The Brewers arrive at Game 162 with a number that still looks almost unreal: 102 wins, 59 losses, and a chance to get through the regular season without ever reaching 60 defeats. For a club that already owns the best regular-season record in franchise history, there’s one more marker within reach - a team wins record by six games, which would be a stunning finish for a 57-year-old franchise.
That backdrop makes today feel less like a formality and more like one last checkpoint before October. The postseason is already waiting, and with Dustin May and Kyle Harrison both having pitched on Saturday, there isn’t much room for speculation about late-season auditions. The more immediate concern is simply getting out of the finale clean.
There is still a little history on the line for Brice Turang, too. He’s one RBI shy of 100 and one stolen base shy of 20.
If he reaches both, he would join a very exclusive club: there have been only 165 seasons in major league history with 20 home runs, 100 RBI, and 20 stolen bases, and just five of those belong to Brewers players - Ryan Braun in 2009, 2011, and 2012, Christian Yelich in 2018, and Willy Adames in 2024. Turang would also become just the 11th player to hit those marks in a season while primarily playing second base.
Jacob Misiorowski gets the ball for one final tuneup before the playoffs, and all signs point to him lining up for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday against either the Cubs or Padres. He also has one last shot to strengthen his Cy Young case, though the expectation is that he’ll work something like the three innings he threw in his previous outing.
Even without another long start, his numbers are already in eye-catching territory: he is set to finish with the best H/9 mark ever by a starting pitcher in AL/NL history, sitting at 4.9961, and he’s going to set franchise records in ERA, WHIP, and K/9. He won’t catch Ben Sheets’ Brewers record of 264 strikeouts, but his 247 Ks are already the second-highest total in team history.
St. Louis counters with Andre Pallante, a right-hander who has put together a respectable season of his own. He enters at 12-8 with a 3.61 ERA across 157 innings, and while starting pitching hasn’t been the Cardinals’ strongest area, Pallante has likely been their best answer there.
Milwaukee is not treating this like a day to empty the bench. The roster situation doesn’t really allow that anyway, so the lineup is still built to compete.
William Contreras is getting a breather, and Joey Ortiz remains out as the team handles his knee carefully. Gary Sánchez and David Hamilton are in, with Jake Bauers, Turang, and Cooper Pratt filling the infield around them.
Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick are set from left to right in the outfield, and Christian Yelich is serving as the designated hitter in his role as the new captain.
In Other News...
Brewers Just Got A Joey Ortiz Update They Had To Hear
Joey Ortiz gave the Brewers a much-needed scare check on the injury front, but the early read appears encouraging. An MRI came back clean enough for manager Pat Murphy to describe the results as good, easing concern around the abdominal swelling and bruised knee that had put Ortiz in the spotlight as Milwaukee turns its attention to October.
Ortiz has become an important piece for the Brewers since his game took a real step forward in mid-June, and the team is counting on that version of him in the postseason. For now, the expectation is that hell be ready when the National League Division Series begins on October 3, which is the kind of update Milwaukee needed after a tense few days. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Yelich Had One Condition Before Accepting Brewers Captaincy
Christian Yelich has long been one of the steady voices inside the Brewers clubhouse, so it did not come as a shock when the club officially elevated him to captain. The move, Milwaukees first formal captaincy, came with Robin Younts blessing and was later confirmed by manager Pat Murphy, a reminder that this was as much about respect and presence as it was about production on the field.
Yelich will now wear a C on his jersey, placing him in a small group of active major leaguers with that distinction. The timing also suggests the Brewers were deliberate about making sure the role fit the person, not just the rsum, and there was one requirement Yelich wanted met before he said yes to the honor. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Woodruff Just Reached A Rehab Stage Brewers Fans Needed
Brandon Woodruff has reached a meaningful checkpoint in his rehab, getting medical approval to begin throwing off a mound as he works his way back. For a Brewers team that has been waiting on any encouraging signs from one of its most important arms, it is the kind of development that at least keeps the door cracked on a late-season return.
Pat Murphy still made it clear the odds remain long, and the club has not framed this as a sure thing. Woodruff was originally expected to need surgery, so the fact that he has continued recovering without it has already changed the conversation, even if the next steps now matter more than ever. [Read more 🡒]