Usurpers: Mariners at Brewers Series Preview

The Mariners managed to bounce back from that heart breaking loss on Friday to win the series against the Astros. Combined with the general ineptitude of the rest of the American League, that pair of wins helped Seattle climb to within two games of the final Wild Card spot and four games back in the AL West. The M’s have a trio of interleague matchups on deck beginning with a three-game set in Milwaukee.

*Game odds courtesy of FanGraphs

The Brewers have unlocked the secret to regular season success: a deep and flexible roster filled with competent players who can fill multiple roles without missing a beat. Oh, and it helps that they have some of the best young players in baseball in Jacob Misiorowski, Jackson Chourio, and Brice Turang leading the way. Whether or not this type of roster can win in October is another matter, but for now, they’re cruising through the regular season with the best record in baseball and the second highest run differential.

Like the Rays, the Brewers’ lineup is anchored by a quartet of superstars. Brice Turang took a huge leap forward last year and has followed up with a season just as good this year. Jackson Chourio is one of the youngest players in baseball but he’s already established himself as one of the better all-around hitters in the game. The other two stars, William Contreras and Christian Yelich, have both struggled a bit this year. This is the second season in a row where Contreras’s production at the plate has slipped significantly. Last year, he played through a fracture in his hand and you have to wonder if that injury fully healed before this season. The rest of the lineup is built a lot like Tampa Bay’s too. There are a ton of role players who are skilled across the board, significantly raising the floor of the roster.

Probable Pitchers 

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After getting traded from the Giants to the Red Sox last year and then to Brewers over the offseason, Kyle Harrison has finally settled in and put together a big breakout campaign. He had always had the impressive pedigree as a prospect, but struggled to put everything together across nearly 200 big league innings heading into this season. Milwaukee went right to work, moving him on the rubber to the first-base side, raising his arm angle by five degrees, and helping him unlock a more effective changeup. The results speak for themselves: his 4.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks eighth among qualified starting pitchers.

After giving us tantalizing glimpses of his talent during his injury-wracked stint with the Dodgers, Dustin May has finally put it all together this year. It helps that he’s been completely healthy, keeping him on the mound to tap into that talent. He put up a 12-game stretch earlier this year where he ran a 2.54 ERA and a 2.66 FIP, though his summer has been a bit more up-and-down. The Brewers acquired him at the trade deadline to give them another veteran arm to reinforce their young pitching staff. He’s allowed three runs in 13 innings across two starts with Milwaukee.

Robert Gasser quickly rose through the Brewers farm system after they acquired him in the 2022 Josh Hader trade. He made his major league debut in 2024 but quickly blew out his elbow after just five starts. He made it back to the big leagues late last year after rehabbing from surgery and has been up-and-down with the team this season. He throws from a low slot, creating a ton of deception with some extremely short arm action. Despite his name, he doesn’t throw very hard, instead relying on his deep repertoire and deceptive delivery to find success. His sweeper is probably his best pitch — he throws it as his primary weapon against both left-handed and right-handed batters — and his command is his best tool. There aren’t any standout skills in his profile, but the whole package is a lot better than any individual piece.

The Big Picture:

At one point on Saturday — after all the East Coast games had ended and while the Rangers were still playing the Athletics on the West Coast — there were four teams tied for the final AL Wild Card spot and two others just half a game back. A couple of days later, there are now three teams tied for that last playoff berth, two teams a half game back, and two more within two games. The standings are just a big ol’ shrug emoji.