The Milwaukee Brewers are staying out West through the weekend, as they’ll head to Los Angeles to visit the Dodgers for four games beginning Thursday night. Milwaukee has had a rough go of it out West this year, as they’re now 4-7 in California and Las Vegas entering Wednesday’s series finale against the Padres. Outside of California and Las Vegas? Milwaukee is 70-39, a 104-win pace.
On the other side, the Dodgers had a rough stretch around the trade deadline earlier this month, losing seven straight
and eight of nine against the Red Sox, Cubs, and D-backs before winning the first two games of their three-game set with the Royals this week. At 72-48, the Dodgers are two games behind Milwaukee for the best record in baseball and tied with the Braves for the No. 2 seed in the NL, which comes with a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Brewers have dealt with a series of injuries to their infield, as Cooper Pratt is on the IL with a hamstring strain, Joey Ortiz has been considered day-to-day with neck tightness, and Brice Turang is reportedly dealing with a sprained thumb. Infield prospect Jett Williams was also removed from a game over the weekend with another hand injury in his first at-bat back from the IL. The only other position player on the IL is outfielder Sal Frelick, who is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville. On the pitching side, JoJo Romero is close to a rehab assignment after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in July, Joel Kuhnel is currently on a rehab assignment, and Rob Zastryzny has been listed as TBD after being taken off his rehab assignment in early July. Brandon Woodruff, Brian Fitzpatrick, Quinn Priester, and Angel Zerpa are all out for the season.
The Dodgers are without catchers Will Smith (September return) and Dalton Rushing (out for season), as well as a long list of pitchers. Shohei Ohtani, who has continued to DH, hasn’t pitched since early July as he deals with knee and biceps injuries. Will Klein (out for season), Brock Stewart (close to returning), Blake Treinen (September), Tyler Glasnow (on rehab assignment), Kris Bubic (September), Gavin Stone (September), Bobby Miller (September), Ben Casparius (on rehab assignment), Brusdar Graterol (TBD), and former Brewer Jake Cousins (out for season) are also on the IL.
Jake Bauers continues to set the pace for the Crew with 21 homers, followed by Jackson Chourio at 17 and Turang at 16. William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, David Hamilton, Ortiz, and Luis Lara are also regulars at this point, with Brandon Lockridge, Jihwan Bae, and Gary Sánchez serving as depth. As a team, Milwaukee is hitting .252/.336/.396 (.732 OPS ranks tied for seventh), with 110 homers (last), 589 runs (fifth), and 118 steals (fifth).
Ohtani leads Los Angeles with 26 homers this season, with Max Muncy (22 homers), and Andy Pages (19 homers) just behind him. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernández are still regulars for the Dodgers, and the team also added Kyle Tucker in the offseason. Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia are splitting catching duties, and Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas, Enrique Hernández, and Alex Call round things out. As a team, the Dodgers are hitting .261/.338/.428 (.766 OPS ranks second), with 152 homers (seventh), 602 runs (tied for third), and 46 steals (28th).
Aaron Ashby continues to lead Milwaukee’s bullpen with 55 appearances, pitching to a 3.56 ERA, 94 strikeouts, and team-high 13 wins over 65 2/3 innings. Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill have both been great, and Chad Patrick and DL Hall also sit in high-leverage roles. With a six-man rotation, Milwaukee’s bullpen is rounded out by Antonio Senzatela and on-again, off-again reliever Bryse Wilson, who the team re-signed this week after designating him for assignment just a few days earlier. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.54 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.56 starter ERA (fifth) and a 3.51 bullpen ERA (fourth). They’ve struck out 1,169 batters (second) over 1,071 2/3 innings.
The Dodger bullpen is led by Alex Vesia (2.81 ERA over 41 2/3 innings), Tanner Scott (2.27 ERA over 47 2/3 innings), Edgardo Henriquez (3.02 ERA over 47 2/3 innings), and Jack Dreyer (3.14 ERA over 48 2/3 innings). Closer Edwin Díaz has had a rough season, pitching to a 9.82 ERA and three blown saves in just 11 innings, while former Brewer Eric Lauer has worked in a swing starter-reliever role with a 3.72 ERA over 55 2/3 innings. The usually reliable Evan Phillips has also struggled with a 5.73 ERA over 11 innings, and the newest addition is former Rockie Seth Halvorsen, who picked up the win with a scoreless inning in his team debut on Tuesday after returning from the IL. As a staff, the Dodgers have a 3.72 team ERA (seventh), including a 3.54 starter ERA (fourth) and a 4.02 bullpen ERA (16th). They’ve struck out 1,073 batters (tied for seventh) over 1,059 2/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Thursday, August 13 @ 9:10 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.87 ERA, 3.34 FIP) vs. RHP Roki Sasaki (5-5, 4.54 ERA, 4.95 FIP)
Drohan, who has been fairly consistent this season with a respectable 3.87 ERA, 3.34 FIP, and 93 strikeouts over 93 innings, is coming off one of his worst starts, as he allowed six runs on nine hits and four walks, striking out four across five innings in an 8-6 loss to the Twins. Drohan made two relief appearances against the Dodgers back in May, totaling 4 1/3 innings with three runs allowed (two earned) on three hits and two walks, striking out seven.
Sasaki, 24, is in year No. 2 with Los Angeles, and things have still not quite panned out for the right-hander. He’s made 20 starts this year, with a 4.54 ERA, 4.95 FIP, and 106 strikeouts across 105 innings. Despite those disappointing season numbers, he’s been solid in his last five starts, totaling 30 innings with nine runs allowed (eight earned) for a 2.40 ERA, striking out 31. Sasaki, who faced Milwaukee in relief last postseason, made his lone start against the Crew back in May of this year, earning the win as he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out four over five frames.
Friday, August 14 @ 9:10 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.57 ERA, 4.51 FIP) vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-7, 2.65 ERA, 3.43 FIP)
Gasser, in his third season with Milwaukee, just surpassed 100 career innings in his last outing against the Twins. For his career, the left-hander now has a 3.93 ERA, 4.33 FIP, and 82 strikeouts over 100 2/3 innings through 20 starts. He struggled a bit with his command last weekend, but the bullpen and offense picked him up enough to leave him with a no-decision. Across 4 2/3 innings in that one, he allowed three runs on seven hits, two walks, and two hit batters while striking out three. Gasser’s lone appearance against the Dodgers came back in May, when he went 4 1/3 innings with four runs allowed on four hits and four walks, striking out four in a loss.
Yamamoto, 28 next week, is firmly in the NL Cy Young race for the second consecutive season. Across 21 starts this year, he’s 11-7 with a 2.65 ERA, 3.43 FIP, and 127 strikeouts over 139 1/3 innings. He went 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the D-backs in his last outing, allowing three hits, three walks, and a hit batter while striking out six. Yamamoto, who dominated Milwaukee in last year’s NLCS, has made two regular-season starts against the Brewers with very different results. After allowing five runs (three earned) and recording just two outs in a loss last July, he went seven strong against them back in May, allowing one run on seven hits, a walk, and a hit batter, striking out three.
Saturday, August 15 @ 6:15 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (11-5, 1.76 ERA, 2.16 FIP) vs. LHP Justin Wrobleski (11-4, 3.44 ERA, 4.13 FIP)
Misiorowski, who surpassed the 200-strikeout mark on Sunday against the Twins, is set to make his 23rd start of the season as he looks to solidify his Cy Young candidacy. The young right-hander is 11-5 with a 1.76 ERA, 2.16 FIP, and 204 strikeouts over 133 innings this year. He went six innings against Minnesota, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk, striking out nine. Misiorowski faced the Dodgers last July, earning the win as he allowed one run on four hits and a walk, striking out 12 over six innings.
Wrobleski, 26, has made 20 appearances (19 starts) this year, with a 3.44 ERA, 4.13 FIP, and 94 strikeouts across 120 1/3 innings. The left-hander is coming off a stretch of rough starts the last couple of weeks, allowing 16 runs (15 earned) over 13 2/3 innings (9.88 ERA, 11.13 FIP) in losses against the Mariners, Cubs, and D-backs. He’s made two starts against Milwaukee, one in July 2024 and one back in May. He took the loss both times, as he’s allowed nine runs over 10 innings, striking out eight.
Sunday, August 16 @ 3:10 p.m.: RHP Logan Henderson (6-2, 2.88 ERA, 3.35 FIP) vs. LHP Tarik Skubal (7-6, 2.93 ERA, 2.79 FIP)
Henderson has quickly become one of the best pitchers on Milwaukee’s staff, as he has a 2.88 ERA, 3.35 FIP, and 69 strikeouts across 56 1/3 innings through 11 starts this season. He allowed three runs for just the second time in his career on Monday night in San Diego, though the last two of those runs came in that fateful seventh inning as he went 6 1/3 frames, allowing five hits (two homers) and a walk while striking out seven. Henderson picked up a win against the Dodgers back in May, going five innings with no runs allowed on two hits and three walks, striking out seven.
Skubal, 29, was, as we all know, the prize of this year’s trade deadline. He’ll go head-to-head with Henderson, who was reportedly the main target of the Tigers in initial trade discussions for Skubal (the Brewers reportedly refused to include Henderson in any package). Alas, here he is set to face Milwaukee again. While he has a sub-3.00 ERA and FIP for the season, he hasn’t been great in two starts with the Dodgers, totaling 11 innings with five earned runs (4.09 ERA), striking out 12. The left-hander has made one start against Milwaukee in each of the last three seasons, totaling 19 2/3 innings with a 2.29 ERA and 24 strikeouts.
How to Watch & Listen
Thursday, August 13: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Friday, August 14: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, August 15: Nationally televised on Fox/Fox One; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, August 16: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
Milwaukee has really struggled on the West Coast this season, and things won’t get any easier against the Dodgers, who are deploying arguably their four best starters. I still think Milwaukee gets a series split to keep pace with L.A.
