It was a stellar night for the Brewers last night. Corbin Burnes had another Cy Young-worthy performance and Ryan Braun did his usual September thing as the Brewers blanked the Royals 5-0. The Brewers will look to continue to take care of business as they play the final home game at Miller Park. They are now one game under .500 after winning three games in a row. Since the Reds lost last night, the Brewers are now tied with them for third in the NL Central.
Brewers’ Expected Starter: Josh Lindbolm
It has been a tough season for Lindbolm, who was signed by the Brewers after three successful season in Korea. Early on in the season, Lindbolm was putting up eye-popping K/9 numbers. However, at the same time, he was walking a lot of batters and fell victim to the long ball. He struggled early, and he struggled often. It became apparent that something had to be done, and the Brewers skipped Lindbolm’s turn in the rotation as they continued to try to find ways to win.
Something must have worked. In his last start against the rival Cardinals, Lindbolm threw five scoreless innings, issuing exactly zero walks. As the Brewers gear up for a tough playoff-deciding road trip starting tomorrow, they will hope that Lindbolm can send them on their way on a high note.
Lindbolm is currently 1-3 on the season with a 5.26 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. Earlier last week, the Brewers placed him on the bereavement list. He is expected to return for his start today.
Royals Schedule Stater: Brad Keller
The Royals are sending Brad Keller to the bump in the final game of this series. Keller, a 25-year old right hander, is currently 4-2 with a 2.06 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. He is coming off of his first career shut out in his last start. In that contest against the Pirates, Keller went the whole nine innings (no doubleheader seven-inning complete game for this guy), allowed five hits, struck out two, and walked one.
Keller is enjoying a nice bounce-back season so far this year. In 2019, Keller went 7-14 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. That being said, though, when he has struggled in 2020, it has happened on the road.
Keller’s road record in 2020 is 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA, well above his season ERA. Notice, also, that both of his losses this year have come on the road. The Brewers offense will hope to keep his road woes coming as they continue their playoff push.
The Playoff Chase
As inconsistent as the Brewers have been this year, they are still in a position to make the playoffs. They are currently one game behind the second-place Cardinals with nine games to play, five of which are against the Cardinals in St. Louis. The Reds lost last night, dropping them to a tie with the Brewers for third place. The Brewers head to Cincinnati after today’s game for three against the Reds.
In short, they are playing the teams they need to lose in order to get into the playoffs. They control their destiny.
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