The Milwaukee Brewers are back on the road, as they’ll face their first repeat opponent of the season in the Washington Nationals. Three weekends ago, the Brewers were swept by the Nationals at home, as they stretched their losing streak to five after being outscored 18-10 over the three-game set. They’ll look to avoid a repeat of that series this weekend in Washington, D.C.
Since that sweep a few weeks ago, the Brewers have gone 8-7, with series wins over the Blue Jays, Marlins, and D-backs but series losses to the Tigers and Pirates. They sit at 16-14 on the season. On the other side, Washington has gone 8-9, with series wins over the White Sox and Mets, series losses to the Braves and Giants, and a four-game split with the Pirates. They sit at 15-17 on the season.
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Since that last series, the Brewers have lost a few more key players to injury. Christian Yelich went down in the series finale against Washington, and he’s still shelved with a groin strain. Pitchers Angel Zerpa and Brandon Woodruff both went down this week, as Zerpa is reportedly expected to miss a big chunk of time with forearm tightness, and Woodruff exited his start early with diminished velocity — it’s unknown at this time if there’s an injury, but regardless, there’s cause for concern. Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn are both on rehab assignments with Triple-A Nashville, and the Brewers expect them to return to the team on Monday in St. Louis. Quinn Priester, Rob Zastryzny, and Jared Koenig are also out, with Priester the closest to returning as he’s also on a rehab assignment.
Washington’s IL is filled with pitchers, as they’re without Clayton Beeter, Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Cole Henry, Trevor Williams, Ken Waldichuk, Travis Sykora, and Jarlin Susana. All of those players are out for extended periods, with Beeter likely the first one back. He went on the IL earlier this week as he deals with forearm soreness, but MRI results revealed no structural damage, and the team expects a mid- to late-May return.
While the Brewers still haven’t found a true power stroke over the last couple of weeks, the team found a way to score 13 runs on both Tuesday and Thursday in wins over Arizona. Brice Turang leads the offense with a .291/.422/.505 line, with four homers, eight doubles, 20 RBIs, 26 runs, and seven steals. Gary Sánchez, Jake Bauers, William Contreras, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and the recently recalled Tyler Black have also been key contributors of late. David Hamilton and Luis Rengifo have both shown flashes of potential in the last week, and Greg Jones, Brandon Lockridge, Joey Ortiz, and Blake Perkins round out the active roster. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .241/.338/.364 (.702 OPS ranks 20th), with 22 homers (28th), 160 runs (sixth), and 36 steals (tied for first).
The young Nationals lineup is paced by CJ Abrams and James Wood. Wood leads the team with 10 homers and seven doubles this year, while Abrams leads in most other categories, as he’s hitting .296/.405/.556 with eight homers, four doubles, 26 RBIs, 16 runs, and five steals. Brady House, Keibert Ruiz, Curtis Mead, Daylen Lile, Jacob Young, Luis García, and Nasim Nuñez round out the regulars for Washington, with Joey Wiemer, Jorbit Vivas, José Tena, and Drew Millas providing depth. Of note: Wiemer is still hitting .327/.413/.582 over 23 games, partially maintaining his numbers after that red-hot start. As a team, the Nats are hitting .243/.325/.393 (.718 OPS ranks 12th), with 37 homers (tied for 10th), 175 runs (second), and 32 steals (tied for fourth).
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For Milwaukee, Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, Abner Uribe, DL Hall, and Trevor Megill are part of the “winning” bullpen, with Anderson leading the team in appearances and Ashby and Hall leading in ERA. Ashby also leads the bullpen with 30 strikeouts, which ranks tied for second on the team (along with Kyle Harrison) behind only Jacob Misiorowski. After the Zerpa injury, the rest of the Brewer bullpen features Jake Woodford and youngsters Shane Drohan and Brian Fitzpatrick (who I just learned I share a birthday with). As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.74 team ERA (sixth), including a 3.70 starter ERA (seventh) and a 3.78 bullpen ERA (10th). They’ve struck out 281 batters (tied for seventh) over 267 1/3 innings.
PJ Poulin leads the Nationals with 16 appearances this season, though that includes four “starts,” as he has a 4.11 ERA over 15 1/3 innings. Washington doesn’t have a conventional closer, as Gus Varland leads the team with three saves, but Beeter has a pair of saves, and Paxton Schultz and Orlando Ribalta also have a save apiece. Longtime Oriole Cionel Pérez has struggled with the Nats, pitching to a 7.07 ERA over 14 innings. Brad Lord, Schultz, and Richard Lovelady have been solid, but Mitchell Parker (4.76 ERA) and Andre Granillo (8.53 ERA) have struggled. As a staff, the Nationals have a 5.08 team ERA (29th), including a 5.33 starter ERA (28th) and a 4.90 bullpen ERA (23rd). They’ve struck out 249 batters (tied for 21st) over 289 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, May 1 @ 5:45 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.31 ERA, 3.24 FIP) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (1-3, 4.85 ERA, 4.10 FIP)
Misiorowski has now made six starts this season, and he still has a mixed bag. He leads the NL with 51 strikeouts over his 32 2/3 innings, but he’s also walked 13 and leads the majors with five hit batters. He looked pretty good but not great last Saturday against the Pirates, as he allowed three runs on six hits, a walk, and two hit batters over six innings, striking out nine in a no-decision as the Brewers would ultimately lose in extras. This will mark Miz’s first career appearance against Washington.
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In his fourth season with the Nationals, Irvin, 29, still hasn’t found much major league success. After leading the NL in losses in 2024, he led the majors in earned runs and homers allowed last season, turning in -0.4 bWAR over 33 starts. He’s been a bit better this season, with a 4.85 ERA and 4.10 FIP over 29 2/3 innings, allowing just four homers while striking out 34. Irvin’s last appearance came over the weekend, when he went 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the White Sox, striking out nine as he allowed just four hits and a hit batter. Now a familiar opponent for the Brewers, Irvin went five innings with three runs allowed and five strikeouts against Milwaukee on April 10. In seven career starts against Milwaukee, he’s 0-5 with a 6.42 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings.
Saturday, May 2 @ 3:05 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (2-1, 2.28 ERA, 3.08 FIP) vs. LHP Foster Griffin (3-0, 2.67 ERA, 4.34 FIP)
Harrison, who looked shaky in Detroit last week, bounced back last weekend in his best start as a Brewer and maybe the best start of his MLB career. Over six scoreless innings, he allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out 12, lowering his ERA to 2.28 through five starts. Harrison started against the Nationals back on April 11, taking the loss after being hit in the knee by a throw to first on the game’s first play. He went 4 1/3 innings in that one, allowing two runs and striking out one. For his career, he’s 0-2 with a 4.26 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 19 innings against the Nats.
Griffin, 30, is in his first season back in the majors after spending the last three years in Japan. He’s quietly found success with Washington this year, with a 2.67 ERA, 4.34 FIP, and 30 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings pitched across six starts. Griffin’s last outing was also a good one, as he went seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the White Sox, allowing just two hits, two walks, and a hit batter. The former first-round pick made his first and only appearance against the Brewers back on April 11, when he went 5 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout in a winning performance.
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Sunday, May 3 @ 12:35 p.m.: RHP Chad Patrick (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 4.30 FIP) vs. RHP Zack Littell (0-4, 7.85 ERA, 9.05 FIP)
Patrick has become a consistent piece of Milwaukee’s rotation over the last season-plus, as he’s made six appearances (four starts) this season, with a 2.57 ERA and 4.30 FIP over 28 innings. While he’s only struck out 16 and allowed 22 hits and 13 walks, he’s done a pretty solid job keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard. He picked up the win (while reportedly dealing with vomiting and some vision issues) against Arizona earlier this week in a blowout, as he went five innings, allowing two runs on one hit and five walks with a season-high five strikeouts. Patrick took the bulk role in Milwaukee’s April 10 game against Washington, pitching three innings in relief after Ashby opened the game. He went three scoreless, allowing just three hits and a walk with no strikeouts. That was his first and only appearance against the Nats.
Littell, who has become a dependable major league starter over the last few seasons with the Rays and Reds, has not had a great start with the Nationals. Through six appearances (five starts), he has a 7.85 ERA, 9.05 FIP, and just 16 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings. He also leads the league in homers allowed at 13. His last appearance came on Tuesday against the Mets, when he got beat up for eight runs (just four earned) on five hits (two homers) and three walks, striking out one over 3 2/3 innings in his third consecutive loss. In those three appearances, he’s allowed eight runs in each (24 runs total, 18 earned), pushing his ERA from 4.20 to near 8.00. He pitched five solid innings against Milwaukee in their series finale on April 12, allowing three runs on six hits (three homers), striking out three over five frames. For his career, he’s 0-1 with a 2.35 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 30 2/3 innings against the Brewers.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, May 1: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
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Saturday, May 2: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, May 3: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
Last time the Brewers faced the Nats, I predicted a series win because “the Brewers… have the advantage in just about every facet.” Instead, Milwaukee was swept as they struggled throughout the weekend. I’ll double down on my original prediction, though, and pick the Brewers to win two of three this time around.
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