After taking three out of four from the Miami Marlins, and two out of three from the Washington Nationals, the Milwaukee Brewers stay atop the NL Central as they embark on their last road trip of the regular season.
The Brewers will hit the road, hoping to clench the division title, making their first stop in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in a four game series. Followed by the series with the Cards, the crew will travel to Miami to see the Marlins once again for a three-game series.
The Very Underwhelming Cardinals
Milwaukee continues to be in the hot seat, sitting six games above the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, while the Cardinals have been a rather disappointing team to watch in general. They’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention, currently sitting at 65-83 and last place in the NL Central.
Even with players like the reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt who’s been slashing .365/.449/.814 with 24 homers, Nolan Arenado who’s hitting .320/.465/.785 with 26 homers and 90 driven in, and Willson Contreras who’s batting .265/.359/.463 with 19 homers and 66 driven in, the St. Louis Cardinals just couldn’t find a groove to follow for the season.
The Cardinals traded away top arms in Jordan Hicks, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, and Genesis Cabrera, so they’ve had to start relying more on their younger arms to bring them wins. However, Andre Pallante, Drew VerHagen, and Giovanny Gallegos have been the three pitchers for St. Louis who have the most appearances, but their ERAs all stand greater than 4.00.
Milwaukee Brewers on a Tear
The Brewers on the other hand have seen a huge surge in their offensive production. Players such as catcher William Contreras, Carlos Santana, and Mark Canha have been major contributors for the crew. Tyrone Taylor has recently been on a power hitting surge as well, currently on a 7-game hitting streak, bringing his season stats to .235/.267/.418/.685 with seven homers and 27 driven in.
The bullpen has also stepped up in amazing ways, helping secure wins for the crew late in the game. Hoby Milner leads the team in appearances at 68, but currently holds an ERA of 1.95, Joel Payamps has made 64 appearances with an ERA of 2.64, Elvis Peguero with a 3.38 ERA, and former Reliever of the Year Devin Williams has been nothing but lights out for Milwaukee, posting a 1.62 ERA in 35 saves. The addition of Abner Uribe has also helped the crew greatly, as he’s pitching an ERA of 1.38 in 27 games.
Potential Pitching Matchups
MONDAY, SEPT 18: Freddy Peralta (12-8, 3.79 ERA) v. Adam Wainwright (4-11, 7.95 ERA)
Freddy Peralta has been absolutely electric in the second half of the season. Peralta is currently fourth in the NL for total strikeouts at 200, and has pitched a 2.51 ERA with 93 K’s in 64 innings of work since the All-Star Break. In his last outing against the Marlins on Tuesday, he went six innings, allowing one run on two hits and struck out nine as he sealed the win. Against the Cardinals, Peralta is 1-1 with seven earned runs.
Adam Wainwright has struggled this season, pitching to a 7.95 ERA with only 52 strikeouts in 94 innings of work. In his last start against the Baltimore Orioles, he allowed two runs on seven hits, walked three, and struck out three in five innings.
TUESDAY, SEPT 19: TBD v Drew Rom (1-2, 5.96 ERA)
The Brewers have yet to announce who will pitch for them on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it’ll likely be a combo of Adrian Houser-Wade Miley, Wade Miley-Colin Rea, or go with Houser on Tuesday, Miley on Wednesday and have Corbin Burnes close out the series on Thursday.
Drew Rom made his major league debut in August of this year. Since then, he’s 1-2 with an ERA of 5.95, 18 strikeouts across 22 innings of work in five starts. In his last start against the Orioles, he went five innings, allowing no runs on two hits, walked three and struck out seven.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 20: TBD v Zack Thompson (5-6, 4.34 ERA)
Zack Thompson started the season as a relief pitcher, but in his last six appearances, he’s been a starter for the Cardinals. Across 56 innings of work this season, he holds an ERA of 4.34, with 63 strikeouts. Thompson has faced the Brewers before; He pitched a scoreless inning but allowed two hits and a walk. In his last outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, he allowed four runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out four in five innings.
THURSDAY, SEPT 21: TBD v Miles Mikolas (7-12, 4.84 ERA)
Miles Mikolas leads the Cardinals starting pitching with 32 starts this season, pitching a 4.84 ERA with 118 strikeouts across 182 innings of work. However, he hasn’t been too hot in his recent starts. In his last outing against the Phillies, he allowed five runs on eight hits and only struck out two in six innings of work. This is all part of an 11-game stretch where Mikolas has since gone 1-7 with a 6.23 ERA and has allowed 11 home runs. In his last 20 starts, he’s gone 3-11 with an ERA of 5.51.
For More…
Follow me on Twitter at @sarahspooon and follow us at @WiSportsHeroics. For all things Wisconsin sports, click here!
