The Milwaukee Brewers are set to welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to town this weekend, as they’ll take on their NL Central rivals for three games beginning Friday evening.
Milwaukee is coming off a 3-3 road trip that saw the Brewers sweep the Pirates in Pittsburgh before being swept by the Rangers in Texas. It was a tale of two series for the Crew, and they’ll look to get back to their winning ways here in Milwaukee. They’re also on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot, as they sit at 89-58 on the season,
still 2.5 games better than the Phillies for the best record in baseball.
On the other side, the Cardinals were deadline sellers, and it shows. They now sit at 72-75 on the season after they were swept by the Mariners in Seattle this week. The Cardinals are 4-5 in September against the A’s, Giants, and Mariners.
In terms of injuries, Shelby Miller is out for the season with a right UCL sprain, which may require another Tommy John surgery. Trevor Megill and Nick Mears could both rejoin the bullpen next week, while DL Hall is targeting a late September return. Connor Thomas, JB Bukauskas, and Garrett Mitchell are also out for the year, while rookie Logan Henderson is out for the rest of the regular season but could potentially return for the playoffs.
The Cardinals are currently without Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, John King, and Zack Thompson. Arenado is eligible to return from the IL next week, while Donovan is expected to return for this series. King is currently on a rehab assignment and is expected to return in the coming weeks, and Thompson’s return is TBD. Masyn Winn is also day-to-day with a meniscus tear in his knee. He’s playing through the injury now but will require surgery in the offseason.
Christian Yelich continues to set the pace for Milwaukee’s offense, with 27 homers and 93 RBIs on the season. Jackson Chourio is just a pair of steals from his second consecutive 20-20 season, as he has 20 homers and 18 steals. Brice Turang is two homers from a 20-20 season with 18 homers and 24 steals, while William Contreras, Rhys Hoskins, Caleb Durbin, Sal Frelick, Isaac Collins, Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, Joey Ortiz, Andruw Monasterio, Blake Perkins, and Danny Jansen round out the offense. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .260/.333/.408 (.741 OPS ranks 11th) with 157 homers (20th), 743 runs scored (second), and 153 steals (second).
William’s older brother Willson Contreras leads the St. Louis offense with 20 homers, 78 RBIs, and 68 runs this season. Alec Burleson has added 17 homers and 662 RBIs, while Iván Herrera has also provided some pop as a catcher/DH. Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, Pedro Pagés, Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Masyn Winn, Yohel Pozo, Victor Scott II, Jordan Walker, Thomas Saggese, José Fermín, Jimmy Crooks, and Nathan Church round out the offense for the Cards. As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .244/.313/.379 (.692 OPS ranks 25th) with 138 homers (tied for 27th), 629 runs scored (19th), and 80 steals (22nd).
Milwaukee’s bullpen is led by Abner Uribe, who has gone 68 1/3 innings with 81 strikeouts and a 1.84 ERA. Jared Koenig, Grant Anderson, and Aaron Ashby have also been valuable bullpen pieces this season. Tobias Myers, Erick Fedde, Rob Zastryzny, and Joel Payamps round out Milwaukee’s injury-depleted bullpen. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.63 team ERA (second), including a 3.51 starter ERA (third) and a 3.79 reliever ERA (11th). They’ve struck out 1,290 batters (fifth) over 1,306 2/3 innings.
After trading away some of the key pieces in their bullpen at the deadline, St. Louis’ bullpen is led by Kyle Leahy and JoJo Romero, who sport ERAs of 2.86 and 1.98, respectively. Romero also leads active Cardinals with seven saves. Riley O’Brien, Matt Svanson, Ryan Fernandez, Gordon Graceffo, Jorge Alcala, Nick Roquet, and Chris Roycroft join them in the bullpen. As a staff, the Cardinals have a 4.26 team ERA (21st), including a 4.76 starter ERA (26th) and a 3.54 reliever ERA (fifth). They’ve struck out 1,086 batters (29th) over 1,300 2/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, September 12 @ 7:10 p.m.: Quinn Priester (3.25 ERA, 4.19 FIP) vs. Andre Pallante (5.28 ERA, 4.65 FIP)
Priester is coming off another solid start in a win over the Pirates, going seven innings with two runs allowed and six strikeouts. For the season, he’s 12-2 with a 3.25 ERA, 4.19 FIP, and 129 strikeouts across 141 1/3 innings. The former first-round pick has been a key part of Milwaukee’s rotation, as the Brewers have won each game he’s appeared in dating back to late May. He’s made two career starts against St. Louis, both this season with Milwaukee, spanning 11 innings with six runs allowed (4.91 ERA) and five strikeouts. His second start was far better than the first, as he worked six innings with just one run allowed and three strikeouts in a 3-2 win in June.
Pallante, 26, is in his second season as a primary starter, with 28 starts this season after making 20 starts a year ago. Across 150 innings this year, he hasn’t been all that good, with a 5.28 ERA, 4.65 FIP, and 104 strikeouts for a -0.7 bWAR. A former fourth-round pick, Pallante is coming off a quality start against the Giants, when he allowed two runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts across six innings. He’s made 14 career appearances (two starts) against Milwaukee, with a 5.33 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 27 innings. That includes a start back in June, when he went just 4 1/3 innings with three runs allowed and seven strikeouts in a no-decision.
Saturday, September 13 @ 7:15 p.m.: Brandon Woodruff (3.32 ERA, 3.26 FIP) vs. Sonny Gray (4.45 ERA, 3.48 FIP)
After a stretch of a few rough starts, Woodruff bounced back for a solid outing against the Pirates last weekend, spanning six scoreless frames with two hits and no walks allowed, striking out eight in a 4-1 victory. For the year, Big Woo has made 11 starts with a 3.32 ERA, 3.26 FIP, and 74 strikeouts in just 59 2/3 innings. Woodruff has made 14 career appearances (12 starts) against the Cardinals, with a 6-4 record, 2.54 ERA, and 77 strikeouts across 71 innings, though this marks his first appearance against them since 2023.
Gray, 35, is in his second season with the Cardinals and 13th season overall. The veteran has had a down year by his standards, but his 3.48 FIP outpaces his 4.45 ERA by nearly a full run, indicating some bad luck. He’s struck out 179 batters over 163 2/3 innings, putting him on the cusp of 200 Ks for the second consecutive year. He went 5 1/3 innings against the Giants in his last outing, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks while striking out six. Gray has made 18 career starts against Milwaukee, with a 4-6 record, 3.64 ERA, and 124 strikeouts across 99 innings. That includes a pair of starts this season, which spanned 10 1/3 innings (7.84 ERA) with nine runs allowed and eight strikeouts.
Sunday, September 14 @ 1:10 p.m.: Jacob Misiorowski (4.09 ERA, 3.12 FIP) vs. Miles Mikolas (4.84 ERA, 4.89 FIP)
Misiorowski, 23, has had a solid rookie season, although he’s struggled with the “blowup inning” throughout the year. He didn’t have that problem in his last start, however, as he went a career-best seven innings with just one run allowed on three hits and a pair of walks, striking out eight in a 10-2 win over the Pirates. For the year, Miz has a 4.09 ERA, 3.12 FIP, and a whopping 77 strikeouts in just 55 innings. If you’ll recall, the former second-round pick made his MLB debut against these Cardinals back in June, working five hitless innings with just four walks allowed, striking out five in a 6-0 victory.
Mikolas, in his seventh season with the Cardinals after a three-year stint in Japan, has maintained his “mid” status in the St. Louis rotation this season, as he’s made 28 starts but done so to a tune of a 4.84 ERA, 4.89 FIP, and 88 strikeouts across 141 1/3 innings, all slightly worse than his career numbers. He’s had a stretch of solid starts, though, allowing just four runs and striking out seven across 16 innings against the Pirates, Athletics, and Mariners in his last three outings. Mikolas has made 20 career appearances (19 starts) against Milwaukee, with a 10-7 record, 3.82 ERA, and 104 strikeouts across 117 2/3 innings. That includes a start back in June, when he went six innings with two runs allowed and seven strikeouts in a loss.
How to Watch
Friday, September 12: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Saturday, September 13: FOX and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Sunday, September 14: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, Telemundo Wisconsin, and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
The Brewers are better than the Cardinals in just about every facet of the game, and after a trade deadline that saw St. Louis part ways with multiple bullpen pieces, the Brewers are very clearly the better team. I’ll take the Crew to bounce back from their sweep at the hands of the Rangers to win two of three at home.
