The Milwaukee Brewers, coming off a series loss to MLB’s No. 2 team in the Phillies, will now take on their neighbors from across Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unlike the Phillies, the Pirates have had a disappointing season, as they sit at the bottom of the NL Central with a 64-77 record. The good news for Pittsburgh is they’re fresh off a series sweep of the NL West-leading Dodgers, as they haven’t lost a series since dropping two of three to the Cubs in mid-August.
Milwaukee’s injuries include Christian Yelich, who is considered day-to-day with back soreness and is expected to return for this series. Trevor Megill, who is out with a flexor strain, is expected to return in the next week or so, while fellow reliever Shelby Miller won’t have the same luck as he’s out for this year and next (and may be facing retirement) with his second career Tommy John surgery imminent. Grant Anderson is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend, while DL Hall could also return later this month. Logan Henderson is targeting a return before the postseason, and Rhys Hoskins is also close to returning.
For Pittsburgh, they’re without Ronny Simon, Jared Jones, Enmanuel Valdez, and Endy Rodríguez with season-ending injuries. Reliever Justin Lawrence, who has been shelved since mid-April, is on a rehab assignment and could return in the next week or two, while outfielder Jack Suwinski has his return listed as TBD after going on the IL with a groin strain last week.
Yelich leads the Brewers’ offense with 27 homers, 92 RBIs, and 82 runs to go with 15 steals. Brice Turang is coming off an NL Player of the Month selection for August and is hitting .291/.358/.449 with 17 homers, 70 RBIs, 87 runs, and 23 steals. William Contreras, Jackson Chourio, Caleb Durbin, Sal Frelick, Isaac Collins, Andrew Vaughn, Joey Ortiz, and Andruw Monasterio have also been key in recent weeks, while Blake Perkins, Jake Bauers, Danny Jansen, and Anthony Seigler round out the roster. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .259/.332/.408 (.740 OPS ranks 11th) with 152 homers (19th), 717 runs scored (second), and 144 steals (second).
For Pittsburgh, Oneil Cruz leads the team with 19 homers and 36 steals, though he’s hitting just .202/.304/.389 this season. Veteran Bryan Reynolds is hitting .246/.313/.411 with 15 homers, 70 RBIs, and 58 runs, while former Brewer and Brewer killer Andrew McCutchen is hitting .245/.342/.388 with 13 homers and 21 doubles. Tommy Pham, Spencer Horwitz, Henry Davis, Alexander Canario, Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Liover Peguero, Joey Bart, Nick Yorke, Ryan Kreidler, and former Brewer farmhand Cam Devanney round out the roster. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .234/.308/.353 (.661 OPS ranks last) with 102 homers (last), 517 runs scored (last), and 104 steals (13th).
Milwaukee’s bullpen is led by Abner Uribe, who leads the team in most major stats with 67 appearances, 67 1/3 innings, a 1.87 ERA, and 81 strikeouts. Jared Koenig, Nick Mears, Grant Anderson, and Aaron Ashby have also been key arms, while Joel Payamps just rejoined the team yesterday after being DFA’d earlier this year. Rob Zastryzny and Tobias Myers round out the ‘pen, though manager Pat Murphy hinted that there will be another roster move due to injury today. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.63 team ERA (second), including a 3.48 starter ERA (second) and a 3.83 reliever ERA (10th). They’ve struck out 1,234 batters (sixth) over 1,255 2/3 innings.
After unloading at the deadline, the Pirates’ bullpen is led by closer Dennis Santana, who leads the team with 60 appearances. Across 60 innings, Santana has a 2.40 ERA, 13 saves (in 15 tries), and 49 strikeouts. Rookies Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler, along with Carmen Mlodzinski, can go multiple innings and will occasionally make a spot start. Isaac Mattson, Colin Holderman, Dauri Moreta, Cam Sanders, Mike Burrows (who has also made spot starts), and Yohan Ramírez round out the bullpen. As a staff, the Pirates have a 3.87 team ERA (eighth), including a 3.70 starter ERA (sixth) and a 4.11 reliever ERA (16th). They’ve struck out 1,116 batters (22nd) over 1,243 2/3 innings.
Friday, September 5 @ 5:40 p.m.: Quinn Priester (3.28 ERA, 4.29 FIP) vs. Johan Oviedo (3.60 ERA, 4.01 FIP)
Priester’s insane stretch of “games in which he’s pitched that the Brewers have won” now stretches back 16 games to the end of May. A former first-round pick by Pittsburgh, Priester spent parts of two seasons with the Pirates, totaling 94 2/3 innings with 67 strikeouts, a 6.46 ERA, and a 5.83 FIP. He’s been great with Milwaukee, however, allowing just four runs (three earned) in his last three starts against the Reds, Cubs, and Blue Jays, spanning 15 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts. He’s made just one career start against his former team, which also so happens to be the last game he appeared in that the Brewers lost, all the way back on May 24. In that one, he allowed one run on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision.
Oviedo, 27, is in his fifth MLB season and third with the Pirates. After missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, Oviedo finally made his return in early August. Through four MLB starts this season, he’s 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA, 4.01 FIP, and 20 strikeouts over 15 innings. He went five innings in his last outing against the Red Sox, allowing two runs and striking out six over five frames. Oviedo has made six appearances (three starts) against Milwaukee in his career, with a 2-2 record, 4.50 ERA, and 20 strikeouts across 26 innings.
Saturday, September 6 @ 5:40 p.m.: Brandon Woodruff (3.69 ERA, 3.57 FIP) vs. Mitch Keller (4.21 ERA, 3.80 FIP)
After a strong start in his return from shoulder surgery, Woodruff has struggled a bit in his last few starts. His ERA is up to 3.69 for the season, close to his 3.57 FIP. Over 53 2/3 total innings, Woodruff has 66 strikeouts. In his last three starts against the Cubs, D-backs, and Blue Jays, he allowed 16 runs (13 earned) over just 14 1/3 innings with 17 strikeouts. Woodruff has made 18 career appearances (16 starts) against Pittsburgh, with a 7-3 record, 3.25 ERA, and 107 strikeouts across 91 1/3 innings. He went four scoreless innings with four strikeouts against them on August 13.
Keller, an All-Star in 2023, has stayed fairly consistent over the last few years, with an ERA between 4.20 and 4.25 in 2023, 2024, and so far in 2025. This year, he’s made 28 starts with a 4.21 ERA, 3.80 FIP, and 132 strikeouts over 156 innings. A former second-round pick, Keller went five innings and took the loss against the Red Sox his last time out, allowing four runs (though none were earned) on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Keller has made 11 career starts against Milwaukee, with a 1-6 record, 5.59 ERA, and 65 strikeouts over 56 1/3 innings.
Sunday, September 7 @ 12:35 p.m.: Jacob Misiorowski (4.50 ERA, 3.33 FIP) vs. TBD
Misiorowski, who was so good to start his MLB career, has not been able to avoid the “big inning” in his last few outings, ballooning his ERA to 4.50 despite his FIP still sitting at a respectable 3.33 FIP. He went 4 1/3 innings against the Phillies in his last start, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts. If you’ll recall, Miz’s lone outing against the Pirates came in a head-to-head battle with Paul Skenes at the end of June. In that one, Misiorowski took the victory with no runs allowed on two hits and two walks, striking out eight over five innings.
The Pirates have not yet announced a starter for Sunday’s game and, given the number of options they have (Carmen Mlodzinski, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, and Mike Burrows, just to name a few), your guess for this one is as good as mine.
Friday, September 5: Exclusively televised on Apple TV+; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Saturday, September 6: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Sunday, September 7: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
On paper, this should be a good series for Milwaukee. But given how well the Pirates have played the last few weeks, this could be a taller task than anyone would have predicted after the trade deadline. Still, I think the Brewers capitalize on the Pirates’ weak offense to win two of three.
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