The Milwaukee Brewers are red-hot. Hot enough to sweep the San Diego Padres and win their last series against the Chicago Cubs.
Some might call that “unbelievable”.
After winning the last two series’ on the road, the Brewers head back to American Family Field to take on the Miami Marlins. Tonight’s game will be the first time the Brewers face a left-handed starting pitcher this season.
Let’s take a closer look at the important matchups and storylines to follow going into tonight’s game.
Starting Pitchers
Corbin Burnes
There is arguably no pitcher in baseball better than Corbin Burnes at the moment.
Burnes enters tonight’s contest with the league’s best WHIP (0.329), hits per nine innings (3), walks per nine innings (0), and K/BB ratio.
Why is there no number for that statistic?
That value is infinite. Literally infinite. He has not allowed a walk through 24 innings, while racking up 40 strikeouts.
No other pitcher in the history of baseball has ever done that.
Burnes currently has a 1.5 WAR to start the season, good for third in all of baseball behind John Means and Jon Gray.
Burnes has been using his cutter nearly 50% of his pitches this season, and has thrown it, on average, 2.9 mph faster than last season. He has the lowest expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, and expected OPS in all of baseball. The Marlins are going to have a rough night against Burnes if his efficiency with his cutter continues.
Trevor Rogers
Trevor Rogers has made his presence known early on this season. As a key member of the Marlins’ rotation, Rogers has posted a 1.64 ERA through 22 innings this season. Rogers has performed much better this season compared to 2020, which can be attributed to a nearly 1 mph increase in his average velocity on all of his pitches.
Rogers has struggled with his location early this season, though, averaging over four walks per nine innings. That being said, Rogers has a K/9 ratio upwards of 13, which could be concerning for the Brewers, as they do not walk many batters and strike out plenty. It will be interesting to see tonight whether the Brewers take advantage of Rogers’ lack of control.
Starting Lineups
Brewers
INF/OF Pablo Reyes has been selected from the Alternate Training Site. OF Corey Ray has been optioned. pic.twitter.com/TvAVroFb3W
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 26, 2021
The Brewers lineup features a couple new twists. The biggest surprise is that Pablo Reyes, a utilityman picked up over the offseason, will be starting at third base. Reyes performed very well in Spring Training with the Crew, slashing .250/.390/.500, with two home runs.
The full lineup is listed below:
Wong (2B), Taylor (CF), García (RF), Piña (C), Hiura (1B), McKinney (LF), Urías (SS), Reyes (3B), Burnes (P).
Marlins
#Marlins lineup for tonight vs the Brewers.
Duvall stays in center. Jon Berti starts his seventh straight at 3B.
Trevor Rogers vs Corbin Burnes should be a lot of fun to watch in person. pic.twitter.com/5O16Kp621O
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) April 26, 2021
Former Brewer Jesus Aguilar stays in the starting lineup for the Marlins tonight. Aguilar has been hot as of late, mashing two home runs over his last three games. This will be Aguilar’s first game back in Milwaukee since July of 2019, when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays.
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