After a sweep at the hands of the Nationals to extend their losing streak to five, the Brewers will look to bounce back against yet another AL opponent this week, as they welcome the reigning AL Champion Toronto Blue Jays to American Family Field.
The Brewers are now 8-7 on the season, tied with the Cardinals for third place in the NL Central. On the other side, the Blue Jays sit tied for last with the Red Sox in the AL East at 6-9 on the season. Toronto’s offense has been a problem thus far, as they’ve
scored just 57 runs, fewer than all other AL teams with the exception of the Royals and White Sox. The pitching staff has also allowed 82 runs, giving them a -25-run differential, the second-worst mark in all of baseball (ahead of only the -30 mark by the White Sox).
The latest addition to Milwaukee’s injured list will be designated hitter/outfielder Christian Yelich, who exited Sunday’s game with left hamstring tightness. Manager Pat Murphy indicated after the game that it would likely be bad news for Yelich, meaning we can all but guarantee he’ll find himself on the IL before this series. Kyle Harrison and Brandon Sproat are both considered day-to-day with knee injuries suffered in Saturday’s loss, but neither injury seems to be of much concern. The rest of the IL includes Quinn Priester (May return), Jackson Chourio (late April), Andrew Vaughn (mid-May), Rob Zastryzny (May), Craig Yoho (mid-April), and Jared Koenig (May).
Toronto is also without their DH/outfielder George Springer, who went on the IL over the weekend with a toe fracture that will keep him out for at least the minimum 10 days. Catcher Tyler Heineman is day-to-day with back spasms, and utilityman Addison Barger is expected to return in the next week or so as he deals with an ankle sprain. Catcher Alejandro Kirk is out until May with a thumb fracture, and outfielder Anthony Santander could miss the entire season with an ACL sprain. The pitching side isn’t much better for the Jays, as Trey Yesavage (late April return), Shane Bieber (late May), José Berríos (May), Yimi García (late April), former Brewer draftee Cody Ponce (likely to miss 2026 season), Bowden Francis (out for season), and Ricky Tiedemann (week to week) are all out in the early going for Toronto.
Milwaukee’s offense is led in homers by Jake Bauers and Gary Sánchez, who both homered on Sunday to give them four on the season. Brice Turang, who slugged a pair of homers on Sunday, leads the offense overall, as he’s hitting .298/.441/.617 with three homers, four doubles, a triple, nine RBIs, 14 runs scored, and five steals in 13 games this season. William Contreras, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Ortiz round out the rest of the regulars offensively, while David Hamilton, Brandon Lockridge, Blake Perkins, Luis Matos, and Luis Rengifo fill the utility roles. Yelich’s replacement will join that group on Tuesday. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .236/.339/.387 (.726 OPS ranks fifth), with 16 homers (tied for eighth), 80 runs scored (fifth), and 24 steals (first).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains the top hitter for the Jays, as he’s hitting .321/.446/.434 with a homer, three doubles, five RBIs, six runs, and a steal. Ernie Clement leads the team with 19 hits in 15 games, including five doubles, as he’s hitting .311 for the season. Five players are tied for the team lead with two homers — Andrés Giménez, Kazuma Okamoto, Jesús Sánchez, Daulton Varsho, and the injured Springer. Eloy Jiménez, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, Tyler Fitzgerald, Tyler Heineman, and Brandon Valenzuela round out the offense. As a team, the Jays are hitting .242/.318/.375 (.693 OPS ranks 13th), with 14 homers (tied for 17th), 57 runs scored (25th), and seven steals (tied for 23rd).
The Brewer bullpen is anchored by Aaron Ashby and Grant Anderson. Ashby has made nine appearances spanning 12 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and striking out a bullpen-best 19 batters. Anderson has made eight appearances spanning 8 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out nine. Angel Zerpa was off to a strong start but got roughed up on Sunday afternoon, while DL Hall has yet to allow a run with 10 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. Abner Uribe also got roughed up on Sunday, and Trevor Megill had a dismal night on Friday, leaving their ERAs in the dumps (Uribe at 5.06, Megill at 11.25). Jake Woodford and Easton McGee round out Murphy’s innings eaters for the bullpen. As a staff, the Brewers have a 4.16 team ERA (19th), including a 4.57 starter ERA (22nd) and a 3.74 bullpen ERA (12th). They’ve struck out 142 batters (tied for 10th) over 132 innings.
Jeff Hoffman, Louis Varland, and Mason Fluharty sit atop Toronto’s bullpen in terms of appearances, with very different results. Varland has allowed just two unearned runs with 13 strikeouts over nine innings; Hoffman has a 2.35 ERA with 17 strikeouts and two saves in four chances over 7 2/3 innings; and Fluharty has a 6.75 ERA with eight strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Tyler Rogers and Braydon Fisher have also not allowed any earned runs, combining for 15 strikeouts over 16 innings. Tommy Nance, Spencer Miles, and Joe Mantiply have all struggled in the early going for Toronto’s bullpen. As a staff, the Jays have a 4.81 team ERA (27th), including a 5.20 starter ERA (28th) and a 4.48 bullpen ERA (20th). They’ve struck out 168 batters (first) over 136 2/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Tuesday, April 14 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-1, 3.31 ERA, 3.33 FIP) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.08 ERA, 1.24 FIP)
Misiorowski has made three starts this season and continues to rack up the strikeouts, with 28 punchies in just 16 1/3 innings (15.4 K/9 leads the majors). He’s also continued to struggle with command, as he has nine walks and two hits batters this season, along with eight hits allowed. His last start against the Red Sox is a perfect example of that dichotomy, as he went 5 1/3 innings but lost his command in the sixth — he struck out 10 but allowed three runs on four walks, a hit batter, and two hits. This marks his first career start against the Blue Jays.
Gausman, 35, is off to a great start despite Toronto’s disappointing results. Through three starts, the 14-year veteran has a 2.08 ERA and 1.24 FIP, striking out 26 across 17 1/3 innings. He’s allowed four runs on nine hits and a pair of walks. Three of those runs came in his last outing against the Dodgers, when he went 5 1/3 innings and allowed six hits and two walks with five strikeouts on 84 pitches. Gausman has made seven career appearances (five starts) against Milwaukee, with a 1.51 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 35 2/3 innings. That includes seven innings of one-run ball in a no-decision last season.
Wednesday, April 15 @ 6:40 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Dylan Cease (0-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.65 FIP)
The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for either of the last two games of this series, but this would be Chad Patrick’s turn in the rotation. Through three appearances (two starts) this season, Patrick has a 0.73 ERA, a 4.28 FIP, and seven strikeouts over 12 1/3 innings. While he’s dealt with a decent amount of traffic (12 hits and five walks), he’s done a good job limiting the damage, with just one run allowed to this point. His last appearance came Friday night against the Nationals, as he went three scoreless innings in relief of the opener, Aaron Ashby. He allowed three hits and a walk, failing to record a strikeout in his shortened outing. This would mark his first career appearance against the Blue Jays.
Cease, 30, signed a huge seven-year, $175 million contract with Toronto this offseason. Now in his eighth MLB season, Cease has made three starts thus far, with a 2.45 ERA and 1.65 FIP, allowing six runs (four earned) with 26 strikeouts over 14 2/3 innings. His last start came against the Dodgers, when he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over five innings. Cease has made four career starts against Milwaukee, with a 3.18 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. He went five innings while with the Padres in September, allowing one run and striking out eight in a no-decision.
Thursday, April 16 @ 12:40 p.m.: TBD vs. LHP Patrick Corbin (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 10.40 FIP)
Brandon Sproat got off to a rough start for Milwaukee this year, but his stats have inched closer to league-average after a solid outing on Saturday night. Over three appearances (one start) this year, Sproat has a 10.45 ERA, with 12 runs allowed over 10 1/3 innings, allowing 14 hits and 10 walks with 10 strikeouts. As I said, though, he looked a lot better in a long-relief role against Washington on Saturday, spanning 3 2/3 innings with one run allowed on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. As is the case for Miz and Patrick, this would mark his first career appearance against the Blue Jays.
Corbin, 36, was signed earlier this month after Toronto’s myriad of pitching injuries. He made his first and only start of the season on Friday against the Twins, when he allowed four runs on six hits, a walk, and two hit batters over four innings, striking out three. Corbin has made 14 appearances (13 starts) against Milwaukee in his career, with a 4.72 ERA and 71 strikeouts over 74 1/3 innings, though he hasn’t faced the Brewers since 2023 while with the Nationals.
How to Watch & Listen
Tuesday, April 14: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Wednesday, April 15: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Thursday, April 16: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
These were two of the best teams in baseball a year ago, but both are off to disappointing starts through 15 games. That being said, the Blue Jays have their best pitching lined up against Milwaukee’s ice-cold offense. I’ll take the Jays to take two of three over the Crew.
