And just like that, the final week of the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is upon us. 156 games played, with six more to go. Tonight could be a National League Division Series matchup as the Brewers finish their nine-game road trip against the Phillies.
Yes, the Brewers have the best record in baseball and the best in many other areas, but plenty still needs to be worked out. Perhaps the biggest glaring hole is the starting rotation, and what’s that going to look like now that Kyle Harrison
has been having a rough stretch. Dustin May will dig into the mound for perhaps the final time this regular season, needing a solid outing to verify his spot either in the rotation or the bullpen.
As a starter, May has shown signs of greatness but also signs of “don’t come near my mound in the postseason.” During his time as a Brewer, May enters tonight with a 5.40 ERA in eight starts, not even making it out of the fourth inning in two of his last three starts. Tonight, though, he has one thing going for him: only two players have faced May in this Phillies lineup, and even the two players that have have only one hit combined.
The Phillies enter tonight not technically eliminated nor clinched a playoff berth; they currently own the third wild card spot by four games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s been a bit of a rough month for the Phillies as they have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games, coming off a series split with the New York Mets. Sometimes, though, you need your rock there to settle things down and be consistent, and that’s what Zach Wheeler is expected to do tonight.
Wheeler has been around the league long enough that everyone in the Brewers’ lineup has seen him at least three times, with the exception of newcomers Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara. Wheeler has thrown seven innings in each of his last two starts, but more specifically, he threw seven innings of scoreless baseball against the Washington Nationals, striking out five and allowing only four hits.
As we approach game time, lineups have been set, and this Phillies offense has been one of the more consistent offenses in baseball. Only two players have a batting average north of .270, while fewer players have double-digit home runs than the Brewers. For the Crew, David Hamilton will make the start at third base, batting ninth, with Garrett Mitchell leading off the game.
First pitch at Citizens Bank Park is at 5:40 p.m., and you can watch the game on BrewersTV and listen to it on WTMJ 620.
