Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Detroit Tigers

The Brewers will stay home for the second series of a three-series homestand this week, as they welcome the Detroit Tigers to town from Monday through Wednesday. Milwaukee is coming off a tough series loss to the Red Sox, which pushed the Brewers into second place, ¹⁄₂ game behind the surprising Pirates, who currently own the best record in the NL and are on a seven-game winning streak.

Lineups

The Tigers lineup boasts some bigger names, including former Cub Javier Baez, but outfielder Austin Meadows is currently away from the team as he deals with anxiety.

Among Detroit’s five qualified hitters, Riley Greene has the best OPS at just .645, as he’s had two triples and two homers this year while slashing .235/.287/.358. Baez is no longer the player he was with Chicago, as he’s slashed just .203/.253/.246 with no homers and 14 hits compared to 15 strikeouts. First baseman Spencer Torkelson has shown flashes of potential as well, but he’s hitting only .216/.256/.351 with two homers and 18 strikeouts in 20 games this season.

On Milwaukee’s side, the heavy hitters of Brian Anderson, Rowdy Tellez, and Willy Adames have led the way, combining for 16 homers so far as each has an OPS above .840. Willson Contreras has been quietly solid all season, slashing .311/.391/.377 despite only four extra-base hits (all doubles). With Garrett Mitchell looking at an extended absence, Joey Wiemer, Blake Perkins, and Owen Miller should all get extra reps in the coming weeks.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Monday, April 24 @ 6:40 p.m.: Colin Rea vs. Matthew Boyd

Rea has looked surprisingly good in two starts for the Brewers this season, spanning 10 ²⁄₃ innings with a 4.22 ERA after Brandon Woodruff went down with an injury early. His last time out, he did allow four runs on five hits and two walks over five innings against the Mariners, but he’s done his job in both games as the Brewers are 2-0 with him on the mound.

Boyd has made three starts this season, spanning 14 innings with a 4.50 ERA. He hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any start thus far, and he’s especially struggled with his command, allowing nine walks compared to 11 strikeouts. After a 1.35 ERA in 13 ¹⁄₃ innings out of Seattle’s bullpen last season, the lefty returned to Detroit, where he started 143 games (37-60 record) between 2015 and 2021.

Tuesday, April 25 @ 6:40 p.m.: Eric Lauer vs. Spencer Turnbull

Lauer has had his share of ups and downs so far this season. In four starts, he’s gone 23 innings with an ERA of 4.30. Six of the 11 earned runs he’s allowed this season came in a loss to the Cardinals on April 8, when he went just four innings. In his other three starts, he’s a perfect 3-0 while allowing just five runs in 19 innings (2.37 ERA) with 15 strikeouts. His last time out was a strong performance against Seattle, going 7 ²⁄₃ innings while allowing two runs on four hits and a walk.

Turnbull, a 2014 second-round pick, hasn’t had much success so far in his career, with an ERA of 4.47 over 58 games since 2018. This season, he’s 1-3 with a 7.85 ERA across four starts. His only win came against Toronto on April 13, when he went five innings and allowed one run. In his three losses, he’s allowed seven runs, five runs, and three runs while never lasting more than 5 ²⁄₃ innings.

Wednesday, April 26 @ 12:40 p.m.: Freddy Peralta vs. Michael Lorenzen

After cruising through his first two starts by allowing just one run over 12 total innings, Peralta has had rough starts both of his last two turns through the rotation, allowing nine runs in 10 ²⁄₃ innings in losses to the Padres and Red Sox.

Lorenzen is a familiar opponent for the Brewers from his time with the Reds between 2015 and 2021. After primarily serving as a bullpen arm with Cincinnati, he’s become a starter the last two seasons with the Angels and Tigers, In two starts this season, he has a 6.00 ERA across nine innings, but he’s received a no decision both times out. He allowed all six runs in his first start against the Giants before going five shutout innings against the Orioles his last time out.

Bullpens

Prior to allowing nine runs in a single inning in Sunday’s loss to the Red Sox, the Brewers bullpen was one of the best in the majors, at least by statistical measures. Devin Williams remains one of the best closers in the league, but the arms before him have been shaky as of late, especially Matt Bush, whose ERA has ballooned to 8.22. Peter Strzelecki and Hoby Milner have both looked strong, but Javy Guerra and Joel Payamps have had their troubles. Bryse Wilson has also been quietly good with a 1.35 ERA over 13 ¹⁄₃ innings this season.

The Tigers bullpen hasn’t had much consistency so far, with three different players having one save each. Jose Cisnero and Chasen Shreve are probably the most well-known arms in the bullpen, but Cisnero has a 5.14 ERA in eight appearances thus far while Shreve’s allowed three runs in nine innings. Jason Foley has a 2.25 ERA over eight innings, Alex Lange has a 1.80 ERA over 10 innings, and former starter Tyler Alexander has a 5.40 ERA in 13 ¹⁄₃ innings. Mason Englert has spanned 13 ¹⁄₃ innings this season while Tyler Holton and Will Vest have both had success, albeit in limited opportunities.

Prediction

I’ll take the Brewers to take two of three from the Tigers, as Milwaukee’s more solid in just about every department compared to this young Tigers team, who have a 7-13 record in 20 games this season.