Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers @ Athletics

The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off a sweep of the Rockies, will wrap up their road trip in Las Vegas, as they’ll visit the Athletics in a preview of their future home. The A’s, formerly of Oakland and now playing their home games in Sacramento, will host the Brewers and Rockies for three games each at Las Vegas Ballpark, the home of the A’s Triple-A affiliate. The A’s new Vegas stadium, slated to be ready for the 2028 season, is still under construction.

Milwaukee sits at 40-23 on the season, five games ahead of the second-place Cardinals in one of the toughest divisions in baseball through two-plus months. On the other side, the A’s play in one of the weakest divisions, as the Mariners sit in first place at 34-32, the only team in the division with a winning record. The A’s are 31-34 on the year, 2.5 games behind Seattle, as they’ve lost three of their last four to the Cubs and Astros.

The Brewers’ injuries keep piling up, as lefty Brian Fitzpatrick is the latest to join the list after suffering a UCL strain on Friday night in Denver. With him shelved, alongside fellow lefties DL Hall, Rob Zastryzny, Jared Koenig, and Angel Zerpa, the once deep bullpen is suddenly facing a lefty depth issue, with Aaron Ashby and Drew Rom the only active lefties. Milwaukee is also without right-handers Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, and Logan Henderson, as well as outfielder Brandon Lockridge, all of whom have listed June/July return dates.

For the A’s, third baseman Max Muncy, shortstop Jacob Wilson, and outfielder Denzel Clarke will all miss this series with injuries. On the pitching side, the A’s are without former Brewer Aaron Civale, Luis Severino, Brooks Kriske, and Gunnar Hoglund.

Milwaukee’s offense is anchored by Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, William Contreras, Jackson Chourio, and Christian Yelich, with Sal Frelick, Gary Sánchez, Garrett Mitchell, and Andrew Vaughn providing support. David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo round things out. As a team, Milwaukee is hitting .251/.339/.381 (.720 OPS ranks 11th), with 50 homers (29th), 329 runs (fifth), and 67 steals (second).

The A’s offense is led by Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, and Brent Rooker, all of whom have double-digit homers, with Langeliers leading the way with 16 homers and Kurtz leading the team with a .927 OPS, including a .431 OBP thanks to 60 walks. Tyler Soderstrom, Zack Gelof, Jeff McNeil, Carlos Cortes, and Lawrence Butler round out the regulars, while Colby Thomas, Henry Bolte, Darell Hernaiz, Alika Williams, and Jonah Heim serve as depth. As a team, the A’s are hitting .244/.324/.392 (.716 OPS ranks 13th), with 72 homers (tied for 14th), 273 runs (20th), and 36 steals (tied for 21st).

After the recent pitching injuries, the Brewers’ bullpen is held down by Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Chad Patrick. The rest of the ‘pen is filled with a variety of moving pieces, including the aforementioned Rom, Craig Yoho, and potentially Coleman Crow, who started on Thursday but hasn’t been included in the upcoming probables. The team will also likely add Joel Kuhnel, who was acquired for cash considerations from these same A’s over the weekend. He hasn’t yet been activated. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.26 team ERA (third), including a 3.22 starter ERA (third) and a 3.31 bullpen ERA (eighth). They’ve struck out 606 batters (third) over 563 1/3 innings.

The A’s bullpen is anchored by Hogan Harris, who leads the team with five saves and a 2.40 ERA over 30 innings this season. Justin Sterner (3.23 ERA over 30 2/3 IP), Scott Barlow (3.54 ERA over 28 IP), and Mark Leiter (4.94 ERA over 27 1/3 IP) have also played major roles for the bullpen, with Luis Medina (2.77 ERA over 26 IP) also showing signs of success. Elvis Alvarado (6.94 ERA over 11 2/3 IP), José Suarez (6.00 ERA over 12 IP), and Mason Barnett (no earned runs over 6 IP) round out the bullpen. As a staff, the A’s have a 4.54 team ERA (23rd), including a 4.68 starter ERA (24th) and a 4.46 bullpen ERA (21st). They’ve struck out 523 batters (21st) over 579 1/3 innings.

Monday, June 8 @ 9:05 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (7-1, 1.57 ERA, 2.46 FIP) vs. LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-6, 4.37 ERA, 4.97 FIP)

Harrison, 24, continues to star through 11 starts, as he’s lowered his season numbers to a 1.57 ERA, 2.46 FIP, and 73 strikeouts over 57 1/3 innings. He’s coming off his fourth consecutive win, as he went 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball (a solo homer) against his former team, the Giants, striking out 12 in Milwaukee’s 8-3 victory. Harrison made a three-inning relief appearance against the A’s last September while with the Red Sox, allowing no runs on three hits and a hit batter, striking out a pair.

Springs, 33, is in his ninth MLB season and second with the A’s. He’s been a reliable every-fifth-day starter with the A’s, making 45 appearances (43 starts) over the last two years. Across 13 starts this season, he has a 4.37 ERA, 4.97 FIP, and 60 strikeouts across 70 innings. After the A’s lost all five of his May starts, the team was able to provide enough run support for a win over the Cubs his last time out, as he went just 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk, striking out three, though the A’s would go on to win 5-4 in 10 innings. Springs has made two starts against Milwaukee, totaling 7 1/3 innings with eight runs allowed (six earned) and 11 strikeouts, including six runs (four earned) over just 2 1/3 innings in a loss last season.

Tuesday, June 9 @ 9:05 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (0-2, 4.73 ERA, 5.50 FIP) vs. RHP J.T. Ginn (3-3, 2.74 ERA, 4.08 FIP)

Gasser, 27, hasn’t been able to replicate the success from his first two stints in the majors quite yet, as he has a 4.73 ERA, 5.50 FIP, and 12 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings across three starts this season. He held his own against the Giants in his last appearance, allowing one run on five hits and a walk, striking out five in a tough-luck 1-0 loss as Logan Webb dominated. This marks Gasser’s first career appearance against the A’s.

Ginn, 27, is in his third season, all with the A’s. He’s found success this year, as he sports a 2.74 ERA, 4.08 FIP, and 60 strikeouts over 65 2/3 innings. He leads the American League with just six hits allowed per nine innings, though he’s walking 3.7 batters per nine, which, combined with his FIP, indicates potential regression. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last six starts, going 3-2 with a 1.49 ERA over that stretch. Ginn has appeared in each of the last two seasons against Milwaukee, totaling 6 1/3 innings with four runs allowed (5.68 ERA) and eight strikeouts in a start and a relief appearance.

Wednesday, June 10 @ 8:05 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Jack Perkins (2-3, 6.19 ERA, 2.88 FIP)

Based on Milwaukee’s recent use of a six-man rotation, this would be either Coleman Crow (last pitched Thursday in Milwaukee) or Brandon Sproat (last pitched Friday in Colorado). Neither of them had great outings, though, and Sproat hasn’t found any consistency this season, so it seems plausible that the Brewers go a different direction in the series finale. I’ll quickly outline Crow and Sproat’s stats here.

Crow: 0-1, 5.94 ERA, 4.54 FIP, 10 Ks over 16 2/3 IP in 2026; no career appearances against the A’s

Sproat: 1-4, 6.17 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 54 Ks over 54 IP in 2026; no career appearances against the A’s

Unlike Ginn, Perkins, 26, has struggled with a 6.19 ERA but also has a 2.88 FIP over 32 innings this season, striking out 39. His first 17 appearances came out of the bullpen, but this will mark his second consecutive start. He went four innings against the Astros in that one, allowing five runs on five hits and a pair of walks, striking out six. A former fifth-round pick now in his second MLB season, this marks Perkins’ first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Monday, June 8: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Tuesday, June 9: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, June 10: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

I’m hopeful for a fun series in Vegas, with three late starts at Las Vegas Ballpark. Give me the Brewers to win two of three.