Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers @ Colorado Rockies

After a few bad series against the Red Sox and Tigers, the Brewers bounced back in the final series of their homestand, winning two out of three against Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and the Angels. The Brewers currently sit at 18-10 and are 1.5 games behind the Pirates for the top spot in the NL Central. Division rival St. Louis has continued their early season struggle and is last in the division at 10-19, while the Cubs and Reds sit behind the Brewers at 14-13 and 12-16, respectively.

Lineups:

The Rockies have had a rough start to their season. At 9-20, they are at the bottom of the NL West. Rockies star Kris Bryant is a guy many Brewers fans are familiar with from his time with Chicago. He’s had a solid start to his season, slashing .297/.360/.426 over 26 games after missing a major chunk of 2022 with injury. He is always a dangerous hitter and could cause problems for the Brewers in this series. Ryan McMahon, C.J. Cron, and Charlie Blackmon are other major bats to watch, while Jurickson Profar, former Brewer Mike Moustakas, and rookie Ezequiel Tovar have played key roles for the Rockies so far.

The Brewers have had to make a flurry of changes to their lineup due to multiple injuries in their first month. Starting outfielder Garrett Mitchell and Luis Urias are both out for extended periods, forcing Craig Counsell to get creative with the lineup. He’s had to tap into the Brewers depth with Mike Brosseau, Owen Miller, and Joey Wiemer all seeing more playing time than was probably expected to start the season. Brice Turang has slotted in nicely at second base, while Rowdy Tellez heated up at the end of April.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday, May 2 @ 7:40 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (3-2) vs. Ryan Feltner (2-2)

Peralta has looked good so far this season, posting a 3.77 ERA, which can primarily be attributed to back-to-back rough starts against the Padres and Red Sox. In his three wins this season, he’s allowed just three runs over 18 innings (1.50 ERA). He’s also only given up two home runs in 28 ²⁄₃ total innings this season. With the injury to Woodruff, Peralta has stepped up as a key part of the rotation. Milwaukee will need him to continue his success if the Brewers want to continue their winning ways, and he’ll look to do just that back at Coors Field where he made his MLB debut in a dazzling start on Mother’s Day in 2018.

Ryan Feltner struggled to start the season, with his ERA at 8.78 after three starts. Since then, he’s made two strong starts against the Phillies and Guardians, totaling just one unearned run across 11 ²⁄₃ innings in two victories. In his only start at home this year, he gave up three runs to the Nationals. The Brewers will hope they get that version of him in the series opener on Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 3 @ 7:40 p.m.: Eric Lauer (3-2) vs. Kyle Freeland (2-3)

Eric Lauer has posted a 5.19 ERA and has given up six home runs through five starts this season, but he’s 3-0 on the road, giving up five earned runs over 19 innings in Chicago, San Diego, and Seattle. His last outing against the Tigers did not go well, as he only pitched three innings and gave up four runs on eight hits. Lauer will look for a bounce-back performance against the Rockies.

Freeland, Colorado’s Opening Day starter, has struggled after a strong start to the season. He’s allowed 14 earned runs (16 total) in his last three starts, pushing his ERA to 4.32 this season. He’s also allowed six home runs in that period and with the game in Colorado, the Brewers should look to take advantage and knock a few homers in Wednesday’s matchup.

Thursday, May 4 @ 2:10 p.m.: Wade Miley (3-1) vs. Noah Davis (0-1)

Miley has been fantastic for the Brewers so far this season and has bolstered the pitching staff mightily to begin the year. Despite low strikeout numbers (19 in 29 innings), Miley is a strong anchor at the back end of Milwaukee’s rotation with a 1.86 ERA through his first five starts.

Though he started the season with just one earned run over his first 9 ²⁄₃ innings, Davis struggled in his first start at home last time out against the Diamondbacks, giving up seven runs in just two innings of work. A rookie, the Brewers will look to capitalize on him early at Coors Field on Thursday afternoon.

Prediction:

I’ll take Milwaukee to win this series, as they have favorable pitching matchups and their power-heavy offense should be able to get some homers in the mountains. That being said, I think the Brewers will take two out of three before heading to San Francisco for a three-game series with the Giants.

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