The Milwaukee Brewers are set to complete their nine-game home slate after the All-Star break this weekend as they play three games against the Colorado Rockies starting Friday night.
The Brewers are 64-38 on the year, the second-best record in the league behind the Dodgers, as they lead the Cubs and the rest of the team in the NL Central by seven games. The Rockies, at 41-63, are back in last place in the NL West. They lost four straight series to the Giants (x2), Dodgers and Reds starting in early July.
Milwaukee’s injured list includes pitchers D.L. Hall (returning late July/early August), Kyle Harrison (early August), Joel Kuehnel (early August), Rob Zastrizny (late July), Brandon Woodruff (out for the season), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for the season), Quinn Priester (out for the season) and Angel Zerpa (out for the season). Injured position players include outfielders Brandon Lockridge (late July/early August) and Sal Frelick (TBD), and infielder David Hamilton (expected back this weekend).
Colorado is currently without pitchers Blas Castaño (TBD), Jeff Criswell (August), Jaden Hill (TBD), former Brewer Jose Quintana (August), McKade Brown (TBD), RJ Petit (out for the season), Chase Dollander (out for the season) and Pearson Ohl (out for the season). Outfielder Brenton Doyle has been sidelined since mid-May with an oblique and groin injury, but he is close to a rehab assignment, while former rookie Kris Bryant may be close to retirement after not playing in a game this year due to chronic back problems.
Jake Bowers sets the pace for the team’s offense, hitting 18 homers and 15 doubles this year, although he is currently going through a bit of a cold spell. Bryce Turang, Jackson Churio, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell and Joey Ortiz (!!) are other key contributors in recent weeks, as well as Andrew Vaughn, Gary Sanchez, Christian Yelich, Cooper Pratt, Louis Lara, Braden Shewmake and Blake Perkins. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .252/.336/.397 (.733 OPS ranks 10th), with 94 homers (last), 514 runs (fifth) and 100 steals (sixth).
Defensive back Hunter Goodman and outfielder Mickey Moniak have been the top hitters for Colorado, as Goodman leads the team with 31 homers and Moniak has added 16 homers and 11 doubles in just 67 games. Rookie TJ Rumfield is hitting .297/.381/.476 with 13 homers, while Jake McCarthy is hitting over .300. Willie Castro, Kyle Karros, Braxton Fulford, Troy Johnston, Tyler Freeman, Cole Carrigg, Ezequiel Tovar, Edouard Julien and Brett Sullivan round out the roster. As a team, the Rockies are hitting .255/.325/.420 (.745 OPS ranks fifth), with 118 homers (tied for 17th), 495 runs (tied for seventh) and 70 steals (tied for 14th).
Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill anchor the Milwaukee bullpen as they combined for 22 saves. Uribe has a 2.38 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings, while Megill has a 3.00 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 39 innings, which is quite an accomplishment considering where he was two weeks into the season. Chad Patrick, Aaron Ashby and Grant Anderson are also key pieces in this Brewers bullpen, with Creagh Yoho, Lance McCullers Jr. and Bryce Wilson rounding it out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.44 team ERA (second), including a 3.36 starting ERA (first) and a 3.53 bullpen ERA (fourth). They struck out 997 batters (second) in 913 2/3 innings.
Brennan Bernardino is one of the few bright spots for this Rockies bullpen, as he has a 2.74 ERA in 42 2/3 innings this year. Juan Mejia and Viktor Vodnik share the lead with four saves each, although both have ERAs of 5.00. Former starter turned reliever Antonio Senzatela was solid with a 3.60 ERA, as were starter Gabriel Hughes (2.79 ERA over 19 1/3 IP) and former closer Jordan Romano (1.59 ERA over 5 2/3 IP) in limited appearances. Two other grassroots pitchers have struggled – Jimmy Herget has a 5.60 ERA over 27 1/3 IP and Zach Agnos has a 6.42 ERA over 61 2/3 IP. As a state, the Rockies have a 5.50 team ERA (last), including a 6.00 starting ERA (last) and a 4.95 bullpen ERA (26th). They struck out 735 batters (29th) in 914 1/3 innings.
Friday, July 24, 15:10: LHP Shane Drohan (5-3, 3.20 ERA, 3.08 FIP) vs. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (9-4, 4.76 ERA, 5.39 FIP)
Drohan, 27, has quickly become a reliable member of Milwaukee’s rotation as he has pitched at least six innings in each of his last three appearances. The left-hander has pitched 76 innings this year with a 3.20 ERA, 3.08 FIP and 76 strikeouts. In his last outing, he pitched six frames against the Marlins in a win, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine batters. Drohan got the win in his start against the Rockies in early June, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four in 6 1/3 innings.
Sugano, 36, is in his second Major League Baseball season after starting 30 games for the Orioles last season. He had similar numbers in Year No. 2 with the Rockies, with a 4.76 ERA, 5.39 FIP and 51 strikeouts in 90 2/3 innings. He bounced back from a seven-run rough performance against the Twins by pitching 6 1/3 innings with three runs allowed in a win over the Reds in his last appearance, giving up six hits and no walks while striking out three. Sugano’s only appearance against Milwaukee came last year as an Oriole, when he went six innings with two runs allowed on five hits and a walk, striking out three without a decision.
Saturday, July 25, 6:10 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (2-4, 4.91 ERA, 5.13 FIP) vs. RHP Ryan Feltner (3-4, 5.48 ERA, 5.68 FIP)
Gasser, 27, has had his ups and downs in his third MLB season, although he has played in more games this year (10) than in 2024 and 2025 combined (seven). In his 10 starts, he’s 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA, 5.13 FIP and 48 strikeouts over 51 1/3 innings. The lefty pitched five no-decision innings Sunday against the Marlins, allowing one run on three hits and no walks while striking out five. This is Gasser’s first career match against Colorado.
Feltner, 29, is in his sixth MLB season and has been serviceable, if not great, throughout his career. He made 14 starts this year, with a 3-4 record, 5.48 ERA, 5.68 FIP and 50 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings. The right-hander has been hit hard by the Giants and Reds in his last two appearances, totaling just 6 2/3 innings with 12 runs allowed on 13 hits and eight walks, while striking out six. Feltner made six career starts against the Brewers, and he was mostly successful with a 2.67 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings. That includes a solid six-inning performance back in June, when he allowed one run on one hit, two walks and hit a batter while striking out four.
Sunday, July 26, 1:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (10-4, 1.57 ERA, 2.05 FIP) vs. LHP Kyle Freeland (2-9, 7.28 ERA, 4.90 FIP)
Misiorowski, 24, continues to destroy hitters even as the Brewers tried to lighten his load after the All-Star break. He leads in many major categories, including ERA (1.57), FIP (2.05), WHIP (.774) and strikeouts (173) in 115 innings. He went four innings Monday night against the Mets, allowing one unearned run on four hits and a walk while striking out six. Mease looked great against Colorado when he faced them on June 6, allowing one unearned run on four hits and three walks while striking out eight in seven frames.
Freeland, 33, is in his 10th season in the big leagues, all with the Rockies, and he has been mostly bad since finishing fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2018. However, this year was his worst, with an overall -0.8 bWAR with a 2-9 record, 7.28 ERA, 4.90 FIP and 83 strikeouts in 94 innings. He leads the league with 76 earned runs, including at least four runs scored in four of his last five appearances. In his last outing, he went six innings against the Nationals, allowing four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks while striking out four. Freeland made 11 career starts against Milwaukee, with a 3.55 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings. In June, he pitched five frames against the Crew, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out two.
Friday, July 24: Brewers TV; listen on radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, July 25: Brewers TV; listen on radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, July 26: Brewers TV; listen on radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
These are a pair of teams that have had very different trajectories since meeting in the 2018 playoffs. The Brewers have an advantage in almost every aspect, and I expect that to show on the field; give me the command to sweep.