Last Game Recap: Brewers Complete Sweep
The analysis and bet of the last game were both off. I anticipated a tired Brewers’ bullpen which would lead to a high-scoring affair. This indeed was not the case. Instead the Brewers’ bullpen, by way of Hudson and Payamps, shut out the Mets for the last 4 innings leading to a 4-1 victory and a series sweep. The bats stayed locked in as Contreras, Adames, and Turang each got two knocks leading to a 9-hit effort by the lineup.
Fade or Follow
The Brewers make the trip home to Milwaukee for their home-opening series against the Minnesota Twins. Milwaukee will face a Twins’ lineup that’s without Royce Lewis for at least a month with a quad strain. Jake Junis will take the mound in this series opener, facing Louie Varland of Minnesota. Junis spent last season with the San Francisco Giants where he posted a 3.87 ERA in 86 innings. It will be noteworthy how the Brewers decide to use Junis and whether want to keep him stretched out as a true starter. Varland’s 2023 campaign was a season of struggle. He pitched 68 innings to the tune of 4.63 ERA. In his career, he has struggled mightily the third time through any order as his ERA for the 3rd nine batters is 12.00. If the Brewers can attack him early, the Twins will have to pull him and go to a bullpen that pitched 12.1 of their 25 innings in Kansas City.
The Bet(s) to Make: 04/01/24
Milwaukee Brewers (-113) & (BONUS: Yelich over 1.5 bases)
I expect this game to be a show for the home fans. I think the Milwaukee bats get to Varland early and force the Twins’ hand on whether to pull him and go to a bullpen that was well used in their first series against the Royals. I also like Yelich to surpass his prop of 1.5 bases as he started the season hot in the first two games, but went hitless in the last game in New York.
