MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:
Don’t Forget Your Passport
The Brewers are visiting Toronto for the first time since 4/11-4/12, 2017….. they were the opponent for Toronto’s home opener that season and swept a 2-game series…..since moving to the NL in 1998, the Brewers have now visited Toronto four times (2005, 2014, 2017 and 2023), going 4-4.
Teheran-to
Julio Teheran tonight is making just his second career start in Toronto and first since 4/17/15 with the Braves.
A Series Situation
The Brewers went 5-1 over their first 6 series this season and have since gone 3-8 in series play…..the team is looking to avoid a series loss tonight.
Road Work Ahead
The Brewers are 3-10 in their last 13 road games and have dropped their last 4 road series…..the team last won a road series from 4/17-4/19 as they swept 3 games in Seattle.
In Sterio (Where Available)
Andruw Monasterio, celebrating his 26th birthday yesterday and making his first Major League start (SS), singled off Yusei Kikuchi for his first career hit…..he became the first player in franchise history to produce his first big league hit on his birthday.
A Slice of Devin
Devin Williams is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities this season…..his last 3 saves have been more than an inning (1.2, 1.1, 1.1)…..Williams has gone unscored upon in 15 of his 16 games this season…..he has held opponents to a .125 AVG (7-for-56, 1hr) and has a 0.84 WHIP with 22 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched.
A Piece of the Payamps
Joel Payamps has a 1.10 ERA over his last 15 games (16.1ip, 2er) and has not surrendered an earned run in 7 consecutive appearances (7ip).
The Brice Is Right
Rookie infielder Brice Turang has yet to commit a Major League error in 177 total chances (165 at 2B/12 at SS).
TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 2 (0-1) of a 7-game road trip to Toronto (0-1) and Cincinnati (4g)…..following this trip, the Brewers return to American Family Field for a 6-game homestand against Baltimore (3g) and Oakland (3g).
IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: SS Willy Adames (concussion), RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP JB Bukauskas (neck), RHP Matt Bush (right rotator cuff), LHP Eric Lauer (right shoulder), LHP Wade Miley (left lat), OF Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring), 1B Luke Voit (neck), LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow), OF Jesse Winker (neck) and RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder) are on the injured list…..Alexander, Ashby, Mitchell, Urías, Wilson and Woodruff are on the 60-day IL.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 8-9-0 in series play.
Game 1: 7-11, Game 2: 10-7, Game 3: 9-8, Game 4: 2-0
Sweep Wins (3): vs. NYM (3g, 4/3-4/5), at SEA (3g, 4/17-4/19), vs. KC (3g, 5/12-5/14)
Sweep Losses (1): at COL (3g, 5/2-5/4)
AT HOME: The Brewers are 16-12 at home, going 5-4-0 in series play…..the team went 46-35 at home last season, going 15-8-4 in series play.
ON THE ROAD: The Brewers are 12-14 on the road, going 3-5-0 in series play…..are 3-10 over their last 13 games and have dropped their last 4 series…..the team went 40-41 on the road last season, going 9-12-5 in series play.
LET’S GO TO THE VIDEO TAPE: The Brewers have made 10 replay challenges this season, going 5-5…..their last challenge (lost) came on May 25 vs. San Francisco as a foul tip (Joey Wiemer) stood.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: #49 – RHP JULIO TEHERAN (1gs, 0-1, 1.80)
TEHERAN AT A GLANCE: Julio Teheran, 32, is making his second start of the season…..Teheran made his Brewers debut last Thursday vs. San Francisco and took a 5-0 loss (5ip, 4h, 1r, 1er, 1bb, 5k, 83 pitches)…..it was his first Major League appearance since a start with Detroit on 4/3/21 vs. Cleveland…..he signed with Milwaukee as a free agent last Thursday after opting out of his contract with San Diego on May 22…..after pitching in the Atlantic League and Mexican League last season, he signed with San Diego in December as a non-roster invitee…..Teheran went 4-2 with a 5.63 ERA in 8 starts at Triple-A El Paso this season (40ip, 51h, 26r, 25er, 16bb, 45k, 7hr)…..he was born and resides in Cartagena, Colombia…..name is pronounced “teh-RON.”
LAST SEASON: Teheran began his 2022 season with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the independent Atlantic League and went 1-1 with a 1.60 ERA in 6 starts…..he held opponents to a .198 batting average with 35 strikeouts in 33.2 innings…..he then pitched in the Mexican League for Toros de Tijuana (6gs) and Sultanes de Monterrey (1gs), going a combined 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 7 starts…..he had 35 strikeouts in 32.2 innings in the Mexican League.
CAREER: Is 78-78 with a 3.80 ERA in 241 games/237 starts (1401.1ip, 591er)…..is in his 12th Major League season with Atlanta (2011-19), Los Angeles-AL (2020), Detroit (2021) and Milwaukee (2023)…..the two-time All-Star (2014 and 2016) made 30+ starts in seven consecutive seasons from 2013-19…..he was the Braves’ Opening Day starter in six straight seasons from 2014-19.
CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 0-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 4 starts (24.1ip, 8er)…..is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in 1 start this season (5ip, 1er).
CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 40-41 with a 3.95 ERA in 114 games/112 starts (665.1ip, 292er).
CAREER vs. BLUE JAYS: Is 0-1 with a 7.66 ERA in 5 starts (24.2ip, 21er)…..his only start at Rogers Centre came with the Braves on 4/17/15…..he received no decision in the Braves’ 8-7 win (5ip, 7h, 5r, 5er, 2bb, 4k, 4hr, 1hbp).
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays used 14 hits to take the 1st of three games vs. the Brewers by a score of 7-2 last night… Improved to 11-7 in series openers. Toronto has won four of its last seven games but is 5-10 across its last 15 contests…Can move to 11-7-0 in series play with a win tonight (6-2-0 at home).
VLAD TIMING: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled three times, drove in a run, and scored one himself as he went 3-for-5… Marked his 5th three-hit game of the campaign…His 60 hits are tied for 5th most in the AL…Has recorded 94 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, trailing only teammate Bo Bichette for the most among AL batters.
KIRKY CONNECTING: Alejandro Kirk also picked up three singles last night for his 3rd three-hit game…Finished 3-for-4 with a run scored…Has gone 14-for-38 (.368) with two doubles and three RBI over his last 11 games (.806 OPS)… Has gone 28 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout, tied with teammate Daulton Varsho for the 2nd longest active streak in MLB (Ozzie Albies – 31).
JUST GO WHIT IT: Whit Merrifield drove in a pair of runs with a 1st-inning double last night…Was his 11th double of the season… Also singled and score in the 3rd to go 2-for-4, his 12th multi-hit game…Over his last 11 games, is hitting .385 (15-for-39) with two doubles, a homer, and five RBI (.415 OBP, .927 OPS).
KEEPING IT 100: Yusei Kikuchi improved to 6-2 on the year as he allowed two runs on three hits over 5.0 innings… The six wins are tied for 6th most in the AL…Marked his 100th career professional win (27 in MLB, 73 in NPB)…Punched out Joey Wiemer in the 4th inning for his 500th MLB strikeout…Became the 9th Japanese-born player to record 500 strikeouts and 500.0 innings pitched in the Majors.
SPRINGER HAS SPRUNG: George Springer singled, walked, and also reached base on an error and a fielder’s choice as he went 1-for-4 with a run scored last night…Has gone 29- for-92 (.315) with four doubles, a triple, four home runs, 12 RBI, and a 13BB/14K ratio during his last 24 contests (.400 OBP, .911 OPS)…Has raised his season batting average by 44 points since May 2nd (from .216 to .260).
MAY-BE FOUND SOMETHING: Brandon Belt surrounded an RBI single with a pair of walks, going 1-for-2 on the night…Had a .235 OBP on May 1 but has since boosted that to .372 for the season…Over his last 22 contests, has batted .349 (22-for-63) with six doubles, a homer, seven RBI, and 16 walks (.488 OBP, .492 SLG)…Among AL batters in May, ranks 2nd in OBP (.470), 9th in AVG (.333), and 9th in OPS (.940).
FEELING 50-50: The Blue Jays now have five players with 50+ hits (Bichette – 78; Guerrero Jr. – 60; Chapman – 58; Springer – 54; Merrifield – 51), tied with the Orioles and Nationals for the most in the Majors.
A DASH AT THE DOME: The Blue Jays are on a brief three-game homestand against the Brewers…Have gone 14-9 this season at Rogers Centre…The .609 win% at home is 3rd best in the AL (4th in MLB)…After this series, will head out on an equally brief road trip to Citi Field to visit the Mets (28-27) for three contests over the weekend. Toronto batters rank 4th in the AL in home AVG (.266), while also 4th in home OBP (.338), 7th in home OPS (.732), and 10th in home SLG (.394)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among AL teams with a .203 home opponents’ average (2nd: TB – .225), 2nd with a 3.15 home ERA (1st: HOU – 3.11), and 2nd with a 1.15 home WHIP (1st: SEA – 1.14).
CAVAN MORE FUN: Cavan Biggio went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run, and an RBI last night…Over his last six contests, has gone 6-for-15 (.400) with five runs scored, two home runs, and three RBI (.471 OBP).
INTERTAINMENT: Toronto is playing its 5th interleague series of the year…Has gone 8-4 vs. NL clubs so far…The .636 win% is 3rd best among AL teams…Led the AL with 13 interleague wins last season, which was one off the franchise’s all-time single-season record (14 in 2021)…Since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, Toronto’s .673 win% in Interleague Play (35-17) is the best among all MLB clubs (2nd: TB – .667). The Blue Jays have hit 655 home runs all-time in Interleague Play, the most among all 30 teams (2nd: NYY – 625).
DONUT-FREE DIET: The Blue Jays have notched 513 hits this season, trailing only Tampa Bay (519) for the most in MLB… Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.266), 4th in OBP (.334), 4th in OPS (.755), 6th in SLG (.421), T-6th in extra-base hits (167). The Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams to have scored in every game this season (also: ARI)…Have now gone 73 straight games without being shut out, the longest active streak in the Majors (2nd: ARI – 56G).
TOUGH SCHEDDING: The Blue Jays are in the midst of playing 30 games over the course of 31 days…All opponents during that stretch are currently over .500…Are 8-10 so far.
VS. THE BREWERS: All-Time: 123-165
2023: 1-0 Home: 66-79
Home: 1-0 Rogers Centre: 32-33
The Blue Jays went 1-2 against the Brewers during their only series last season, a three-gamer last June in Wisconsin…Last met the Brew Crew here for a series at Rogers Centre in 2017, dropping both contests…The gap of 2,239 days without a home game vs. MIL was Toronto’s 3rd-longest active streak vs. any opponent (COL – 3,632; LAD – 2,578). Brandon Belt picked up four hits in his four games against the Brewers last season (4-for-13), including a homer and three RBI…Leads all current Blue Jays with 55 career games vs. MIL, now batting .282 (49-for-174 with eight doubles, nine homers, and 28 RBI along the way (.867 OPS). Alejandro Kirk is now 9-for-14 (.643) with two home runs, five RBI, two walks, and four runs scored in the four games he has played vs. Milwaukee. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. now has hits in all four career contests vs. MIL, going 7-for-16 (.438) with a double, two RBIs, and two walks.
STARTING PITCHER – Alek Manoah, RHP #6
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 12th start of the season and his 6th at Rogers Centre…Took his 5th loss his last time out, on 5/25 at TB, giving up 5R/4ER on 3 hits and 5 walks over 3.0 frames with 6 punchouts. Since entering the league in 2021, has held opposing righthanded hitters to a .175 AVG, trailing only Cristian Javier (.155) for the best mark among qualified hurlers.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Took a no-decision on 5/20 vs. BAL, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk over 5.2 frames with 5 strikeouts. Lasted 4.0+ innings on 5/15 vs. NYY, surrendering 5 runs on 6 hits… Struck out a trio of batters while issuing a career-high 7 walks. Took the loss on 5/3 at BOS, giving up 5R/2ER over 5.0 innings with 8 hits, a walk, and 3 strikeouts on a season-high 103 pitches (63 strikes). Landed a no-decision on 4/28 vs. SEA, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks over 5.0 frames with a season-high 7 strikeouts. Threw 7.0 shutout frames on 4/22 at NYY, scattering just 2 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts…Was his 2nd outing with 7.0 scoreless innings this season (also: 4/5 at KC). Took a no-decision in the team’s Home Opener on 4/11 vs. DET, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks over 4.1 innings with 3 strikeouts…Became the 5th pitcher in team history to pitch the club’s Season Opener and then their Home Opener, joining Jim Clancy (1981), Jimmy Key (1989), Marcus Stroman (2016), and Hyun Jin Ryu (2020). Earned his 1st win of the year on 4/5 at KC, tossing 7.0 frames of one-hit, shutout ball with four walks and five strikeouts. Was the Opening Day starter for the Blue Jays on 3/30 at STL…Took a no-decision that day, giving up 5 runs on a career-high 9 hits and 2 walks over 3.1 innings with 3 strikeouts… At 25 years and 80 days old, became the 4th-youngest Opening Day starter in team history (Drew Hutchison – 24.227 in 2015; Todd Stottlemyre – 24.324 in 1990; Marcus Stroman 24.338 in 2016).
