The Milwaukee Brewers will wrap up the unofficial first half of the season this weekend, as they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates for just the second time this season (and first time on the road). The Brewers sit at 58-34 entering Thursday night’s finale in St. Louis, 6.5 games ahead of the Cubs atop the division and 12 games up on the 47-47 Pirates, who have had an up-and-down season.
The Pirates, who have had one of the better pitching staffs in recent seasons, have completely flipped the script in 2026. While they still have solid arms in Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, and Bubba Chandler atop the rotation (all three of whom will pitch this weekend), they haven’t performed quite as well as expected. Instead, the offense, which has been among the league’s worst the last few years, has picked up the slack — they’re currently led in homers by two of their offseason pickups, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn. More on them below.
Milwaukee’s injured list currently includes pitchers Brandon Woodruff (TBD return), Joel Kuhnel (late July/early August), Coleman Crow (late July), DL Hall (late July), Carlos Rodriguez (mid-July), Rob Zastryzny (mid- to late July), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season). The position player group is currently without outfielder Brandon Lockridge (late July) and David Hamilton (mid- to late July).
Pittsburgh is without pitchers Wilber Dotel (All-Star break), Evan Sisk (TBD), and Chris Devenski (late July). They’re also without a few top position players, including Spencer Horwitz (mid-July), rookie Konnor Griffin (September), Oneil Cruz (late July), and Endy Rodríguez (late July).
Jake Bauers continues to set the pace for Milwaukee’s offense with 16 homers, as he’s hitting .265/.365/.495. Jackson Chourio has cooled off a bit after a red-hot June, but he’s still hitting .282/.337/.502 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs in 58 games this year. Catcher William Contreras is Milwaukee’s lone All-Star Game rep (after Jacob Misirowoski was replaced due to his scheduled start on Sunday), and the backstop is hitting .284/.349/.401. Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, Andrew Vaughn, and Greg Jones round things out. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .255/.337/.397 (.734 OPS ranks ninth), with 84 homers (28th), 468 runs (fifth), and 85 steals (tied for seventh).
As I mentioned above, the Pirates are led by their offseason additions of Lowe and O’Hearn. Lowe is hitting .243/.315/.490 with 21 homers, 20 doubles, and 64 RBIs, while O’Hearn is hitting .289/.346/.490 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs. Bryan Reynolds has also had a nice bounce-back season, hitting .281/.395/.477 with 14 homers and 57 RBIs to go with a perfect 7-for-7 on steals. Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Jake Mangum, and Marcell Ozuna round out the regulars, with Esmerlyn Valdez, Billy Cook, Tyler Callihan, Jack Brannigan, and Rafael Flores Jr. serving as depth. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .262/.340/.423 (.763 OPS ranks second), with 120 homers (tied for seventh), 492 runs (third), and 88 steals (fifth).
The trio of Aaron Ashby, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe lead Milwaukee’s bullpen, with Chad Patrick serving as a multi-inning option. Grant Anderson has also put up a respectable 3.32 ERA, with Craig Yoho, Jared Koenig, and Drew Rom completing the bullpen. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.32 team ERA (first), including a 3.24 starter ERA (first) and a 3.43 bullpen ERA (fourth). They’ve struck out 896 batters (second) over 825 2/3 innings.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been a bit of a weakness this season, as they’re just 17-for-34 in save chances as a team. Gregory Soto leads the way with 11 saves, though he has a 4.15 ERA and four blown saves. Dennis Santana leads the ‘pen with 41 appearances, but he’s been dismal, with a 5.95 ERA and a pair of blown saves. Carmen Mlodzinski (3.24 ERA) and Yohan Ramírez (3.38 ERA) have been the best of the bunch for the Bucs, while Isaac Mattson (4.66 ERA), Mason Montgomery (4.25 ERA), Cam Sanders (8.68 ERA), and Hunter Stratton (7.71 ERA) have not impressed on the stat sheet, though Sanders’ and Stratton’s ERAs are inflated by the fact they have just 11 2/3 total innings between them this year. As a staff, the Pirates have a 4.32 team ERA (19th), including a 4.16 starter ERA (11th) and a 4.53 bullpen ERA (23rd). They’ve struck out 858 batters (fourth) over 839 2/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, July 10 @ 5:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.13 ERA, 4.93 FIP) vs. RHP Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.24 ERA, 3.16 FIP)
After a very rough start to the season, Sproat, 25, has seemingly figured some things out over his last several starts. While his season ERA still sits at 5.13 and his FIP is at 4.93, he’s allowed two runs of fewer in four of his last five starts, with a 2.88 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 25 innings in that stretch. He went four innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out four against the D-backs on Sunday. He missed the Pirates when these teams faced off back in April, meaning this is his first career appearance against Pittsburgh.
Ashcraft, 26, was just named as an NL All-Star replacement, subbing in for teammate Paul Skenes. This is his second major league season and first as a full-time starter, as he made 26 appearances (eight starts) in 2025. HE has a 9-3 record, 3.24 ERA, 3.16 FIP, and 122 strikeouts over 108 1/3 innings this year, and he’s picked up the win in each of his last four appearances. In those games, he’s totaled 23 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs (eight earned for a 3.04 ERA) with 32 strikeouts. Ashcraft’s only appearance against Milwaukee came last June, when he went three innings with no runs allowed on a hit and no walks, striking out a pair.
Saturday, July 11 @ 3:05 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (4-2, 2.97 ERA, 3.21 FIP) vs. RHP Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.82 ERA, 4.71 FIP)
Drohan, 27, continues to impress in his first major league season. He’s now made 18 appearances (eight starts) with a 4-2 record, 2.97 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 61 strikeouts across 63 2/3 innings. He picked up the win on Monday in St. Louis, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks, striking out two over six frames. Drohan’s lone appearance against the Pirates came in relief back in April, when he went four innings with three runs allowed (one earned) on four hits and a walk, striking out two.
Chandler, 23, is also in his second major league season, as he made seven appearances (four starts) last year, maintaining rookie status into 2026. He’s made 18 appearances (17 starts) this year, with a 3-8 record, 4.82 ERA, 4.71 FIP, and 79 strikeouts over 89 2/3 innings. He also leads the majors with 52 walks, with 5.2 walks/9. Ouch. He’s gotten roughed up in each of his last two outings, totaling 10 1/3 innings with nine runs allowed on 13 hits and six walks, striking out six against the Phillies and Nationals. Chandler’s only appearance against Milwaukee came last September, when he allowed nine runs on nine hits and three walks over 2 2/3 innings, striking out three in a 10-2 loss.
Sunday, July 12 @ 11:15 a.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (10-4, 1.62 ERA, 2.11 FIP) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (7-8, 3.58 ERA, 2.99 FIP)
We’ll get spoiled with another Misiorowski-Skenes matchup in the first-half finale on Sunday, after we saw these two face off last June. Miz got the win in that one, going five shutout frames with eight strikeouts opposite Skenes’ four runs allowed over four innings. This season, the 24-year-old righty is 10-4 with a league-leading 1.62 ERA, 2.11 FIP, and 167 strikeouts over 111 innings. He’s had a few shaky starts recently, but he still turned in a solid line against the Cardinals in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, going seven innings with three runs allowed on three hits (two homers) and no walks, striking out 11. Including the aforementioned start last June, Miz has made three career starts against Pittsburgh, with a 2.00 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 18 innings. He went six innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine in a no-decision against them back in April of this season.
After a sub-2.00 ERA in each of his first two seasons, Skenes, 24, hasn’t been quite as dominant this year. He still has a respectable 3.58 ERA and 2.99 FIP over 103 innings, and he’s struck out 123 batters, but his WHIP and HR/9 rates are up a tick from the last couple of years. Even so, he earned his third consecutive All-Star selection last week. His last outing against the Braves was his first win in a while, as he went six frames with two runs allowed on eight hits and a walk, striking out four in a 12-4 victory. Skenes has become a common foe for Milwaukee, as he’s made five starts against them for his career (including the aforementioned matchup against Miz last year). He’s 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 28 innings. That includes a stellar start back in April of this year, when he went 6 2/3 perfect innings before giving up a single in the seventh. He totaled seven innings in that one, allowing just the one hit and striking out seven in a 6-0 Pirates win.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, July 10: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, July 11: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, July 12: Exclusively on Peacock/NBCSN Extra; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
This is a series with a trio of fun pitching matchups, with all six starting pitchers 27 or younger. Give me the Brewers to prevail with a 2-1 series victory.
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