Fresh off last night’s improbable win against the Cardinals, the Brewers go for a sweep this afternoon. For reference on how unlikely it was, here’s the FanGraphs win probability graph from last night.
The Brewers also clinched their postseason spot before yesterday’s game with a Mets loss, but the win put an exclamation point on the day. With that out of the way, the next goals are in sight for the Brewers. They have a magic number of eight
to clinch the NL Central and a first-round bye, and a magic number of 11 to guarantee home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
If you’re looking for some pre-game videos to watch, here are two for you. Christian Yelich spoke as the leader of the team about what making the postseason means for everyone. Also, manager Pat Murphy read a letter from Bob Uecker, who is watching from above.
Taking the mound today for the Brewers will be Jose Quintana. Despite an overall positive season, the success of the other starting pitchers means that he will have to fight for a spot on the postseason roster. Quintana is coming off a rough start against the Rangers, where he allowed five runs in 6 2/3 innings on just four hits and two walks. Almost all of that damage happened in a four-run fifth inning. He kept the Rangers in check most of the day, pitching four perfect innings before the disastrous fifth. Quintana is reliable for longer starts as he has pitched at least six innings in seven of his last 11 starts. This will be his third start against the Cardinals this season. He allowed just one run in five innings on April 27, then was roughed up for seven runs (five earned) on June 14.
Meanwhile, long-time adversary Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals. This will be his 21st career appearance (20th start) against the Brewers. They have faced him once this season, where he allowed two runs in six innings on June 15. Mikolas has a career 3.82 ERA against the Brewers and a 3.07 ERA at American Family Field. Overall, this season, he has a 4.84 ERA and 4.89 FIP in 28 starts for the Cardinals.
After driving in the winning run last night, Andrew Monasterio gets a start at shortstop this afternoon. Danny Jansen also gets a start at catcher as William Contreras gets the day off. Murphy will stick with the same starters at every other position.
First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CT. It’s back on the usual channels after yesterday’s national broadcast. FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and Telemundo Wisconsin will have the TV broadcast, and it will also be on the Brewers Radio Network as usual.
