles, 28 RBIs, and 24 runs. Bryan Reynolds has added eight homers and 39 RBIs, while Nick Gonzales, Spencer Horwitz, Joey Bart, Adam Frazier, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have also contributed this season. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .227/.303/.336 (.639 OPS ranks 29th) with 53 homers (30th), 257 runs scored (30th), and 71 steals (fifth).
Jared Koenig and Abner Uribe are tied for the team lead with 36 appearances each, though Uribe’s 1.98 ERA is about half that of Koenig’s 3.94. Uribe also leads the bullpen with 45 strikeouts over 36 1⁄3 innings. Nick Mears and Grant Anderson have also been solid, while Trevor Megill is 17-for-19 in save opportunities this year. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.86 team ERA (13th), including a 3.40 starter ERA (fifth) and a 4.30 reliever ERA (22nd). They’ve struck out 640 batters (14th) over 690 1⁄3 innings.
Caleb Ferguson leads the Pirates with 35 appearances out of the bullpen, sporting a 2.97 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 33 1⁄3 innings. Dennis Santana has also gone 33 1⁄3 innings with a 1.62 ERA, while David Bednar has been lights out with 10 saves after a rough start to the season, lowering his season ERA to 3.04 through 30 appearances (26 2⁄3 innings). Chase Shugart, Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Stratton, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Isaac Mattson round out the bullpen. Note: Santana is facing a four-game suspension due to “aggressive conduct toward a fan,” though he’s currently appealing and remains active. As a staff, the Pirates have a 3.81 team ERA (11th), including a 3.70 starter ERA (11th) and a 3.99 reliever ERA (17th). They’ve struck out 586 batters (27th) over 701 1⁄3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Monday, June 23 @ 6:40 p.m.: Chad Patrick (3.50 ERA, 3.59 FIP) vs. TBD
Despite a 3-7 record, Patrick has been great filling out the rotation this season, as he’s made 15 starts. While he’s lost his last three outings and allowed 10 runs over 16 innings in those games, he still has a solid 3.50 ERA and 3.59 FIP on the year. This is his first career start against the Pirates.
Due to a weird week for the Pirates in which they had an off day Monday before a doubleheader Thursday, their entire rotation has been thrown off by a day. That means they don’t have a starter lined up for the series opener Monday. Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney typically pitch back to back, but with the doubleheader, Heaney would be pitching on just three days rest after Falter started on Sunday. We’ll see if this ends up being a bullpen game or an outside move.
Tuesday, June 24 @ 6:40 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (2.76 ERA, 3.97 FIP) vs. Andrew Heaney (3.94 ERA, 4.41 FIP)
Peralta, who’s been a consistent every-five-days starter for the last two-plus seasons, is currently tied for the league lead with 16 starts this year. Through 88 innings, he has a 2.76 ERA, 3.97 FIP, and 90 strikeouts. He allowed three runs on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts in a win over the Cubs last time around. In his last three starts, he’s allowed just four runs over 17 innings with 15 strikeouts. In 23 appearances (14 starts) against the Pirates in his career, he has a 2-2 record with a 3.48 ERA and 101 strikeouts across 88 innings. He went 4 1⁄3 innings with three strikeouts and two runs (one earned) allowed in a start against them back in May.
Heaney has been solid through 15 starts for Pittsburgh this year, with a 3.94 ERA, 4.41 FIP, and 61 strikeouts across 82 1⁄3 innings. He’s lost each of his last two starts, allowing 10 runs and striking out nine across 10 innings against the Cubs and Tigers. He’s made four career starts against Milwaukee, with a 1-2 record, 4.66 ERA, and 27 strikeouts across 19 1⁄3 innings. Two of those starts came in 2022 with the Dodgers while he had one start against Milwaukee in 2023 and another in 2024 while with the Rangers.
Wednesday, June 25 @ 1:10 p.m.: Jacob Misiorowski (1.64 ERA, 3.61 FIP) vs. Paul Skenes (1.85 ERA, 2.48 FIP)
The matchup we’ve all been waiting for. A pair of flamethrowers will match up in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon, with 23-year-old rookie Jacob Misiorowski slated to oppose 23-year-old sophomore Paul Skenes in a marquee pitching battle. Misiorowski has dazzled in two starts thus far, with a 1.64 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts across 11 innings. it took until the beginning of his 12th inning for him to allow a hit, as he gave up a two-run homer after tossing six perfect innings to begin his start on Friday against the Twins. This is his first career start against the Pirates.
Through 16 starts, Skenes leads the NL in bWAR (4.4), ERA (1.85), innings pitched (102), and WHIP (0.882). He’s struck out 106 batters through 102 innings, and he looks primed to make another push for NL Cy Young after finishing third in 2024. In four June starts, he’s allowed just three earned runs and struck out 29 across 26 2⁄3 innings (1.01 ERA), but he has an 0-1 record thanks to a low-scoring Pittsburgh offense. In two career starts against Milwaukee, he’s 1-0 with an 0.69 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 13 innings.
How to Watch
Monday, June 23: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Tuesday, June 24: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, FOX 6 in Milwaukee, and other local over-the-air stations across Wisconsin (see more details here), and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Wednesday, June 25: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, MLB Network (out-of-market viewers), and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
This could be a trap homestand for Milwaukee, with Pittsburgh and Colorado coming to town to close out the month. With a star pitching matchup in the series finale on Wednesday, I’ll take the Brewers to win the first two before dropping Wednesday’s game against Skenes & Co.