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Welcome to the "stay up late if you want to see who wins" portion of the Milwaukee Brewers schedule.
Beginning Monday, July 27, the Brewers will play their next 13 road games on the West Coast, with a weeklong return home in the middle. It begins with trips to visit the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels. After the week of home games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins, it's back out west for battles with the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Many of those games will include late-night starts, including the 8:45 p.m. first pitch against San Francisco on Monday night.
The four-game series against the Dodgers – a team that came into the week a half-game ahead of the Brewers for the best record in baseball – might be one of the showcase series of the year. But for now, the Brewers are staying north of L.A. and then sticking to the suburbs.
Watch Brewers vs Giants on Fubo
Here's what to know about their series with the Giants, running July 27-29:
All games will air on Brewers.TV and on radio at AM-620 WTMJ.
The 44-61 Giants are in fourth place in the National League West and likely in "seller" mode for the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
The big one is all-star Luis Arraez, a contact-hitting virtuoso who'll be a free agent this offseason. He has a .327 batting average, a .363 on-base percentage and an .814 OPS, with four home runs and 40 RBI.
Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who has three years left at $21 million per year and a .771 OPS, could attract some interest. Third baseman Matt Chapman, on the injured list, would be a natural candidate if his contract weren't such an albatross – it's six years for $151 million and runs through 2030. Veteran left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray (9-6, 3.16 ERA) might also be on the move.
The former Brewers fan favorite has a .706 OPS this year and has a 1.6 WAR according to Baseball Reference, generally disappointing numbers at this stage of the season. He does have 18 home runs, third on the team, but reaches base at a .276 clip and has 122 strikeouts in 420 plate appearances for an elevated 29% strikeout rate.
The OPS mark is the worst of his career. It's hurt by the fact that he's only walked 27 times. Outs Above Average views him as the worst defensive shortstop in baseball.
Adames, 30, is in the second year of his seven-year deal with the Giants worth $182 million.
The Brewers took two of three against San Francisco on June 1-3, including a lopsided 16-2 win, an 8-3 victory and a frustrating 1-0 loss.
Logan Webb, who will pitch in this series as well, allowed just one hit in seven innings of the finale. Milwaukee staged a four-run rally with two outs in the eighth of Game 2 to turn a tense game into a comfortable win, and Kyle Harrison got the win against the team that drafted him, with 12 strikeouts in 5⅔ innings.
Seven players had multiple hits in the first game, and the Brewers had seven extra-base hits, but no homers. Four of the runs came against a position player.
The pesky Arraez is the easy answer, and the team still does have Rafael Devers, who has 22 homers and 27 doubles but also just an .803 OPS thanks in part to his own strikeout troubles (30%).
Utility man Casey Schmitt has been solid, with 21 home runs, and 21-year-old designated hitter Bryce Eldridge has an .818 OPS in his 63 games this season, with 10 homers. He's the team's best available hitter by OPS-plus.
Ray, despite a league-leading walk tally, has a 3.16 ERA, but he's not scheduled to appear in the series. The all-star Webb and Roupp have been solid, with Roupp striking out more than one batter per inning. Former Brewers starter Adrian Houser, also not scheduled to pitch in the series, has struggled to a 4.86 ERA.
The Giants bullpen, generally one of the worst 10 in baseball, gets a 2.74 ERA out of righty JT Brubaker. Closer Caleb Kilian has a 4.57 ERA.
The former Brewers catcher was released by the Giants on July 23 after he cleared waivers. He had a .599 OPS and four homers in 74 at-bats this season.
They just took two of three over the weekend against the struggling Angels. Before that, they had lost five straight.
Despite Adames and Devers in the lineup, the Giants are one of the hardest teams in baseball to strike out, just behind the Brewers and seventh in MLB in offensive strikeout percentage. They also sit third in the league in extra-base hits, behind Washington and Colorado.
Yes, but not since Prince Fielder in 2008. The only other was Russell Branyan in 2005. Oracle Park only keeps track of Giants homers into McCovey Cove beyond the right-field wall as official "splash hits," but of course opponents sometimes get in on the action.
The Brewers have given up six, including Jason Alexander in 2022 to LaMonte Wade Jr. Three of the others came against Barry Bonds.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers start West Coast trip vs struggling Giants. We take you deep
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Beginning Monday, July 27, the Brewers will play their next 13 road games on the West Coast, with a weeklong return home in the middle. It begins with trips to visit the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels. After the week of home games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins, it's back out west for battles with the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Many of those games will include late-night starts, including the 8:45 p.m. first pitch against San Francisco on Monday night.
The four-game series against the Dodgers – a team that came into the week a half-game ahead of the Brewers for the best record in baseball – might be one of the showcase series of the year. But for now, the Brewers are staying north of L.A. and then sticking to the suburbs.
Watch Brewers vs Giants on Fubo
Here's what to know about their series with the Giants, running July 27-29:
What are the pitching matchups for the Brewers-Giants series?
All games will air on Brewers.TV and on radio at AM-620 WTMJ.
- Brewers at Giants, July 27, 8:45 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Brandon Sproat (3-3, 5.09) vs. San Francisco RHP Tyler Mahle (2-9, 5.31)
- Brewers at Giants, July 28, 8:45 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Logan Henderson (4-1, 3.05) vs. San Francisco RHP Landen Roupp (7-8, 3.93)
- Brewers at Giants, July 29, 2:45 p.m.: Milwaukee LHP Shane Drohan (5-4, 3.51) vs. San Francisco RHP Logan Webb (5-7, 3.98)
How are the Giants doing this season?
The 44-61 Giants are in fourth place in the National League West and likely in "seller" mode for the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Who are the players the Giants could trade at the deadline?
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The big one is all-star Luis Arraez, a contact-hitting virtuoso who'll be a free agent this offseason. He has a .327 batting average, a .363 on-base percentage and an .814 OPS, with four home runs and 40 RBI.
Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who has three years left at $21 million per year and a .771 OPS, could attract some interest. Third baseman Matt Chapman, on the injured list, would be a natural candidate if his contract weren't such an albatross – it's six years for $151 million and runs through 2030. Veteran left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray (9-6, 3.16 ERA) might also be on the move.
How has Willy Adames done for the Giants this year?
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The former Brewers fan favorite has a .706 OPS this year and has a 1.6 WAR according to Baseball Reference, generally disappointing numbers at this stage of the season. He does have 18 home runs, third on the team, but reaches base at a .276 clip and has 122 strikeouts in 420 plate appearances for an elevated 29% strikeout rate.
The OPS mark is the worst of his career. It's hurt by the fact that he's only walked 27 times. Outs Above Average views him as the worst defensive shortstop in baseball.
Adames, 30, is in the second year of his seven-year deal with the Giants worth $182 million.
How did the Brewers do against the Giants earlier this year?
The Brewers took two of three against San Francisco on June 1-3, including a lopsided 16-2 win, an 8-3 victory and a frustrating 1-0 loss.
Logan Webb, who will pitch in this series as well, allowed just one hit in seven innings of the finale. Milwaukee staged a four-run rally with two outs in the eighth of Game 2 to turn a tense game into a comfortable win, and Kyle Harrison got the win against the team that drafted him, with 12 strikeouts in 5⅔ innings.
Seven players had multiple hits in the first game, and the Brewers had seven extra-base hits, but no homers. Four of the runs came against a position player.
Who's been good for the Giants this year?
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The pesky Arraez is the easy answer, and the team still does have Rafael Devers, who has 22 homers and 27 doubles but also just an .803 OPS thanks in part to his own strikeout troubles (30%).
Utility man Casey Schmitt has been solid, with 21 home runs, and 21-year-old designated hitter Bryce Eldridge has an .818 OPS in his 63 games this season, with 10 homers. He's the team's best available hitter by OPS-plus.
Ray, despite a league-leading walk tally, has a 3.16 ERA, but he's not scheduled to appear in the series. The all-star Webb and Roupp have been solid, with Roupp striking out more than one batter per inning. Former Brewers starter Adrian Houser, also not scheduled to pitch in the series, has struggled to a 4.86 ERA.
The Giants bullpen, generally one of the worst 10 in baseball, gets a 2.74 ERA out of righty JT Brubaker. Closer Caleb Kilian has a 4.57 ERA.
How has former Brewers catcher Eric Haase done this year?
The former Brewers catcher was released by the Giants on July 23 after he cleared waivers. He had a .599 OPS and four homers in 74 at-bats this season.
How have the Giants done lately?
They just took two of three over the weekend against the struggling Angels. Before that, they had lost five straight.
What are the Giants good at?
Despite Adames and Devers in the lineup, the Giants are one of the hardest teams in baseball to strike out, just behind the Brewers and seventh in MLB in offensive strikeout percentage. They also sit third in the league in extra-base hits, behind Washington and Colorado.
Have the Brewers ever hit a ball into McCovey Cove?
Yes, but not since Prince Fielder in 2008. The only other was Russell Branyan in 2005. Oracle Park only keeps track of Giants homers into McCovey Cove beyond the right-field wall as official "splash hits," but of course opponents sometimes get in on the action.
The Brewers have given up six, including Jason Alexander in 2022 to LaMonte Wade Jr. Three of the others came against Barry Bonds.
Three interesting connections between the Brewers and Giants
- Giants general manager Zack Minasian worked 14 years with the Brewers, mostly as a scout. His brother, Perry, was general manager of the Angels before he was fired in June.
- Giants manager Tony Vitello famously came to the job straight from the college ranks. When Vitello became head coach at Tennessee, current Brewers pitcher Garrett Stallings was on the Tennessee roster. Vitello also coached Brewers top prospects Blake Burke and Andrew Fischer in college.
- Injured outfielder Harrison Bader briefly stayed with the Counsell family in Whitefish Bay when Bader was playing with the Lakeshore Chinooks in the summer wooden-bat league in 2013. Craig and his wife, Michelle, agreed to become a host family that summer, and though Bader only stayed three weeks before an injury ended his time with Lakeshore, he got drafted by St. Louis two years later and became a thorn in the side of Counsell's Brewers teams. Bader has been out since late May with a foot injury.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers start West Coast trip vs struggling Giants. We take you deep
Continue reading...
