How good have the Brewers’ starters been? Nothing short of historically good. The Brewers’ starting rotation has put together a run of eight straight games in which the starting pitcher has pitched at least five innings while allowing one or fewer runs. That eight game streak is the longest in club history. Additionally, the Brewers have won three straight series against NL Central opponents, and will face another in a weekend series against the Pirates.
Brewers’ Starter: Adrian Houser
After losing his first start against the Twins, Houser bounced back with a win against the Cardinals in his previous start. In both starts this year, Houser has gone five innings while working high pitch counts. He gave up two runs in his first start, but none in his last. The key to Houser’s success is his ability to induce ground balls. Of the 18 balls the Cardinals put in play against him, 12 were on the ground. He had four walks against St. Louis and those ground balls led to some key double-plays.
This Pirates roster has hit Houser well in the past. Colin Moran, specifically, has owned Houser to the tune of a .667 average and a home run in nine at bats. In addition, Bryan Reynolds his hitting .500 against him in six at bats with a home run. Finally, Kevin Newman is hitting .286 in seven at bats against Houser with a home run.
Pirates’ Starter: JT Brubaker
Despite the Pirates’ slow start, JT Brubaker has been a bright spot in their rotation. The righty is 1-0 and sports a low 1.93 ERA. Like Houser, though, he has not pitched deep into games. He went just four innings in his first start and 5.1 in his last.
The current Brewers’ roster has not seen much of JT Brubaker. The only players who have at bats against him in their careers are Avisail Garcia, Keston Hiura, Jace Peterson, Christian Yelich, Luis Urias, and Omar Narvaez. Of these players, Hiura is the only one who has seen him more than four times. Yelich is the only one to have a home run off him, which he has done in four at bats while hitting .250 against Brubaker.
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Brewers’ Lineup
It's time to take on the Pirates. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.
📺: @BallySportWI
📻: @620wtmj @fleet_farm | #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/71U4BsyR9z— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 16, 2021
Pirates’ Lineup
In Milwaukee for the weekend.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/yJ4n7Eh3mZ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 16, 2021
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