Milwaukee came home Monday night and opened a four-game series against San Francisco with a familiar name back in town and a familiar question hanging over the mound: when, exactly, will Brandon Woodruff be ready. The Brewers returned from a three-game road trip to Houston to start the set against the Giants, who arrived in Milwaukee after a rough month and a late May win that did little to erase the slide.
For readers following Giants Vs Brewers now, the setup is simple. Milwaukee went 19-7 in May and entered June at 35-21, a stretch that included only one series loss, a 1-2 setback against the Dodgers over Memorial Day weekend. San Francisco went 10-18 in May, lost five straight and nine of 11 before beating the Rockies 19-6 on the final day of the month, and began the series at 23-36 in fourth place in the NL West.
The matchup also carries roster familiarity. Former Brewer Willy Adames came back to Milwaukee with the Giants, who also counted former Brewers catcher Eric Haase among the players sharing time behind the plate with Daniel Susac. Adames had eight home runs for San Francisco, while Casey Schmitt led the club with 12 home runs and 12 doubles and was hitting.294/.332/.548 across 51 games. Rafael Devers had seven home runs, and Luis Arraez was batting.321.
The contrast in the lineups shows why the Brewers have spent the spring winning in different ways. Milwaukee was hitting.242/.328/.359 as a team, with a.687 OPS that ranked 25th, but it had scored 268 runs, ranked 11th, and stolen 60 bases, second in the majors. San Francisco hit.254/.301/.404, good for a.705 OPS and 14th place, but it had only 232 runs, 53 home runs and 15 steals, the last figure in the league.
Pitching and health are shaping the rest of the series as much as the records. Woodruff was the closest Brewers starter to coming back from injury, but Milwaukee listed TBD for the final two games of the series, leaving the back end of the rotation unsettled. Shane Drohan was scheduled to start the opener, while the Brewers’ staff entered with a 3.17 team ERA, a 3.11 starter ERA and a 3.25 bullpen ERA, led in wins by Aaron Ashby at nine and no losses.
The injury board was crowded on both sides. Milwaukee expected Jared Koenig back in early June and Logan Henderson in mid-June, while Angel Zerpa was out for the season, Quinn Priester had no timetable and Brandon Lockridge remained the only injured Brewers position player, sidelined until mid- to late June with a knee injury. San Francisco was missing Rowan Wick, Randy Rodríguez, Hayden Birdsong, José Buttó, Tyler Mahle, Reiver Sanmartin and Jason Foley, and it was also without Harrison Bader, Jared Oliva and Heliot Ramos. That leaves the Brewers with the better form, the deeper recent run and the home-field edge, but the final two pitching assignments still make the series more open than the records suggest.
