The Brewers head into tonight’s matchup at Wrigley with the division cushion still intact, but the setup doesn’t look especially friendly for either side. Milwaukee sits at 85-53, Chicago at 78-60, and after last night’s slugfest, both clubs are asking a lot of their starters in conditions that figure to keep the ball in play and the pressure on the pitchers.
For Milwaukee, Robert Gasser gets the ball carrying some uneven road numbers. He’s in with a 5.10 ERA away from home, and hitters have done damage against him there, piling up 45 hits and nine home runs.
Still, he did show a better version of himself in his last outing, giving up one run across 5.1 innings. That was the first time he’d done that since August 1 against the Angels.
Chicago’s Matthew Boyd brings his own set of trouble spots into the matchup. He’s posted a 5.44 ERA in eight home starts, and the last two have gone sideways in a hurry, with at least five runs allowed in each. The Brewers have also been a rough opponent for him over the years: Boyd owns a 9.00 ERA in five starts against Milwaukee, with nine home runs, 16 walks and 30 hits allowed.
Offensively, both teams are leaning into power. The Brewers are sticking with the home run-heavy top of their order, while the Cubs are coming off a historic night in which they hit nine home runs, the second-most by an MLB team ever. Alex Bregman, who launched three of them, is slated to hit third again.
Milwaukee also made a pair of September moves before first pitch. The club recalled Bo Naylor from Triple-A Nashville, adding a third catcher to the active roster, and brought up left-hander JoJo Romero, who is set to make his Brewers debut. Before being dealt by the Cardinals, Romero had appeared in 44 games, logged 20 holds, and put up a 3.51 ERA.
The Brewers are trying to trim the division gap back to their biggest lead of the season, which reached eight games, while also evening the series. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m., with coverage on Brewers.TV, TBS and WTMJ620.
In Other News...
Former Brewers Reliever Gets Another Shot To Test Milwaukees Decision
Easton McGees path away from Milwaukee has already taken a few turns since the Brewers designated him for assignment and shipped him to Kansas City in July. He got a brief look with the Royals, then spent most of August in Triple-A, where the results were rough enough to push him back out of the spotlight for a while.
Now he is back on Kansas Citys major league roster as a September call-up, which gives him another chance to show he belongs in an MLB bullpen. For the Brewers, it is the kind of move that keeps a former arm on the radar and quietly reopens the question of whether the organization gave up on him too soon. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers May Have Found The Tweak Antonio Senzatela Needed
Antonio Senzatelas move to the Brewers has already come with a clearer role and a different pitch mix, but the early returns were uneven. After his transition from the Rockies rotation to the bullpen, he had found more success leaning on a cutter and four-seam fastball, yet Milwaukee initially had him working more with a sinker-cutter combination that did not produce the kind of results the club was hoping for.
The good news for the Brewers is that the answer may have been less about the pitch itself than where he was throwing it from. A later adjustment to Senzatelas position on the mound helped his sinker play better, giving Milwaukee a possible path to a more effective version of the right-hander as it continues to sort out how he fits into the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Deadline Gamble Is Turning Into An October Rotation Problem
When Milwaukee dealt for Dustin May at the deadline, the move was supposed to deepen a rotation the Brewers hoped would hold up into the stretch run. Instead, the right-hander has been searching for answers since arriving, and the early returns have been rough enough to change the tone around what was meant to be a stabilizing addition.
May has posted a 6.41 ERA in five appearances with Milwaukee, part of a season that has already been uneven overall. His 6-9 record and 4.69 ERA underscore why the Brewers were betting on upside when they brought him in, but the performance has not matched the ask, and it now looks unlikely the club will pick up his option for 2027. [Read more 🡒]