Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers vs San Diego Padres

For the first time in 2022, the Milwaukee Brewers will head out west as they begin a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Monday. For some, this is great news. Those that like to schedule their vacations to include a trip to the ballpark to watch their beloved Brewers will rejoice. Finally, you can leave the 50-degree weather of Milwaukee in late spring/early summer for the sunny, high 60s weather in San Diego.

For those that aren’t vacationing, it means some late first pitches. The first two games of the series won’t start until 8:40 pm. The average 9-inning game time in 2022 is about 3:07, which means you will have to stay up until almost midnight to watch your favorite team. That’s not easy! So in an attempt to make things easier on you, I’ve listed below some tips for staying up late and awake to watch the Brewers.

• Fire up that coffee maker: It doesn’t have to be a lot. It shouldn’t be. If you start brewing your favorite cup around 6:00 pm, caffeine should carry you through the game. The key is to get the caffeine going late enough to be awake for the game, but earlier enough that you can still sleep after the game.
• Go for a walk: So now that you have that cup of joe brewed and ready, take a walk. It doesn’t have to be a long walk, maybe just a stroll around the neighborhood. Enough to get the blood flowing, and shake off the dinner you just consumed. Just a little 30-minute walk can wake you up and get you ready for a good three hours of baseball. Plus, it’s a great excuse to get some fresh air one more time before the day is over.
• Take a quick nap before game time: If coffee isn’t your thing, and you’ve already gone for your walk but are still feeling groggy, take a little nap. The key for this tip is it shouldn’t be very long, 25 minutes at the most. A quick nap will wake you up and get you ready for the game, but won’t disrupt your sleep cycle.

Of course, if you cannot stay up and watch the full game, just check with Brew Crew Ball and read all about the game in our game recap.

The Padres were one of the most exciting teams in 2021. Led by young phenom Fernando Tatis Jr, they were contenders to win the National League during the first half of the season. A late-season collapse led to the Padres missing the postseason, being on the outside looking in one of the best divisions in baseball. Now in 2021, they are without Tatis Jr due to a fractured wrist landing him on the 60-day IL. Even in his absence, they are one of the best teams in the National League sitting at 27-14 and second in the NL West.

Leading the charge for the Padres is Manny Machado, who is having an incredible start to the season. Slashing .374/.446/.619 with a league-leading 58 hits, Machado has made himself the early front runner for NL MVP. Last time out against the Giants, Machado went 4-4 with three doubles, a triple, two RBI and a walk.

On the mound, the Padres have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. They are currently seventh in team WHIP (1.14), fifth in opposing team batting average (2.20), and sixth in strikeouts (376). The Brewers will miss the ace of the staff, Joe Musgrove, who is 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA. Even without Musgrove, the Padres still have a former Cy Young winner in Blake Snell on the mound in game two.

Some key players on both sides will be missed during this series. In addition to Tatis, the Padres announced Mike Clevinger would go on the IL with a triceps injury. For the Brewers, they will still be without Willy Adames who is out with an ankle injury. Adames is eligible to return for the series opener against St. Louis on Thursday. Right-hander Freddy Peralta was added to IL after being pulled in yesterday’s start vs the Nationals, and closer Josh Hader has been added to the family emergency list.

Probable Pitchers

Game 1, Monday 8:40 PM CT: Adrian Houser (3-4, 3.22 ERA) vs Nick Martinez (2-2, 3.89 ERA)

Adrian Houser will try to bounce back after losing his last two starts. Adrian Houser confirmed on Monday that he lost his arbitration case that went into the beginning of the season. Houser said that the case was a distraction for him during the season, so hopefully, we can see an improved Adrian Houser with the case decided.

Nick Martinez is making his seventh start of the season, but his first in almost two weeks. Martinez has found a spot as the Padres' fifth starter after spending the last four seasons in Japan. The right-hander is off to the best start of his career, entering Monday with a 1.33 WHIP.

Game 2, Tuesday 8:40 PM CT: Corbin Burnes (1-2, 2.26 ERA) vs Blake Snell (0-1, 7.36 ERA)

Corbin Burnes enters Tuesday with the second-best WHIP (0.83) and fourth most strikeouts (62) in the league. Last time out, he gave up a season-high four earned runs vs the Braves with back-to-back homers by Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna.

Blake Snell missed the first month of the season with an abductor strain, not making his first start until last Wednesday against the Phillies. The 2018 Cy Young winner is coming off his worst season as a starter, posting a 4.20 ERA and a 7-6 record. He did end the season strong, posting a 1.85 ERA in his final seven starts.

Game 3, Wednesday 3:10 PM CT: Aaron Ashby (0-3, 3.49 ERA) vs Yu Darvish (4-1, 3.91 ERA)

Ashby will get his first start in two weeks on Wednesday. In relief this season, he has been effective. His last three relief appearances have totaled 7.2 innings, giving up two hits and no runs. Against Miami, he struck out eight in four innings of relief. He has been effective even though he doesn’t have the flashiest stat line, and he will try to get his first win on Wednesday.

Darvish will try and improve on his 2-0 home record when he gets the ball for the finale. He had his best start of the season his last time out, going seven innings and giving up no runs on six hits vs the Phillies. The former Cub is 2-2 in his career against the Brewers, posting a 2.13 ERA and 55 strikeouts in seven appearances.

Games one and three can be found on Bally Sports Wisconsin while game two will be shown nationally on TBS. All three games can be heard on the Brewers Radio Network.