The Milwaukee Brewers, who have seemingly played AL teams for the entire month of May, will face off against the Boston Red Sox for three games beginning Memorial Day. Milwaukee hasn’t played consistent baseball the entire season, struggling to go above .500 but also staying within shouting distance of the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central.
The Brewers are coming off what should have been an easy-ish week against the Orioles and Pirates, though they went just 4-3 in that stretch, splitting four games with the Pirates in Pittsburgh. On the other side, the Red Sox are also coming off a series with the Orioles, splitting four games with them after winning two of three against the Mets to begin the week. They sit at 27-28 this season.
For the Brewers, Quinn Priester is day to day with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand, though it doesn’t appear to be anything serious. Jose Quintana, Brandon Woodruff, and DL Hall are all approaching returns to the big-league squad, and outfielders Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell could also be back in the coming weeks.
The Red Sox’ injured list includes infielders Alex Bregman and Triston Casas, who are both out for extended periods with leg injuries (Bregman should return later this summer, but Casas is out for the season). Outfielder Masataka Yoshida hasn’t appeared in a game this year with a shoulder tear, and pitchers Patrick Sandoval, Tanner Houck, and Kutter Crawford are all out as well.
Christian Yelich leads the Brewers with nine homers, though he’s hitting just .205 on the season. Jackson Chourio is slashing .246/.273/.412 with seven homers, 15 doubles, 27 RBIs, 29 runs, and nine steals. Rhys Hoskins is hitting .288/.390/.472 with seven homers, while Brice Turang and Sal Frelick continue to provide value on the basepaths with 13 and nine steals, respectively. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .233/.311/.353 (.664 OPS ranks 25th) with 45 homers (24th), 232 runs scored (12th), and 70 steals (second).
With Bregman now injured, the Boston offense is led by Wilyer Abreu, Rafael Devers, and Jarren Duran. Duran provides the speed threat (six triples, 12 steals) while Abreu and Devers both bring power to the table, as they’re tied for the team lead with 12 homers each. Devers is hitting .291/.406/.539, which is saying something considering how bad he started the season (he went 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts in five games in March). They also have a pair of solid rookies (Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell), Carlos Narváez at catcher, and Trevor Story at shortstop. As a team, the Sox are hitting .254/.325/.425 (.750 OPS ranks fifth) with 69 homers (seventh), 267 runs scored (fifth), and 52 steals (tied for fifth).
Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill are the leaders of Milwaukee’s bullpen, while Nick Mears and Jared Koenig have both had solid seasons despite recent struggles. Grant Anderson’s 3.00 ERA over 27 innings has also been a nice value add from the past offseason. As a staff, the Brewers have a 4.11 ERA (21st), including a 3.60 starter ERA (10th) and a 4.72 reliever ERA (24th). They’ve also struck out 437 batters (16th) in 475 1⁄3 innings.
The bullpen has been one of the healthiest areas for the Red Sox, as they have five players with 22-plus appearances this year. Greg Weissert leads that group with 24 appearances and a 3.13 ERA, while Brennan Bernardino (1.66 ERA) has made 23 appearances. Aroldis Chapman is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities, and Justin Slaten and Justin Wilson have also been solid with 22 appearances each. As a staff, the Red Sox have a 4.02 ERA (18th), including a 4.26 starter ERA (22nd) and a 3.67 reliever ERA (12th). They’ve also struck out 456 batters (ninth) in 494 2⁄3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Monday, May 26 @ 1:10 p.m.: Chad Patrick (3.23 ERA, 3.43 FIP) vs. Garrett Crochet (1.98 ERA, 2.71 FIP)
Patrick, 26, has been fantastic through 11 appearances (10 starts) for Milwaukee this year. While he isn’t the flashiest pitcher, he’s done his job to keep the Brewers in games, with three or fewer runs allowed in all of his starts. His last time out was a no-decision against the Orioles, as he allowed one run on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over 4 2⁄3 innings. This is his first career appearance against Boston.
Crochet was involved in one of the biggest trades of the offseason, coming over from the White Sox in a deal for several prospects. Originally drafted by the Brewers in 2017 (though he didn’t sign), he’s been stellar through 11 starts this season, with a 1.98 ERA and 2.71 FIP, striking out 78 batters across an AL-best 68 1⁄3 innings. He went 5 1⁄3 innings in his last start against the Mets, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts. He’s made one career start against the Crew, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts across six innings last June.
Tuesday, May 27 @ 6:40 p.m.: Aaron Civale (9.00 ERA, 10.79 FIP) vs. TBD
Civale made his return from injury on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, throwing 73 pitches across four innings as he allowed two runs on four hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts. He still isn’t back to 100% of his workload, but you can probably expect him to throw closer to the 80-pitch mark in this one. He’s made four career starts against Boston, spanning 20 innings with 23 strikeouts and a 4.95 ERA.
The Red Sox currently have this spot listed as TBD, but CBS Sports projects Cooper Criswell to get the start here. Criswell, 28, is in his second season with the Red Sox. He made three relief appearances early in the season before being optioned to Triple-A. He’s bounced back and forth since that time but hasn’t made an MLB appearance since April 6. This will mark his first start in the majors since last September. In five MiLB appearances (four starts) this year, he has a 1.99 ERA with 31 strikeouts over 22 2⁄3 innings. He’s made one long-relief appearance against the Brewers, coming while he was with the Rays back in 2023. In that appearance, he allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 4 2⁄3 innings.
Wednesday, May 28 @ 12:10 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (2.55 ERA, 3.89 FIP) vs. Brayan Bello (4.08 ERA, 4.89 FIP)
While he may struggle with throwing too many pitches at times, Peralta is now in his third season as a pitcher who can be expected to make every scheduled start. He’s currently tied for MLB’s lead with 11 starts this year, as he’s sporting a 2.55 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 60 innings. He struggled at times in his last start, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 4 1⁄3 innings against the Pirates. He’s made just one career start against Boston, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 5 2⁄3 innings in a start back in April 2023.
Bello, 26, is in his fourth MLB season with the Red Sox, and despite having the best ERA mark of his career (4.08), he also has the worst FIP mark of his career (4.89). He’s made seven starts, allowing 17 runs (16 earned) and striking out 27 across 35 1⁄3 innings. In his last start against the Orioles, he allowed two runs on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over four innings. He’s made two appearances (one start) against the Brewers in his career, allowing five runs on nine hits and five walks with seven strikeouts over nine innings of work.
How to Watch
Monday, May 26: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, MLB Network (out-of-market viewers), and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Tuesday, May 27: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Wednesday, May 28: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, MLB Network (out-of-market viewers), and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
The Red Sox have played .500 baseball up to this point, slightly better than Milwaukee. I think they have the edge in this series, so I’ll take the Sox to win two of three.
