The Milwaukee Brewers, winners of three straight, are set to host the Minnesota Twins for a three-game set this weekend. At 72-43 on the season, Milwaukee has the best record in baseball, a full 2.5 games ahead of the Braves, who currently boast a 69-45 record after rattling off seven straight wins (paired with six straight losses for the Dodgers, who are now 69-46).
On the other side, the Twins were somewhat surprising buyers at the trade deadline, though they’ve lost four straight and sit three
games under .500 entering Thursday. Even so, they’re just four games back in the AL Central and one game back in the AL Wild Card race, as the entire league looks wide open and for the taking with less than two months to go.
Milwaukee’s injuries currently include first baseman Jake Bauers (day to day with abdominal soreness), outfielder Sal Frelick (close to a rehab assignment), and several pitchers, including new acquisition JoJo Romero (mid- to late August return after undergoing an emergency appendectomy), Joel Kuhnel (on a rehab assignment), Rob Zastryzny (TBD), Brandon Woodruff (out for season), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season).
The Twins’ only position player currently injured is Byron Buxton, who went on the IL at the end of July with a right hip strain. He received an injection and his timetable for return is TBD. On the mound, Minnesota is without Cole Sands (out for season), David Festa (out for season), Mike Paredes (TBD), Mick Abel (TBD), Anthony Banda (out for season), Pablo López (out for season), and Joe Ryan, who had general lower-body discomfort after his last start and is currently listed as TBD for his next start (he would normally be slated to pitch in Sunday’s series finale opposite Jacob Misiorowski).
Offensively, Bauers leads the Crew with 20 homers, with Brice Turang at 16 homers and Jackson Chourio at 15 homers after a solid series against the Pirates. Cooper Pratt, Andrew Vaughn, and Garrett Mitchell have also been solid producers over the last few weeks, and William Contreras, Christian Yelich, and Gary Sánchez have shown some semblance of their All-Star selves lately. David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Luis Lara, and Brandon Lockridge round things out. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .253/.336/.398 (.734 OPS ranks seventh), with 106 homers (last), 571 runs (fifth), and 115 steals (fourth).
With Buxton shelved, Kody Clemens, Brooks Lee, and Josh Bell lead the Twins’ offense in homers, as Clemens has 19, Lee has 16, and Bell has 14. Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach lead the team in batting average at .283 and .280, respectively, and former Brewer Alex Jackson has also been solid in limited opportunities, hitting .308/.338/.415 across 27 games. Fellow former Brewer Victor Caratini rounds out the catching depth, and Luke Keaschall, Royce Lewis, Ryan Kreidler, and Wisconsin native Alan Roden are also regulars. Tristan Gray and Austin Martin are depth pieces for Minnesota. As a team, the Twins are hitting .243/.317/.405 (.722 OPS ranks tied for 12th), with 136 homers (tied for 13th), 535 runs (ninth), and 69 steals (17th).
Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, and Chad Patrick anchor Milwaukee’s bullpen, with DL Hall, newly acquired Antonio Senzatela, and Bryse Wilson rounding the group out as the Crew is currently rolling with a six-man rotation and seven-man bullpen amid a stretch of 17 games in 17 days. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.44 team ERA (second), including a 3.36 starter ERA (first) and a 3.54 bullpen ERA (fourth). They’ve struck out 1,128 batters (first) over 1,027 2/3 innings.
The Twins have had one of the most inconsistent bullpens in baseball. Just look at their monthly splits:
March/April: 5.15 ERA
May: 4.40 ERA
June: 6.94 ERA
July: 2.86 ERA
August (through Wednesday): 7.15 ERA
Figure that one out. Taylor Rogers leads Minnesota in appearances at 47, but he has a terrible 5.09 ERA over 40 2/3 innings. Andrew Morris has a 3.25 ERA, Yoendrys Gómez leads the Twins with 13 saves and a 1.93 ERA, and Travis Adams (5.67 ERA) and Kody Funderburk (3.18 ERA) sit at the bottom of the depth chart. The team also added A.J. Minter (2.49 ERA between Mets and Twins) and Jeff Hoffman (3.86 ERA between Blue Jays and Twins), and Tommy Nance (3.46 ERA between Blue Jays and Twins) at the deadline. As a staff, the Twins have a 4.63 team ERA (26th), including a 4.43 starter ERA (22nd) and a 4.93 bullpen ERA (26th). They’ve struck out 942 batters (19th) over 1,014 1/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, August 7 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.48 ERA, 3.02 FIP) vs. TBD
Originally scheduled to pitch in Thursday’s series finale against Pittsburgh, Drohan has reliably pitched six innings the last month or so, as each of his last five appearances have totaled at least six innings. He has a 3.48 ERA, 3.02 FIP, and 89 strikeouts this season, and across six starts in July, he totaled 36 innings with a 4.00 ERA and 37 strikeouts. This marks Drohan’s first career appearance against Minnesota.
The Twins have only announced a starter for Saturday night’s game, but this would be Connor Prielipp’s day to pitch if he remains in the rotation. Prielipp, a left-handed rookie, has made 15 starts this season with a 3-5 record, 4.75 ERA, 3.87 FIP, and 81 strikeouts across 77 2/3 innings. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last four outings, totaling 22 innings with nine runs allowed (3.68 ERA) and 26 strikeouts. Prielipp made a start against Milwaukee back in May, taking the loss but pitching six solid innings with two runs allowed (one earned) and eight strikeouts.
Saturday, August 8 @ 6:10 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.48 ERA, 4.54 FIP) vs. RHP Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.69 ERA, 3.91 FIP)
Gasser, who has had a few blow-up starts this season, has been a bit more consistent in his last three outings. In wins against the Marlins, Rockies, and Angels, Gasser totaled 16 innings with four runs allowed (2.25 ERA) and 15 strikeouts. Gasser’s lone appearance against Minnesota came earlier this season, when he went four innings in Minneapolis, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks, striking out three in a no-decision.
Bradley, a former top prospect of the Rays, was traded for Griffin Jax at last year’s deadline. While he never quite panned out in Tampa (4.70 ERA, 4.35 FIP over 354 innings across three seasons), he’s turned in his best season yet here in 2026. Across 22 starts, Bradley is 9-4 with a 3.69 ERA, 3.91 FIP, and 141 strikeouts over 126 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old righty has faced the Brewers once, back in May of last season while with the Rays. He took a no-decision in that one as he allowed two runs and struck out five over six innings.
Sunday, August 9 @ 1:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (11-5, 1.63 ERA, 2.05 FIP) vs. TBD
Misiorowski, who has made 21 starts this season, is looking at potentially crossing the 200-strikeout threshold in the series finale on Sunday. At 195 strikeouts across 127 innings this season, the big righty leads the league in ERA, FIP, strikeouts, WHIP, and K/BB ratio. He took a tough luck loss in his last appearance against the Angels, as he worked seven innings with two runs allowed (via a two-run homer) on two hits and a walk, striking out 10 in Milwaukee’s 3-0 loss. Misiorowski’s only appearance came against the Twins last June, when he went six-plus perfect innings before allowing a walk and a homer to begin the seventh, striking out six in a win.
As mentioned above, this would be Joe Ryan’s regular day to pitch assuming he’s feeling better as he currently is day to day with lower body soreness. The 30-year-old veteran righty has made 23 starts this year, with a 6-8 record, 3.65 ERA, 3.42 FIP, and 138 strikeouts across 125 2/3 innings, earning his second consecutive All-Star selection. He’s been roughed up in his last few outings, though, allowing 17 runs (16 earned) over 15 1/3 total innings in losses against the Guardians and Royals (x2). Ryan has made five career starts against Milwaukee, with a 2.83 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings. That includes a no-decision back in May, when he went six frames with one run allowed and seven strikeouts.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, August 7: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, August 8: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, August 9: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
The Brewers have had Minnesota’s record over the last couple of seasons, as they’re 9-4 since the start of 2024. I think that trend will continue here — give me Milwaukee to win two of three.
