The Milwaukee Brewers are back in town, as they’ll take on the New York Yankees with Jackson Chourio ready to suit up for the first time at home this season. Milwaukee is coming off a series split with the Cardinals, as the second game of the series was rained out and rescheduled for early July. The Crew is now 19-16 on the season, tied for third place in the NL Central (though the rest of the division is all in action on Thursday).
On the other side, the Yankees have won six of their seven games this month, including taking two of three from the Rangers entering the weekend. They’re now 26-12 on the season, giving them the best record in the American League.
Also of note: This is the first matchup between these two teams since the Yankees crushed the Brewers to begin the 2025 season. In that three-game set, the Yankees won 4-2, 20-9, and 12-3 and hit 15 home runs thanks to the magical torpedo bats.
With the return of Chourio and first baseman Andrew Vaughn, the Brewers’ injured list suddenly looks much more manageable. While Garrett Mitchell and Brice Turang both missed a game due to illness this week, it doesn’t seem like anything serious. The only injured regular position player is Christian Yelich, who is expected to take live at-bats next week, with a return in the coming weeks still likely. The pitching staff is currently without Quinn Priester, Brandon Woodruff, Rob Zastryzny, Jared Koenig, and Angel Zerpa. All but Zerpa and Priester are hoping to return before the end of May — Koenig may be delayed until early June, while Priester is TBD after returning from his rehab assignment with shoulder discomfort and Zerpa is out for the season (and part of 2027) with Tommy John surgery scheduled for May 11.
As good as the Yankees have been, they’re without a few key names currently. Beyond Carlos Rodón, who is slated to start in Sunday’s series finale (see below), they’re currently without Gerrit Cole (rehabbing from Tommy John, slated to return in late May/June), Clarke Schmidt (Tommy John, out until late 2026), Giancarlo Stanton (TBD), and Angel Chivilli (TBD). First baseman Ben Rice is day-to-day with a left hand contusion, and outfielder Jasson Domínguez exited Thursday’s game in the first inning after a hard collision with the outfield wall. He’s currently in concussion protocol and is undergoing an MRI on his left shoulder. Lastly, left-hander Ryan Weathers, originally scheduled to start on Thursday, had a viral infection that pushed his start back to Monday against the Orioles, meaning the Brewers won’t face him this weekend.
Despite all the runs they’ve managed to score this season, the Brewer offense remains light on homers. Turang, Jake Bauers, and Gary Sánchez sit tied atop the team leaderboard with five homers each, with William Contreras and Sal Frelick adding three each. The addition of Vaughn and Chourio will hopefully give the offense more life, as the team swapped them in for the light-hitting DFA’d Greg Jones and optioned Blake Perkins to Triple-A. Mitchell, Tyler Black, David Hamilton, Brandon Lockridge, Joey Ortiz, and Luis Rengifo round out the position player group. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .243/.337/.359 (.696 OPS ranks 20th), with 24 homers (29th), 181 runs (ninth), and 38 steals (tied for third)
Aaron Judge and Rice have been the big boppers in New York this season, with 15 and 12 homers, respectively. Cody Bellinger and former Brewer Trent Grisham add five apiece. José Caballero and Jazz Chisholm both have some pop but are also providing the speed, with 13 and 11 steals, respectively. Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra, Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, Max Schuemann, and Domínguez round out the roster. As a team, the Yankees are hitting .244/.338/.456 (.794 OPS ranks second), with 61 homers (first), 209 runs (second), and 39 steals (tied for first).
Grant Anderson (18 appearances, 3.18 ERA), Aaron Ashby (17 appearances, 2.35 ERA), and DL Hall (15 appearances, 1.59 ERA) have been the cornerstones of Milwaukee’s bullpen this season, as they lead the team in both appearances and ERA. Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill have both shown flashes of their 2025 selves, but they’ve also had some stinkers on the mound. Jake Woodford has become a solid late-game, low-leverage option, and youngsters Shane Drohan and Brian Fitzpatrick round things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.60 team ERA (fifth), including a 3.53 starter ERA (sixth) and a 3.67 bullpen ERA (ninth). They’ve struck out 327 batters (tied for 10th) over 310 1/3 innings.
Brent Headrick (20 appearances, 1.37 ERA), Fernando Cruz (17 appearances, 2.63 ERA), and Tim Hill (17 appearances, 1.13 ERA) lead the Yankees in both appearances and ERA this season. David Bednar is 10-for-11 in save opportunities with a 3.52 ERA, while Camilo Doval and Jake Bird have both gotten out to rough starts, with a 5.79 ERA and 5.11 ERA, respectively. Veterans Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn round out the ‘pen. As a staff, the Yankees have a 3.04 team ERA (first), including a 2.97 starter ERA (first) and a 3.16 bullpen ERA (third). They’ve struck out 331 batters (ninth) over 337 2/3 innings.
Friday, May 8 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (2-2, 2.84 ERA, 2.98 FIP) vs. LHP Max Fried (4-1, 2.39 ERA, 2.72 FIP)
Misiorowski has continued to impress even with some shakier outings along the way. He’s coming off one of the best starts of his career, as he went 5 1/3 no-hit innings against the Nationals before being pulled with cramping. He’s reportedly OK though, and we’ll see if he can make it through his full start this time around. Misiorowski, who debuted midseason last year, missed the season-opening series with the Yankees a year ago, meaning this is his first career appearance against them.
Fried, 32, is in his 10th MLB season and second as a Yankee. After finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting and leading the majors with 19 wins a year ago, he’s started strong once again in 2026. Over eight starts, he’s pitched a league-leading 52 2/3 innings, allowing 14 runs on just one homer with 43 strikeouts. After a pair of scoreless appearances totaling 14 innings against the Red Sox and Rangers, he had a bit of a rougher start in his last outing against the Orioles, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision. Fried has made six career starts against Milwaukee, with a 3-1 record, a 2.84 ERA, and 29 strikeouts over 31 2/3 innings. That includes a 4 2/3 inning appearance last March, when he allowed six runs (just two earned) on seven hits and a pair of walks.
Saturday, May 9 @ 6:10 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (3-1, 2.12 ERA, 2.87 FIP) vs. RHP Cam Schlittler (5-1, 1.52 ERA, 1.74 FIP)
As impressive as Misiorowski has been, Harrison has been even better. He has an ERA at 2.12 to go with a 2.87 FIP, and he’s struck out 35 batters over 29 2/3 innings. The former third rounder went six strong against the Nationals last weekend, allowing one run on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts to pick up the win. Like Misiorowski, this will mark Harrison’s first career appearance against New York.
Schlittler, 25, has quickly become a star for the Yankees. In just his second major league season, he’s already picked up an AL-leading five wins over his first eight starts, with a sterling 1.52 ERA, 1.74 FIP, and 53 strikeouts across 47 1/3 innings. He’s allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last four appearances, spanning 25 2/3 innings in wins over the Royals, Red Sox, Rangers, and Orioles. This will mark Schlittler’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.
Sunday, May 10 @ 1:10 p.m.: RHP Logan Henderson (0-1, 4.50 ERA, 0.76 FIP) vs. LHP Carlos Rodón (18-9, 3.09 ERA, 3.78 FIP in 2025)
Henderson, 24, made his second MLB start of the season (and seventh of his career) on Sunday against the Nationals. Filling in Brandon Woodruff’s spot in the rotation, he looked great, going six innings with two runs allowed on three hits and no walks while striking out eight on just 76 pitches. He unfortunately took his first career loss in that one, but he’ll look to bounce back here. Henderson is another guy who has never faced the Yankees in his career.
Rodón, 33, is slated to make his 2026 debut in the series finale. The 11-year veteran has missed the first month-plus of the season as he recovered from an elbow surgery. He posted a 3.09 ERA, 3.78 FIP, and 203 strikeouts across 195 1/3 innings last season, finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting. The former No. 3 overall pick has made three rehab appearances, with a 3.38 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 16 innings. Also of note, he maxed out at 83 pitches in his last appearance, meaning we can expect him to target 85-90ish pitches in this one. Rodón is 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA and 28 strikeouts across 22 1/3 innings in five career appearances against Milwaukee.
Friday, May 8: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, May 9: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, May 10: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
This should be a really fun series, with three solid pitching matchups and two of the better all-around teams in the league going head-to-head. Give me the Brewers to eke out two of three as the return of Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio in Milwaukee gives the team a little extra life.
