Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Baltimore Orioles

The Brewers now sit at 32-28 on the season following a 3-1 series win over the Reds on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Despite the strong weekend, the Crew are now ¹⁄₂ game behind the Pirates, who are on a six-game winning streak. Opposing Milwaukee in their return to American Family Field are the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore is 37-22 on the season, 4.5 games behind the Rays for the AL East lead but two games up in the AL Wild Card race.

Lineups

Owen Miller hasn’t slowed down much from a scalding month of May, as he’s slashing .317/.355/.469 with four homers, 17 RBIs, and eight stolen bases on the season. The Brewers are also welcoming the return of some key hitters this week, including Luis Urias on Monday and Willy Adames, who is expected to return later this week. Joey Wiemer had a strong road trip in Toronto and Cincinnati, so he’ll look to bring some of that magic back to Milwaukee. While the Brewers haven’t been producing against left-handed pitchers, they’ve done enough to stay above .500 through 60 games.

For Baltimore, Ryan Mountcastle has cooled off quite a bit after a strong start to the season, but he still leads the team with 11 homers and is tied for the team lead with 39 RBIs. The O’s are without star outfielder Cedric Mullins, who is on the IL with a right groin strain. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson is also day-to-day with back soreness. Anthony Santander, Adley Rutschman, Austin Hays, and Jorge Mateo are other key contributors for the Orioles, and former Pirate Adam Frazier has also been solid since coming to Baltimore.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday, June 6 @ 6:40 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (5-5) vs. Kyle Gibson (7-3)

Freddy Peralta has had plenty of ups and downs this season, but his last start was solid despite getting pinned with the loss. He lasted six innings, allowing three runs (all in the first inning) on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts against the Blue Jays. His ERA sits at 4.62 this season, and he hasn’t surpassed the 100-pitch mark since his second start of the season back in April.

After an All-Star appearance with the Rangers in 2021, Gibson struggled with the Phillies in the second half of the season and again in 2022. Since joining the Orioles this year, he’s pitched to a solid 3.89 ERA over 12 starts. Over his last three starts, he’s allowed just four runs across 19 ²⁄₃ innings while striking out 11.

Wednesday, June 7 @ 6:40 p.m.: Corbin Burnes (4-4) vs. TBD

Burnes finished with a no-decision his last time out against the Reds, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks with seven strikeouts across six innings in the extra-inning victory. His ERA is now at 3.75 for the season, but he’s shown flashes of his Cy Young self at several points this season.

The Orioles haven’t yet announced their starter for Wednesday, but it should be noted they went with a bullpen game in this spot the last time through their rotation.

Thursday, June 8 @ 1:10 p.m.: Colin Rea (3-3) vs. TBD

Rea has earned a win in each of his last three outings despite allowing seven runs over 16 ¹⁄₃ innings thanks to some major run support. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over five innings against the Reds on Saturday.

As with Wednesday, the Orioles haven’t yet announced a starter for Thursday, although Dean Kremer started their last time through the rotation. Kremer has a 4.43 ERA and a 6-2 record across 12 starts this season. His last time out against the Giants, he allowed two runs over six innings and he’s allowed just 10 runs over his last six starts (35 ¹⁄₃ innings).

Bullpen

Peter Strzelecki leads Milwaukee’s bullpen with 28 appearances while Joel Payamps and Hoby Milner are right behind him with 26 and 25 appearances, respectively. Devin Williams remains a perfect 10-for-10 in save opportunities with a 0.46 ERA and Bryse Wilson continues to impress with a 2.30 ERA over 31 ¹⁄₃ bullpen innings. Elvis Peguero has also been a valuable addition with a 2.75 ERA over 19 ²⁄₃ innings.

The Orioles are led by closer Felix Bautista, who has a 1.29 ERA over 28 innings and is 15-for-19 in save opportunities with a .152 batting average against. Yennier Cano has also been nearly unhittable with a .165 average against, 0.61 WHIP, and 0.87 ERA over 31 innings. Bryan Baker, Mike Baumann, Danny Coulombe, and Cionel Perez are also key contributors to the Orioles bullpen.

Prediction

I’ll take the Brewers to win two of three against the Orioles in Milwaukee. With no lefties currently lined up to start against Milwaukee (and with no lineups in Baltimore’s rotation to begin with), I think the Crew can manage to sneak out a couple of wins before welcoming the A’s to town this weekend.