Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Francisco Giants

After a quick three-game road trip to visit the Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers are back home to host the San Francisco Giants for four games beginning Monday night. The Brewers had a strong month of May, going 19-7 with just one series loss (a 1-2 series against the Dodgers over Memorial Day weekend). At 35-21 on the year, they’ll have at least a four-game lead in the NL Central heading into June (depending on tonight’s result between St. Louis and Chicago).

The Giants, on the other hand, went 10-18 in May, losing five straight and nine of 11 before picking up a big 19-6 win over the Rockies on the final day of the month. They sit at 23-36 on the season and in fourth place in the NL West.

Brandon Woodruff is the closest Brewer to returning from injury, with speculation he may start one of the final two games of this series as Milwaukee has TBD listed for both games as of now. Other injured pitchers include Angel Zerpa (out for the season), Logan Henderson (mid-June return), Jared Koenig (early June), and Quinn Priester (TBD). Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is the only injured position player, as he’s out until mid- to late June with a knee injury that’s kept him out for most of May.

The Giants are without pitchers Rowan Wick (out for season), Randy Rodríguez (late 2026 or 2027), Hayden Birdsong (out for season), José Buttó (late 2026 or 2027), Tyler Mahle (June), Reiver Sanmartin (June), and Jason Foley (June). Outfielders Harrison Bader, Jared Oliva, and Heliot Ramos are also out, with all three slated for June returns.

Jake Bauers leads the Brewer offense with nine homers, 10 doubles, 33 RBIs, and 30 runs scored across 49 games this season. Brice Turang is in the midst of a cold spell, though he’s still hitting .263/.391/.438 with seven homers this season. William Contreras, Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and Andrew Vaughn are the other key contributors offensively, with Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo providing supporting roles. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .242/.328/.359 (.687 OPS ranks 25th), with 40 homers (last), 268 runs (11th), and 60 steals (second).

Casey Schmitt leads San Francisco’s offense with 12 homers and 12 doubles, slashing .294/.332/.548 across 51 games. Former Brewer Willy Adames has eight homers, while Rafael Devers has seven. With Bader and Ramos out, the next best players for the Giants are Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman (who hasn’t been all that good this year), and Luis Arraez (who continues to hit a reliable .300+, at .321 this season). Fellow former Brewer Eric Haase and Daniel Susac split catching duties, with Bryce Eldridge, Drew Gilbert, Victor Bericoto, Jonah Cox, and super utilityman Jesus Rodriguez rounding out the squad. As a team, the Giants are hitting .254/.301/.404 (.705 OPS ranks 14th), with 53 homers (tied for 23rd), 232 runs (25th), and 15 steals (last).

The Milwaukee bullpen is led by league wins leader Aaron Ashby (a perfect 9-0), Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill. Grant Anderson and DL Hall have also played key roles, with Shane Drohan (who will start the first game of this series), Chad Patrick (who has worked as both a starter and reliever), Rob Zastryzny, and Jake Woodford rounding things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.17 team ERA (third), including a 3.11 starter ERA (fourth) and a 3.25 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 542 batters (fifth) over 499 1/3 innings.

Matt Gage leads the San Francisco bullpen with 28 appearances and a 1.96 ERA this season, while Keaton Winn (2.45 ERA) and JT Brubaker (2.70 ERA) have also played key roles. Ryan Borucki, Erik Miller, Caleb Kilian, Tristan Beck, Joel Peguero, and Sam Hentges round things out for the Giants. Of note: they don’t really have a defined closer, as five players have at least one save this season, and no players have more than three. As a staff, the Giants have a 4.33 team ERA (20th), including a 4.77 starter ERA (28th) and a 3.69 bullpen ERA (12th). They’ve struck out 468 batters (25th) over 521 2/3 innings.

Monday, June 1 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (2-1, 2.63 ERA, 2.37 FIP) vs. RHP Landen Roupp (5-5, 3.30 ERA, 2.65 FIP)

Drohan, 27, has gradually turned into a key piece of Milwaukee’s bullpen this season. After making the start in his MLB debut back in April, each of his last 10 appearances have come in relief, picking up a pair of wins and a save. For the season, he has a 2.63 ERA, 2.37 FIP, and 28 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. Expect Drohan to go somewhere between three and five-ish innings in this one (he’s maxed out at 71 pitches this season, though he has no more than 42 pitches since the start of May). This is Drohan’s first career appearance against San Francisco.

Roupp, 27, is in his third major league season, all with San Francisco. A former 12th-round pick, Roupp got out to a great start this year, pitching to a 2.55 ERA over his first six starts. In May, however, Roupp went 0-4 with 14 runs allowed (12 earned) across 24 2/3 innings (4.38 ERA) as the Giants lost all five games. Those bring his season stats to an average-looking 3.30 ERA, 2.65 FIP, and 68 strikeouts over 60 innings. In four career appearances (two starts) against Milwaukee, Roupp is 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 12 1/3 innings.

Tuesday, June 2 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (6-1, 1.57 ERA, 2.44 FIP) vs. RHP Trevor McDonald (2-2, 4.34 ERA, 3.24 FIP)

Harrison, 24, has quickly turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball with Milwaukee. A former third-round pick by these Giants back in 2020, he spent the first 2.5 years of his career in San Francisco, totaling 39 appearances (35 starts) with a 4.48 ERA, 4.56 FIP, and 178 strikeouts over 182 2/3 innings. Since being acquired by Milwaukee this offseason, he’s made 10 starts with a sterling 1.57 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 61 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings. He’s earned the win in each of his last three outings, allowing no runs since May 9. He went six scoreless against the Cardinals last week, allowing four hits and no walks with a pair of strikeouts. This marks Harrison’s first career appearance against his former team.

McDonald, 25, is a former 11th-round pick who has spent parts of three seasons with the Giants. He’s made five starts this season, with a 4.34 ERA, 3.24 FIP, and 27 strikeouts across 29 innings. He’s lost each of his last two outings, totaling 10 innings against the White Sox and Diamondbacks, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on nine hits, three walks, three hit batters, and a pair of wild pitches. This marks McDonald’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Wednesday, June 3 @ 6:40 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Logan Webb (2-4, 4.82 ERA, 3.52 FIP)

The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for either of these last two games, but I’ll venture a guess that they feature some combination of a returning Brandon Woodruff and a trio of young pitchers in Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, and Coleman Crow, especially given that Crow got this slot in the last go-round and Sproat’s turn through the rotation would be Thursday’s game. With that in mind, I’ll just quickly list out their season stats and career stats against the Giants.

Woodruff: 2-1, 3.60 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 25 Ks over 30 IP in 2026; 1-0, 2.00 ERA, 21 Ks over 18 IP against SF

Patrick: 2-2, 2.60 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 33 Ks over 45 IP in 2026; 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 7 Ks over 5 1/3 IP against SF

Sproat: 1-4, 6.24 ERA, 5.55 FIP, 52 Ks over 49 IP in 2026; no career appearances against SF

Crow: 0-0, 3.14 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 8 Ks over 14 1/3 IP in 2026; no career appearances against SF

Webb, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the last four seasons (he’s finished 11th, second, sixth, and fourth in Cy Young voting in that time period), has struggled to begin 2026. Still just 29, he’s now in his eighth MLB season. He has a 4.82 ERA, 3.52 FIP, and 47 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings. San Francisco has lost each of his last four games, though he’s only been truly “bad” in one of those games. During that period, he’s totaled 22 1/3 innings, allowing 11 runs on 24 hits, seven walks, and three hit batters while striking out 20 against the Dodgers, Phillies, Padres, and Rockies. Webb has dominated the Brewers across seven career starts, with a 4-0 record, 2.08 ERA, and 50 strikeouts across 43 1/3 innings, including a pair of wins last year.

Thursday, June 4 @ 1:10 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Adrian Houser (2-5, 5.59 ERA, 5.18 FIP)

See above for the Brewers’ potential starter in this one.

Houser, 33, is in his 10th MLB season and first with San Francisco after agreeing to a two-year, $22 million contract in the offseason. The former longtime Brewer (he played parts of seven seasons with Milwaukee between 2015 and 2023) hasn’t had much success in San Francisco this year, with a 5.59 ERA, 5.18 FIP, and 35 strikeouts across 56 1/3 innings in 11 starts. He got hit hard in his last outing against Colorado, allowing four runs on eight hits, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out four across 3 2/3 innings on 92 pitches. Houser has never faced the Brewers entering this series.

Monday, June 1: Brewers TV & nationally on FS1; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Tuesday, June 2: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, June 3: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Thursday, June 4: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

The Brewers had a great month of May, and I think they’ll keep things rolling to start the month of June. Give me Milwaukee to win three of four.