Brewers hit the road for second time this year as they head West to battle Colorado & Arizona
Coming off a solid 5-2 homestand, the Brewers will look to keep things going on the road this week, as they head West for a pair of series against the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Milwaukee gets their first off day since last Friday on Monday, with a stretch of nine consecutive games to follow.
Colorado sits at 2-7 so far this season, as they’ve lost two of three to the Rays, were swept by the Phillies, and lost two of three to the A’s over the weekend. They are coming off their best win of the season, however, as they picked up their first home victory by a 12-5 score on Sunday. Milwaukee looks a lot better on both sides of the ball than they did a week ago, as their offense has found some rhythm, and their pitching staff, while depleted, has been (mostly) good at keeping opponents off the scoreboard.
The Rockies’ offense has been inconsistent so far. Catcher Hunter Goodman is the only player with multiple homers, while the team as a whole is slashing .240/.303/.364. Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar remain cornerstones of this team, with Ryan McMahon and Michael Toglia also regularly in the fold. Kyle Farmer has eight hits in his first 22 at-bats (.364 batting average), and outfielder Nick Martini has also been solid with seven hits in 20 at-bats (.350 batting average).
For the Brewers, Jackson Chourio now leads the team with three homers and nine RBIs, also picking up four doubles as he’s hitting .295/.289/.591. Brice Turang has a hit in all 10 games so far, hitting .325/.349/.500 with a pair of homers, two steals, six RBIs, and a team-high 10 runs. Sal Frelick has also been solid, hitting .378/.452/.459 with a team-high 14 hits. William Contreras and Christian Yelich have both struggled so far, but both are still getting on base (team-high seven and six walks, respectively), and Yelich made some solid contact Sunday, even if the box score only shows one hit.
On the mound, Jake Bird, Seth Halvorsen, and Jimmy Herget all have perfect 0.00 ERAs so far, but the rest of the bullpen has struggled. Closer Victor Vodnik has an 8.31 ERA with four runs allowed over 4 1⁄3 innings, while relievers Scott Alexander (no relation to Tyler but brother of former Brewer Jason), Angel Chivilli, Tyler Kinley, and Luis Peralta (Freddy’s brother) all have ERAs over 10.00 through three-plus appearances. The starting rotation, however, has been a strength, as Ryan Feltner, Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez, and Antonio Senzatela have all been solid, plus top prospect Chase Dollander, who made his MLB debut on Sunday.
Bryan Hudson, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe remain the leaders of the bullpen, as Uribe as bounced back from a disappointing 2024 season to look much more like his 2023 self. Jared Koenig has also been reliable, while Joel Payamps, Elvis Peguero, Grant Anderson, and Connor Thomas have struggled at times. With Nestor Cortes joining the injury parade over the weekend, it’s unclear how the Brewers rotation will look, but more on that below.
Probable Pitchers
Tuesday, April 8 @ 7:40 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (2.08 ERA, 2.71 FIP) vs. Kyle Freeland (2.13 ERA, 1.36 FIP)
Freeland, the big 6-foot-4-inch left-hander, is now in his ninth season with Colorado. After garnering Cy Young votes in his second season back in 2018, he hasn’t been able to replicate that success. Through two starts this year, however, he’s allowed just three runs in 12 2⁄3 innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks. In eight career starts against the Crew, Freeland is 5-2 with a 2.06 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 48 innings.
Peralta is coming off one of the best starts of his career, as he went eight innings and allowed one run on two hits and no walks with eight strikeouts in a victory over the Royals, though he got a no-decision as the game went to extra innings. Through two games, he’s looked solid, allowing three runs on six hits with just one walk and 16 strikeouts across 13 innings. As the only healthy piece left of Milwaukee’s rotation, he’ll be relied on heavily as the rest of the arms work their way back. With several ties to the Rockies, including his brother pitching for Colorado and making his debut against them back in 2018, Peralta has been solid in seven appearances (six starts) in his career against the Rockies. He’s 3-2 with 52 strikeouts and a 3.74 ERA over 33 2⁄3 innings.
Wednesday, April 9 @ 7:40 p.m.: TBD vs. Antonio Senzatela (0.00 ERA, 2.94 FIP)
Senzatela has had a weird, insane line through two starts thus far. Across 9 2⁄3 innings, he’s allowed a league-high 19 hits but also allowed just one unearned run. He’s also struck out just three while walking two. Kinda wild. In fact, that’s a statistical oddity dating back to at least 1913. Anyways, it’s not sustainable. In six career starts against Milwaukee, Senzatela is 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA and 27 strikeouts across 31 innings.
This was Nestor Cortes’ spot in the rotation until he was placed on the IL over the weekend. Grant Wolfram, who was recalled to replace Cortes on the active roster, hasn’t yet made his MLB debut and has worked exclusively in a relief role the last few years. With Chad Patrick, Tyler Alexander, and Elvin Rodriguez already functioning as part of the rotation, I’d guess this will be some form of a bullpen game. Otherwise, the Brewers will need to push Alexander’s start up a day, which is possible, given the day off. Assuming it is Alexander, he’s allowed two runs across nine innings between a start and two relief appearances so far. He went 5 2⁄3 hitless innings against the Reds Friday night, picking up the win as he struck out six. Having spent his entire career up to this point in the AL, he’s only pitched against Colorado three times (two starts) with an 11.57 ERA and nine strikeouts across 9 1⁄3 innings.
Thursday, April 10 @ 2:10 p.m.: TBD vs. Ryan Feltner (3.60 ERA, 4.34 FIP)
Feltner has thus far been the weakest link in Colorado’s rotation, which is saying something given his 3.60 ERA. Across two starts, he’s allowed five runs (four earned) on 12 hits and a pair of walks with nine strikeouts. Both starts (against the Rays and A’s) have been basically identical, allowing two earned runs across five frames. He’s made four career starts against the Brewers, with a 1-1 record, 3.32 ERA, and 19 strikeouts across 21 2⁄3 innings.
Assuming Alexander gets the start Wednesday, this would likely also move Elvin Rodriguez up a day to get the start on Thursday. Rodriguez has struggled in two starts for Milwaukee, actually being credited with both losses on the Brewers’ homestand. He’s allowed 11 runs across nine innings, giving up 14 hits and two walks while striking out just five. If he gets the start, this will be his first career appearance against Colorado.
How to Watch
Tuesday, April 8: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Wednesday, April 9: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Thursday, April 10: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
The Brewers seem better in basically every facet compared to the Rockies, but that’s been the case for the last few seasons. Even so, Milwaukee has played sub-.500 ball against Colorado since their playoff series in 2018, winning 16 games and losing 18. They’ve been even worse at Coors Field, with a 5-12 record on the road. Still, I’ll take Milwaukee to win the first two games and drop the series finale, especially if the struggling Rodriguez gets the start.