Winners of four of their last five series, the Milwaukee Brewers are now 10-9 heading into their weekend series with the Athletics at American Family Field. Coming off a three-game sweep of the White Sox, the “Sacramento” Athletics are 9-10 this season. They’re 5-1 against the Sox and the Rockies but 4-9 against the Mariners, Cubs, Padres, and Mets.
The Brewers, who have faced a myriad of pitching injuries since the start of spring training, are finally nearing good health *knock on wood.* Brandon Woodruff is aiming for a May return, Tobias Myers could rejoin the team in San Francisco next week, Nestor Cortes should be back in May, and Aaron Ashby is also targeting a May return. Aaron Civale suffered a setback, so his timeline is TBD, and DL Hall is also ineligible to return until late May. On the non-pitching side, Blake Perkins is looking at a May return and Tyler Black should be back by late May.
For the most part, the A’s have been healthy this season. Infielder Zack Gelof is shelved with an injury similar to Tyler BLack, while pitchers Ken Waldichuk, Brady Basso, Michel Otañez, and Luis Medina are the only others on the IL.
Milwaukee’s offense is still led by Jackson Chourio, though he’s fallen back to earth a bit as he’s hitting .262/.267/.536 with five homers, six doubles, 17 RBIs, and 15 runs scored this year. Brice Turang (.312) and Sal Frelick (.318) are both still hitting over .300 on the yar, while William Contreras (.234/.342/.406) and Rhys Hoskins (.255/.361/.392) are both heating up. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .235/.307/.383, and their .690 OPS ranks 18th in MLB. They’ve hit 21 homers and scored 92 runs across 19 games.
The A’s offense is led by the breakout of Tyler Soderstrom, who leads the league with nine homers this season. He’s hitting .315/.383/.712 with 18 RBIs, 17 runs scored, and 23 hits in 19 games. Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers have also supplied power, with five and four homers, respectively. Rookie Jacob Wilson, son of former Pirate Jack Wilson, has also started hot, with a team-high 24 hits as he’s slashing .338/.338/.507 with two homers, 10 RBIs, and 12 runs. Lawrence Butler is also hitting .296/.390/.451 with four steals. As a team, the A’s are hitting .252/.314/.435 for a .749 OPS, which ranks seventh. They’ve hit 27 homers and scored 88 runs through 19 games.
Jared Koenig, Abner Uribe, Nick Mears, and Bryan Hudson have been the most reliable bullpen arms this year, as all have ERAs below 2.00 and Mears hasn’t allowed a run through 4 2⁄3 innings since his return from the IL. Grant Anderson has also looked great after getting off to a rough start, allowing no earned runs (two unearned) over his last four appearances spanning 5 2⁄3 innings. After a pair of solid performances to finish out the series against Detroit, Milwaukee’s rotation ERA sits at 3.75 (10th) and their bullpen ERA is at 5.35 (28th), while the team’s 161 strikeouts rank 15th.
On the pitching side, the A’s leading bullpen arms include Tyler Ferguson, T.J. McFarland, Justin Sterner, José Leclerc, Noah Murdock, and Mitch Spencer. That’s not mentioning All-Star closer Mason Miller, who is once again lights out this year with six scoreless innings, 12 strikeouts, and five saves. Ferguson and Sterner lead the rest of the ‘pen with a 0.93 ERA (9 2⁄3 innings) and 0.00 ERA (9 1⁄3 innings), respectively. McFarland and Leclerc have both struggled, though they have track records of success prior to this year. As a staff, the A’s rotation has a 4.29 ERA (20th) and their bullpen ERA sits at 4.41 (22nd). They’ve struck out 166 batters (ninth) over 170 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, April 18 @ 7:10 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (2.31 ERA, 3.44 FIP) vs. J.T. Ginn (1.69 ERA, 4.32 FIP)
Peralta is coming off probably his worst start of the season, as he allowed two runs on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts across 5 1⁄3 innings against the Diamondbacks. Still, his season ERA sits at 2.31 through four starts, and he’s struck out 28 batters over 23 1⁄3 innings. Looking like a true ace, Peralta has already compiled 1.0 bWAR. He’s made two appearances (one start) against the A’s in his career, with a 6.75 ERA and seven strikeouts over 6 2⁄3 innings.
Ginn’s 1.69 ERA is misleading, as he’s made just one start, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 5 1⁄3 innings in a win over the Mets. The former second-round pick (he was actually a first-round pick in 2018 but opted to attend college instead) is in his second MLB season after making eight appearances (six starts) in 2024 with a 4.24 ERA and 29 strikeouts across 34 frames. He pitched 1 2⁄3 innings in relief against Milwaukee last year, allowing one run on a hit and two walks with one strikeout.
Saturday, April 19 @ 6:10 p.m.: Chad Patrick (1.76 ERA, 4.77 FIP) vs. Luis Severino (4.01 ERA, 4.75 FIP)
Through three starts, Chad Patrick has been better than advertised. While the underlying metrics aren’t the flashiest, he’s done his job filling in for a depleted rotation. He’s allowed just one run across 14 1⁄3 innings from the rotation (0.63 ERA) with 12 strikeouts, 10 hits allowed, and eight walks. He’s looking like this year’s version of Tobias Myers, who had a 3.00 ERA and 3.91 FIP last season across 27 appearances (25 starts) filling a similar hole. This marks his first career appearance against the A’s.
Severino, 31, is now with his third team after eight years with the Yankees and a one-year stint with the Mets. Through four starts, he hasn’t quite been as advertised after signing a three-year, $67 million deal this offseason. After a strong Opening Day start (six scoreless innings with six strikeouts), he had back-to-back starts where he allowed five-plus runs against the Cubs and Padres. He bounced back with a solid outing against the Mets, allowing one run over 5 2⁄3 innings with six strikeouts, but he was still sacked with the loss as he’s now 0-3 this year. In three career starts against Milwaukee, he’s 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 16 innings.
Sunday, April 20 @ 1:10 p.m.: TBD vs. Jeffrey Springs (4.50 ERA, 4.46 FIP)
The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for Easter Sunday, but this will likely be either Tyler Alexander or Logan Henderson’s MLB debut. Alexander had a rough go his last time through the rotation, allowing eight runs (four earned) across four innings against his former team, the Tigers. Henderson could also get the start here if he isn’t forced into a long-relief role the next two nights. Milwaukee’s No. 3 pitching prospect (No. 12 overall) made three starts at Triple-A Nashville before being called up earlier this week. His last time out was his best start of the season, as he allowed no runs and no hits with eight strikeouts and a pair of walks across five innings of work.
Springs, 32, spent the last four seasons with the Rays before joining the Athletics this offseason. In four starts this year, he’s allowed 12 runs (10 earned) over 20 innings with 20 strikeouts but still has a 3-1 record, which is tied for the league lead. He made one start against the Brewers back in 2022, allowing two runs with eight strikeouts over five frames.
How to Watch
Friday, April 18: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Saturday, April 19: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Sunday, April 20: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, Telemundo Wisconsin, and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
After a disappointing sweep at home against the A’s in 2023, the Brewers took two of three in Oakland last summer. I’d expect (and hope) this series to go more like the 2024 series, though this A’s team is certainly better than A’s squads of the last couple years. Still, I’ll take the Crew to win two of three and finish with a solid 4-2 homestand.
