The Milwaukee Brewers, who have officially locked up the NL Central, have just three three-game series left this season, and they’re still looking to lock up the top seed in all of baseball at 95-58 this year, two games ahead of the Dodgers at 93-60. On the other side, the Baltimore Orioles sit at 75-78 and are surprisingly still in the AL playoff picture despite sitting in last place in the very deep AL East, sitting just 2.5 games behind the White Sox for the final AL Wild Card spot with nine games to go.
Baltimore is coming off a series sweep of the Mets in New York.
Milwaukee’s injured list currently includes right-handers Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson, both of whom started rehab assignments with Triple-A Nashville this week and hope to return before the end of the regular season. The Brewers are also without Brandon Woodruff (possible postseason return), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season).
Baltimore is without infielder Jackson Holliday (return TBD), outfielder Christian Franklin (late September), outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (TBD), utilityman Blaze Alexander (late September), first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (TBD), infielder Jordan Westburg (out for season), and outfielder Tyler O’Neill (TBD). Pitchers Zach Eflin (out for season), Keegan Akin (out for season), Colin Selby (out for season), Ryan Helsley (on rehab assignment), Félix Bautista (on rehab assignment), and Kyle Bradish (out for season).
Jake Bauers continues to pace Milwaukee’s offense with 26 homers, slashing .269/.394/.497 this season. Jackson Chourio is hitting .286/.343/.481 with 23 homers and 17 steals, putting him on the cusp of another 20-20 season. Brice Turang, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, and Joey Ortiz have also been hot, with Gary Sánchez, Andrew Vaughn, Sal Frelick, David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, and Bo Naylor also slotting in as regular contributors, especially over these last couple of weeks as Milwaukee hopes to rest their regulars. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .259/.342/.405 (.747 OPS ranks fourth), with 147 homers (tied for 28th), 792 runs scored (second), and 148 steals (fifth).
Pete Alonso paces Baltimore’s offense with 37 homers, 24 doubles, and an AL-best 102 RBIs this season, as he hit his 300th career homer earlier this week. Coby Mayo has 24 homers, and Gunnar Henderson has added 23 homers, while rookie catcher Samuel Basallo has 18 homers. Former Red Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, and Leody Taveras are also regulars, with Rece Hinds, Heston Kjerstad, Jeremiah Jackson, José Barrero, Carlos Narváez, and Yohel Pozo rounding things out. As a team, the Orioles are hitting .234/.315/.396 (.711 OPS ranks tied for 22nd), with 188 homers (10th), 688 runs scored (13th), and 76 steals (25th).
Aaron Ashby’s 72 appearances pace the Milwaukee bullpen, though the best arms have been Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and, lately, clean-up man Garrett Stallings, who hasn’t allowed a run across 14 major league innings. Chad Patrick, DL Hall, and Shane Drohan (recently moved to the bullpen) have also been solid, and trade deadline acquisitions JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela have shown flashes of their previous successes. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.58 team ERA (second), including a 3.66 starter ERA (fifth) and a 3.47 bullpen ERA (fourth). They’ve struck out 1,467 batters (second) over 1,365 2/3 innings.
Rico Garcia leads Baltimore’s bullpen with a 2.94 ERA over 72 appearances, picking up nine saves, second only to Andrew Kittredge’s 10 saves. Kittredge has a 3.66 ERA over 53 appearances, Grant Wolfram has a 4.56 ERA over 57 appearances, and Yennier Cano has a 3.06 ERA over 65 appearances. Anthony Nunez (3.97 ERA over 56 2/3 IP), Josh Walker (1.61 ERA over 28 IP), Alex Hoppe (1.42 ERA over 12 2/3 IP), Cam Sanders (3.00 ERA over 18 IP), Luis De León (2.45 ERA over 7 1/3 IP), and Brewer trade deadline acquisition Codi Heuer (no appearances) round things out. As a staff, the Orioles have a 4.14 team ERA (15th), including a 4.36 starter ERA (19th) and a 3.84 bullpen ERA (10th). They’ve struck out 1,229 batters (22nd) over 1,364 1/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, September 18 @ 6:05 p.m.: RHP Dustin May (7-9, 4.49 ERA, 3.42 FIP) vs. LHP Cade Povich (2-1, 4.05 ERA, 4.81 FIP)
May has now made seven starts since joining Milwaukee at the trade deadline. He’s 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA, 4.46 FIP, and 27 strikeouts over 29 1/3 innings with the Brewers, and he’s coming off one of his best starts yet, going six scoreless frames and allowing just two hits and a walk, striking out six in Milwaukee’s 20-0 blowout victory over the Reds. May has made two career appearances (one start) against Baltimore, totaling eight innings with two runs allowed (2.25 ERA) and seven strikeouts.
Povich, 26, is currently with Triple-A Norfolk, though he was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday and is expected to start this weekend. The left-hander has made just seven appearances (six starts) in the majors this year, with a 4.05 ERA, 4.81 FIP, and 25 strikeouts across 33 1/3 innings, and he’s been even worse at Triple-A, with a 6.28 ERA and 69 strikeouts across 61 2/3 innings. Povich has never appeared against the Brewers.
Saturday, September 19 @ 3:05 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (4-5, 4.30 ERA, 4.32 FIP) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (10-10, 4.22 ERA, 3.63 FIP)
Gasser, who is still auditioning for a spot in Milwaukee’s rotation come postseason time, has made 19 appearances (18 starts) this season, pitching to a 4-5 record with a 4.30 ERA, 4.32 FIP, and 92 strikeouts across 96 1/3 innings. The former second-round pick looked solid once again in Sunday’s loss to the Reds, allowing one run on three hits and a pair of walks, striking out five in a no-decision. This marks Gasser’s first career appearance against Baltimore.
Rogers, 28, was the runner up in the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year race and was acquired by the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2024. After a great season last year (5.3 bWAR with a 1.81 ERA and 2.82 FIP over 109 2/3 innings), he’s regressed a bit this year, pitching to a 10-10 record with a 4.22 ERA, 3.63 FIP, and 143 strikeouts over 157 2/3 innings. He got roughed up by the Blue Jays in his last outing, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk over six frames, striking out five. Rogers had made five starts against Milwaukee, all of which came while with the Marlins. He’s 4-0 in those outings, with a 2.84 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings.
Sunday, September 20 @ 6:20 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Brandon Young (9-4, 3.65 ERA, 4.57 FIP)
The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for Sunday’s series finale, but it could be Jacob Misiorowski, Shane Drohan, a bullpen game, or somebody else. We’ll see.
Young, 28, made 12 starts with little success (6.24 ERA) last season, but he’s been much better this year, with a 3.65 ERA, 4.57 FIP, and 118 strikeouts over 145 2/3 innings through 26 starts. He went five frames against the Mets in his last outing, allowing one run on five hits and five walks, striking out six. This would mark Young’s first career appearance against the Brewers.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, September 18: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, September 19: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, September 20: Exclusively televised on Peacock/NBC Sports Network; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
The Orioles are still fighting for their playoff lives while the Brewers are looking to lock up the top seed in the National League (and all of baseball), making for an exciting late-season weekend set. I’ll take the Crew to win two of three.
