The Brewers kept stacking wins this week, then took a couple of hard swings to close it out. Milwaukee opened with a three-game sweep of Cincinnati, got a Friday win over the Cubs, and then dropped the final two against Chicago. Even with the split at the end, the Brewers still sit in command at 50-31, with the Cubs at 46-38, the Cardinals at 43-38, the Pirates at 42-42, and the Reds at 39-43.
The week’s best work came on the mound, and it was Brandon-heavy. Brandon Sproat delivered the cleanest outing of the bunch, firing six scoreless innings against the Reds while allowing one hit and one hit batter and striking out 10.
Brandon Woodruff matched that tone across two scoreless starts, logging 11 2/3 innings against the Reds and Cubs with 16 strikeouts, only two hits allowed, and just two walks. Together, they helped fuel a run of pitching that kept Milwaukee in control for most of the week.
There was plenty of support behind them, too. Shane Drohan turned in 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his start, Trevor Megill worked four scoreless innings over four appearances, and Abner Uribe added 4 2/3 scoreless innings across four outings. Jacob Misiorowski went six innings and gave up one run while striking out eight, while Kyle Harrison pitched five innings of two-run ball and struck out nine.
At the plate, nobody fully separated from the pack, but William Contreras put together the strongest all-around line. He finished the week 6-for-18 with two home runs, four RBIs, three runs, and four walks, good for a .333/.455/.667 line. Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio each led the team with seven hits, though both did it in 26 at-bats and hit .269.
The roster churn was active all week. Milwaukee officially activated Brandon Woodruff from the injured list before Monday’s opener in Cincinnati, and he responded with six scoreless innings, one hit allowed, no walks, and 10 strikeouts.
To make room, Drew Rom was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Luis Rengifo was released on Tuesday after clearing waivers.
Abner Uribe’s suspension also became official on Wednesday after he dropped his appeal and served the one-game ban tied to his WWE-style crotch chops toward the Cardinals’ dugout in late May. Peter Strzelecki, who had previously opted out of an outright assignment to Nashville, returned to the organization on a minor league deal after being released by the Yankees, and he was back in Nashville by Thursday, where he earned the save in a scoreless inning. Jared Koenig came off the injured list on Friday after missing more than two months with a left elbow sprain, and Craig Yoho was optioned to Nashville in the corresponding move.
In Other News...
Logan Henderson Just Gave The Brewers Rotation A Much Needed Sign
Logan Hendersons first rehab start for Triple-A Nashville offered the Brewers exactly the kind of early encouragement they were hoping for after his low back strain sidelined him in late May. The right-hander worked three perfect innings, struck out seven and was lifted in the fourth after throwing 50 pitches, a sharp enough outing to suggest his stuff is still playing like it did before the injury interrupted his momentum.
Before getting hurt, Henderson had given Milwaukee a legitimate lift with a 2.74 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 23 innings, and the club has plenty of reason to keep tracking his recovery closely. His fastball was also sitting near his season level, another reassuring sign as he works his way back toward rejoining the rotation picture. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Let Cubs Steal Another Tight One At Home
A tight home series ended the way too many Brewers-Cubs games seem to lately, with Chicago finding just enough at the end to leave Milwaukee wanting more. The Cubs pulled out a 4-3 win in 10 innings in the finale, and the game had the sort of familiar tension that made every pitch feel heavier once the clubs were settled into a one-run battle.
Milwaukee did have its moments, including Gary Sanchez's home run that gave the home side an early spark, but the game tilted in the extra frame when Chicago pieced together a three-run burst. Jacob Webb picked up the win for the Cubs, while Jordan Wicks closed it out for Milwaukee after the Brewers' last chance fell short in a sequence that summed up how close this one stayed right until the end. [Read more 🡒]
One Familiar Arm Changed Everything For The Brewers This Week
The Brewers spent the week moving through six games against the Reds and Cubs, and the difference between a solid stretch and a frustrating one kept coming back to the same place: the mound. Milwaukee went 4-2 overall, with Brandon Woodruffs starts helping stabilize a rotation that needed a lift, while Joel Kuhnel handled the late innings when the Brewers had a lead to protect. Add in timely offense from Jake Bauers, William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell, and it was the kind of trip that hinted at how dangerous this club can be when pitching and bats line up at the same time.
The challenge now is figuring out whether that balance can hold once the schedule gets less forgiving. The Brewers got quality work from multiple arms against two division rivals, including a strong outing from Jacob Misiorowski and another scoreless turn from Woodruff later in the week, but they also saw how quickly a game can slip away when the bullpen has to cover for a starters exit. For a team trying to stack wins, the encouraging part is clear enough. The harder part is whether this week was a glimpse of whats coming, or just the latest reminder that the margin is still thin. [Read more 🡒]