Brewers (34-41) vs Dodgers (42-36) Series Preview

For the second time this month and last time this season, the Brewers face off against the Dodgers. This time it’s on the home turf for a three game set. In their first meeting, Los Angeles took 3 out of 4. So the Brewers can only hope to tie them on the season and that will require a sweep. That’s a tall order for any club.

The Dodgers are pretty banged up and at 7 games back of the division leading Giants, I think a lot of people have begun underestimating just how good the Dodgers are and can be. They currently have an 89 wRC+ as a team which ranks 24th in baseball. But guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig have woefully under-performed to date. I have to imagine both will turn things around sooner than later. And if/when they do, the Dodgers should become a dangerous offense again.

Their pitching staff is excellent too. Clayton Kershaw has already been worth 5.5 fWAR. And young Julio Urias is starting to turn it on after two rough outings to begin his major league career. If Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood can return to the rotation soon this is one of the best rotations in baseball. The bullpen is more top heavy with Kenley Jansen followed by an assortment of names. But there’s always the trade deadline to improve things.

I still think the Dodgers are the best team in the NL West. I just can never buy into the Giants, though they do have that comfortable 7 game lead. At this point I expect both teams will make it into the playoffs. Which is nice because it means one of the Pirates and Cardinals won’t! Buy my fake dollars are on the Dodgers to lose to the Cubs in the NLCS.

GAMES

Tuesday June 28, 7:10 pm CT - Chase Anderson vs Julio Urias
Wednesday June 29, 7:10 pm CT - Junior Guerra vs TBD
Thursday June 30, 1:10 pm CT - Zach Davies vs Kenta Maeda