The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off a tough walkoff loss to the Tigers in a Thursday afternoon rubber match, are headed back to Milwaukee for another homestand. They’ll welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games beginning Friday night, their first series against an NL Central opponent this season.
In baseball’s deepest division to this point, the Brewers sit in last place at 13-11. The Pirates are right in the middle of the pack at 14-10, 1.5 games behind the Cubs and Reds, who are tied at the top. Pittsburgh has split the first two games of their current series with the Rangers, and they’re playing the series finale in Texas tonight.
The Brewers remain without outfielders Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich, first baseman Andrew Vaughn, right-handed starter Quinn Priester, and relievers Rob Zastryzny and Jared Koenig. Reliever Craig Yoho was reactivated earlier Thursday and was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Chourio, Priester, and Vaughn are all semi-close to returning, as Chourio and Vaughn have resumed activities and Priester began a rehab assignment this week. Yelich, Zastryzny, and Koenig all have expected returns in May.
Pittsburgh is without right-hander Jared Jones, who is out until May or June with a UCL sprain. Infielder Jared Triolo is the only other player on the injured list, with a return TBD as he resumed baseball activities this week.
After a hot start offensively, the Brewers have cooled off considerably over the last few weeks, though they did have a 12-run outburst in Detroit this week. Jake Bauers and Gary Sánchez are tied for the team lead with five homers apiece, with Brice Turang right on their tails at four homers. Turang leads the team offensively, as he’s hitting .280/.412/.512 with 18 RBIs, 20 runs, and seven steals. William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell are the only other Brewers with an OPS over .700, as soft-hitting David Hamilton, Sal Frelick, Greg Jones, Brandon Lockridge, Luis Matos, Joey Ortiz, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo round out the roster (only Frelick has a homer). As a team, the Brewers are hitting .241/.342/.368 (.710 OPS ranks 15th), with 19 homers (tied for 25th), 124 runs (seventh), and 35 steals (first).
Oneil Cruz (eight HRs) and Brandon Lowe (seven HRs) lead a power-heavy, rebuilt Pittsburgh offense. Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna are the other major additions for the Pirates, with old friend Bryan Reynolds still in the fold. Spencer Horwitz, Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis, Jake Mangum, Nick Yorke, and rookie Konnor Griffin round out the regulars, with Joey Bart and Billy Cook rounding things out. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .250/.334/.391 (.725 OPS ranks seventh), with 28 homers (tied for 10th), 123 runs (eighth), and 24 steals (seventh).
Grant Anderson and Aaron Ashby remain atop Milwaukee’s bullpen with 13 appearances each, with DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Angel Zerpa, and Trevor Megill also with 10-plus appearances. Jake Woodford and Carlos Rodriguez round out the ‘pen. Ashby (2.93 ERA, 24 Ks), Hall (2.31 ERA, 14 Ks), and Anderson (2.63 ERA, 11 Ks) have been the most successful of those arms. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.98 team ERA (13th), including a 3.65 starter ERA (11th) and a 4.36 bullpen ERA (17th). They rank 16th with 212 strikeouts over 212 1/3 innings.
Isaac Mattson and Gregory Soto lead the Pittsburgh bullpen with 13 outings each, with closer Dennis Santana right behind them at 12 appearances. Mason Montgomery, Justin Lawrence, Yohan Ramírez, Evan Sisk, and Wilber Dotel round out the active arms. Mattson has a 1.32 ERA and 10 strikeouts, Soto has a 2.13 ERA and 19 strikeouts, and Santana has a 0.75 ERA, nine strikeouts, and a pair of saves. Lawrence (6.55 ERA) and Montgomery (4.82 ERA) have both struggled, while the rest of the depth chart has held their own. As a staff, the Pirates have a 3.50 team ERA (sixth), including a 3.07 starter ERA (third) and a 3.65 bullpen ERA (10th). They rank fifth with 232 strikeouts over 226 1/3 innings.
Friday, April 24 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA, 3.73 FIP) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27 ERA, 3.46 FIP)
Woodruff gets the ball in the series opener on Friday night in his fifth start of the season. Through four outings, Woodruff has spanned 23 2/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA, 3.73 FIP, and 20 strikeouts. He’s coming off arguably the best start by a Brewer this season, as he went seven innings with one run allowed on three hits and a walk, striking out four on 92 pitches. In 19 career appearances (17 starts) against Pittsburgh, Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA and 115 strikeouts over 97 1/3 innings. That includes a pair of starts last season, when he totaled 10 innings with no runs allowed and 12 strikeouts.
The reigning NL Cy Young winner, Skenes is now in his third MLB season with the Pirates. He’s made five starts so far, with a 3.27 ERA, 3.46 FIP, a 3-1 record, and 23 strikeouts. Those numbers are deceiving, though, as five of the eight runs he’s allowed this season came in his first inning of work against the Mets on Opening Day — in four April starts, he has a 1.27 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. His last outing was just four innings, as he allowed no runs on three hits, striking out five on 64 pitches against the Rays (before a rain delay shortened his outing). In four career starts against Milwaukee (including three last season), Skenes has a 1-2 record, a 3.86 ERA, and 27 strikeouts over 21 innings.
Saturday, April 25 @ 6:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.04 ERA, 3.63 FIP) vs. RHP Mitch Keller (2-1, 2.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP)
Misiorowski has had a solid start to the season, but he doesn’t have much to show for it. He has a 1-2 record through five starts, but he’s leading the league with 42 strikeouts in just 26 2/3 innings. The issue for Miz to this point has been the big inning, which has plagued him in both of his losses this year. Last time out, he went five innings against the Marlins, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks, striking out nine. All three of those runs came in the first inning in a 5-3 loss. Miz made two starts against the Pirates last season (including a head-to-head battle with Skenes), totaling 12 innings with one run allowed and 16 strikeouts, picking up the win both times.
Keller, 30, is in his eighth MLB season, all with Pittsburgh. He’s never been “great,” with a 4.46 career ERA and 3.99 career FIP, but he’s been a constant in the Pirates’ rotation over the last four seasons, making at least 29 starts every year since 2022. Through five starts this season, he’s turned in the best numbers of his career, with a 2.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP, and 19 strikeouts over 29 innings. His last outing spanned seven innings against the Rays, as he allowed two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out five in a win. In 12 career starts against Milwaukee, Keller is 1-7 with a 5.31 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 62 2/3 innings.
Sunday, April 26 @ 1:10 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (1-1, 3.06 ERA, 4.27 FIP) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-1, 3.28 ERA, 2.37 FIP)
Harrison has made four starts this season but totaled only 17 2/3 innings, striking out 18 while sporting a 3.06 ERA and 4.27 FIP. His last start was his shortest of the year, as he went just three-plus innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks, striking out three on 72 pitches against the Tigers. He made one start against Pittsburgh while with the Giants back in 2024, going six scoreless innings (five hits, no walks) with seven strikeouts in a no-decision.
Mlodzinski, 27, is in his fourth MLB season with the Pirates, and he’s also having a solid start to the year. Through five appearances (four starts), he has a 3.28 ERA, 2.37 FIP, and 26 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings. His last outing was his worst of the season, though, as he allowed five runs on six hits and two walks, striking out six over 4 1/3 innings in his first and only loss of the year. Mlodzinski has made 12 career appearances (all in relief) against the Brewers, with a 2-1 record, a 3.52 ERA, and 13 strikeouts over 15 1/3 innings.
Friday, April 24: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, April 25: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, April 26: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
This is probably the best Pirates team we’ve seen in a while, but the Brewers haven’t lost a season series to them since 2018 (and they’ve won eight straight dating back to last June). I’ll take Milwaukee to win two of three this weekend.