The Milwaukee Brewers will enjoy what feels like their 20th off day on Monday in Milwaukee before hosting the San Diego Padres for three games beginning Tuesday evening. The Crew, coming off a big three-game sweep of the Yankees, is sitting at 22-16 on the season, tied with the Cardinals for second place in the NL Central. The Padres, coming off a 2-2 series split with the Cardinals, are 24-16 this season and find themselves tied atop the NL West with the Dodgers.
After getting Jackson Chourio and
Andrew Vaughn back last week, the Brewers are still waiting on Christian Yelich to rejoin the lineup. It seems possible — if not likely — that Yelich could be ready for this series. The team also lost outfielder Brandon Lockridge on a nasty slide that injured his right knee on Friday night, an injury that is likely to keep him out for at least a few weeks/a month, though it seems he avoided the worst-case scenario as initial X-rays came back negative. For the pitching staff, Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, and lefty relievers Angel Zerpa, Rob Zastryzny, and Jared Koenig are all out. Woodruff is set to resume throwing this week, meaning he could be back in the next week or two, while Priester’s return is TBD after dealing with shoulder soreness during his rehab assignment. Zerpa is out for the season as he’ll undergo Tommy John surgery today, and Zastryzny and Koenig are both targeting late May/early June returns.
The Padres IL is a balanced mix of pitchers and position players. On the pitching front, San Diego is without Jhony Brito (midseason), Joe Musgrove (second half), Nick Pivetta (midseason), Bryan Hoeing (out for season), and Yu Darvish (out for season) with serious injuries. Germán Márquez is also out until at least June with a forearm injury. On the offensive side, the team is without Jake Cronenworth, who is in concussion protocol, and catcher Luis Campusano, who went on the IL last week with a big toe fracture, keeping him out until at least late May.
Brice Turang leads Milwaukee’s offense through the first month-plus of the season, as he has six homers, eight doubles, and is hitting .298/.422/.511 overall. William Contreras and Chourio round out the heart of the lineup, while Jake Bauers and Gary Sánchez have also been key contributors, especially on the power front. The returning Vaughn is another major boost to the lineup, and Tyler Black, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, David Hamilton, Blake Perkins, Luis Rengifo, and Joey Ortiz round things out. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .240/.333/.353 (.686 OPS ranks tied for 24th), with 26 homers (tied for last), 195 runs (eighth), and 40 steals (tied for fourth).
The leaders of San Diego’s offense are probably not who you’d think. Xander Bogaerts leads the team with seven homers, and Manny Machado is right behind him with six (though he’s hitting just .191/.294/.353 on the season). Ty France has had quite a bit of success, albeit in a small sample size, as he’s only played in 23 games, while Jackson Merrill, Gavin Sheets, and Ramón Laureano have also been key pieces offensively. Fernando Tatis Jr. has no homers, though he has driven in 15, scored 14 runs, and has 10 steals through 39 games.
Freddy Fermin, Miguel Andujar, Rodolfo Durán, Sung-Mun Song, Nick Castellanos, and Bryce Johnson round out the active roster. As a team, the Padres are hitting .223/.297/.370 (.667 OPS ranks tied for 27th), with 39 homers (20th), 170 runs (tied for 19th), and 40 steals (tied for fourth).
Aaron Ashby leads Milwaukee’s bullpen with 19 appearances, spanning 26 innings with a 2.08 ERA, a perfect 7-0 record, and 41 strikeouts. Grant Anderson and DL Hall have been the other fairly reliable arms, while Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill have also been solid pieces, even if their ERAs may not show it. Jake Woodford has been a key low-leverage piece for Milwaukee, with Shane Drohan and Brian Fitzpatrick rounding things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.43 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.44 starter ERA (sixth) and a 3.42 bullpen ERA (eighth). They’ve struck out 366 batters (fifth) over 338 1/3 innings.
Mason Miller leads the Padres’ pitching staff in virtually every category. Across a team-high 18 appearances, he’s a perfect 12-for-12 in save chances with just two runs allowed (0.96 ERA) and 38 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings. Adrian Morejon, the only other reliever with 18 appearances, has a less-than-sterling 5.57 ERA, while Wandy Peralta (3.00 ERA over 18 IP), Bradgley Rodriguez (1.83 ERA over 19 2/3 IP), and Jason Adam (1.50 ERA over 12 IP) are the other key pieces. Ron Marinaccio (4.37 ERA over 22 2/3 IP), Jeremiah Estrada (3.97 ERA over 11 1/3 IP), and Yuki Matsui (2 2/3 scoreless innings in one appearance since IL stint) round out the bullpen for San Diego. As a staff, the Padres have a 4.07 team ERA (15th), including a 4.55 starter ERA (23rd) and a 3.50 bullpen ERA (ninth). They’ve struck out 350 batters (12th) over 358 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Tuesday, May 12 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (0-2, 5.87 ERA, 6.00 FIP) vs. RHP Matt Waldron (1-1, 7.71 ERA, 5.43 FIP)
Entering his 10th career start (12th career appearance) in his second season, Sproat is still seeking his first major league win as he’s 0-4 with a 5.44 ERA thus far in his young career. The 25-year-old righty had a solid outing against the Cardinals in his last appearance, going four scoreless innings, allowing three walks, a hit, and a hit batter to go with five strikeouts on 76 pitches. This marks Sproat’s first career appearance against San Diego.
Waldron, 29, is in his fourth MLB season, all with the Padres. After making 27 appearances (26 starts) in 2024, he’s had a 7.71 ERA over five appearances (four starts) in 2025 and 2026. Waldron tossed five innings after an opener in his last appearance against the Giants, picking up the win, allowing just one run on two hits (including a solo homer) and striking out seven on just 67 pitches. Waldron has never pitched against the Brewers.
Wednesday, May 13 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (3-2, 2.45 ERA, 2.63 FIP) vs. RHP Michael King (3-2, 2.76 ERA, 3.87 FIP)
Misiorowski, 24, is also in his second major league season, though he’s had quite a bit more success compared to Sproat. Over 23 career appearances (22 starts), Miz has a 3.60 ERA, 3.22 FIP, and 157 strikeouts over just 110 innings, including an MLB-leading 70 strikeouts over 44 innings this year. He’s coming off back-to-back wins against the Nationals and Yankees, totaling 11 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits and four walks allowed, striking out 19, including 11 against the mighty New York lineup. This marks Misiorowski’s first career appearance against San Diego.
King, 31 later this month, is in his eighth MLB season and third with the Padres after spending the first five with the Yankees. The former 12th-round pick has made eight starts this season, with a 2.76 ERA, 3.87 FIP, and 45 strikeouts across 45 2/3 innings. He took a no-decision against the Cardinals in his last outing, going six innings with one run allowed on two walks and a hit (a solo homer), striking out six in a 2-1 loss. King has made three career starts against Milwaukee, including a pair while with the Padres. He’s 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 27 strikeouts across 18 2/3 innings in those games.
Thursday, May 14 @ 12:40 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (3-1, 2.41 ERA, 3.28 FIP) vs. RHP Griffin Canning (0-1, 6.75 ERA, 3.56 FIP)
Harrison, 24, has had a great start to his Milwaukee tenure after being acquired this offseason from the Red Sox. Over seven starts this year, he has a 2.41 ERA, 3.28 FIP, and 41 strikeouts across 33 2/3 innings, allowing two runs or fewer in all seven outings. He took a no-decision in an abbreviated start on Saturday night against the Yankees, going just four innings with two runs allowed on four hits and four walks, striking out six. Harrison has made three career starts against San Diego, all during his time with the Giants. He’s totaled 16 innings, with a 1-1 record, a 7.31 ERA, and 13 strikeouts against the Padres.
Canning, who turns 30 on Monday, is in his seventh MLB season and first as a Padre after agreeing to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. After missing the second half of last season and the beginning of this year due to left Achilles surgery, Canning was activated earlier this month and has made two starts this season. After going five innings and allowing one run on three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in his season debut against the White Sox, he got hit hard for six runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out five in a loss against the Cardinals in his last outing. The longtime Angel made his only career appearance against Milwaukee while with Los Angeles, taking the loss in a 2024 start where he went five innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts.
How to Watch & Listen
Tuesday, May 12: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Wednesday, May 13: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Thursday, May 14: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
The Padres have been a consistent threat over the last several years, making the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. This should be a fun midweek battle, but I’ll take the Crew to win two of three to wrap up the homestand.
