Game Thread #120: Milwaukee Brewers (67-52) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (71-49)

Montas returns to the mound as Brewers look for bounce back

After taking a beating in the first game of the series, the Brewers look for a quick bounce back in their matchup with the Dodgers.

They turn to Frankie Montas on the mound for his third start with Milwaukee. The first two haven’t been particularly special with a 6.00 ERA over nine innings, but in his last outing against the Braves, he struck out nine batters in just four innings. Will Montas be able to limit the dangerous Dodgers lineup?

Brice Turang takes the leadoff spot again despite his struggles over the past few months. He is batting just .143 in August with a 2.6% walk rate. He simply isn’t getting on base for someone who was such a dangerous threat in the leadoff spot early this season. Most of his batted ball metrics are similar to his season rates, so there’s still reason to believe he can bounce back down the stretch. His .143 BABIP in that time represents one area of regression that could flip in Turang’s favor.

Tyler Black earns another spot in the starting lineup after his return to Milwaukee last night. He’ll bat third while taking designated hitter duties. Black hasn’t excelled at the plate with the Brewers this season, so it will be interesting to see how he progresses if he receives extended playing time.

The outfield takes a familiar shape with Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick lined up from left to right. Chourio has a hit in 15 of his last 20 games with a shrinking strikeout rate and a barrel rate of 11.3%, compared to his season mark of 6.3%.

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. on Bally Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.