MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 2 (0-1) of a 6-game, 7-day road trip to St. Louis (0-1) and Tampa Bay (3g)…..the team returns to American Family Field following this trip for a 7-game homestand against Houston (3g) and San Francisco (4g).
IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP Matt Bush (right rotator cuff), OF Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring), 1B Luke Voit (neck), LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow) 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 7-6-0 in series play.
Game 1: 7-7, Game 2: 8-5, Game 3: 7-6, Game 4: 1-0
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 13-8 at home, going 4-3-0 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 10-10 on the road, going 3-3-0 in series play…..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 six replay challenges this season, going 3-3…..their last challenge (won) came Friday vs. Kansas City as a swing by Willy Adames was overturned to catcher’s interference.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: #20 – LHP WADE MILEY (7gs, 3-2, 3.60)
MILEY AT A GLANCE: Wade Miley, 36, is making his eighth start of the season and first againt the Cardinals…..Miley last started last Wednesday vs. Los Angeles-NL and took an 8-1 loss (5ip, 6h, 7r, 7er, 2bb, 3k, 3hr, 1hbp, 94 pitches)…..he retired his first 10 batters before allowing back-to-back homers in the fourth inning to Freddie Freeman and Will Smith…..the team is 4-3 in his starts…..he has made 4 quality starts…..opponents are batting .240 (37-for-154, 5hr)…..Miley signed as a free agent with Milwaukee on January 9…..he is signed through the 2023 season with a mutual option for 2024.
WELCOME BACK!: Miley returned to Milwaukee, where he pitched in 2018 for the National League Central champions and went 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 16 starts…..he went on to make 4 starts during the postseason, posting a 1.23 ERA (14.2ip, 2er), as the team went on to advance to the seventh game of the NLCS against Los Angeles.
LAST SEASON: Miley went 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 9 games/8 starts with Chicago-NL last season…..he missed most of the season while spending time on the injured list on three occasions: 4/7-5/9 (left elbow inflammation), 5/29-6/9 (left shoulder strain) and 6/11-9/5 (left shoulder strain).
CAREER: Is 102-96 with a 4.11 ERA in 299 games/292 starts (1658ip, 758er)…..is in his 13th Major League season with Arizona (2011-14), Boston (2015), Seattle (2016), Baltimore (2016-17), Milwaukee (2018, ‘23), Houston (2019), Cincinnati (2020-21) and Chicago-NL (2022)…..was an All-Star with the Diamondbacks in 2012…..he threw a no-hitter with the Reds on 5/7/21 at Cleveland…..Miley was selected by Arizona in the supplemental first round (43rd overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University.
CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 6-3 with a 4.16 ERA in 16 starts (75.2ip, 35er)…..is 2-1 with a 4.09 ERA in 4 starts this season (22ip, 10er).
CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 49-51 with a 3.98 ERA in 158 games/156 starts (881.1ip, 390er)…..is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 3 starts this season (18ip, 6er).
CAREER vs. CARDINALS: Is 3-6 with a 4.07 ERA in 11 starts (59.2ip, 27er), including 2-4 with a 2.75 ERA in 7 starts at Busch Stadium (39.1ip, 12er)
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
RECENT REDBIRDS: The St. Louis Cardinals continue their seven-game homestand with the second game of a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at Busch Stadium … The Los Angeles Dodgers (27-15), sporting the NL’s best record, visit St. Louis for a four-game series beginning Thursday.
SWITCHING GEARS: Since May 6, the Cardinals have won seven of their last eight games including a season-best four in a row to improve 3.5 games in the NL Central standings, sitting 6.5 games behind first place Milwaukee and 1.5 games behind fourth place Cincinnati … The Cardinals have been in last place for 20 straight days (April 25-present) … The last time St. Louis won five consecutive games was part of an eight-game win streak Aug. 14-22,
2022 WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE: St. Louis currently sports a positive run differential (+7) for the first time since it started the season with a 2-2 record on April 3 (+3) … The Cardinals are 8 games under .500 through 42 games, but have a +7 run differential after last night … Since 1920, the Cardinals are only the 4th team in the modern era to be 8+ games under .500 through 42 games, but have a positive run differential, joining the 1925 Detroit Tigers (16-25, +16), 1972 Kansas City Royals (17-25, +16), and 1989 Toronto Blue Jays (17-25, +8). – Hyatt
NOLAN STOPPED COOLIN’: Nolan Arenado has hit safely and recorded an RBI in eight of his last nine games (.350/.357/.775, 5 HR, 16 RBI) since May 5, with homers in four straight … Arenado’s last homer streak of five games or longer was his career-long six straight from Sept. 1-5, 2015.
RARE COMPANY: Nolan Arenado enters today with 998 RBI in his first 1,424 career games … With two more RBI, Arenado can become only the 3rd primary third baseman since 1920 with 300+ HR and 1,000+ RBI before playing his 1,500th game, joining Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews (376 HR, 1,010 RBI) and Chipper Jones (301 HR, 1,002 RBI).
STORMIN’ GORMAN: Twenty-three year-old Nolan Gorman leads the NL in slugging pct. (.600) and RBI (33) while ranking 2nd in OPS (.979), OPS+ (167), wOBA (.436), and wRC+ (164) … Only Ronald Acuña Jr. has a higher OPS (1.024), OPS+ (175), wOBA (.436), and wRC+ (175) than Gorman in the NL.
BEER BASHERS: Among Major Leaguers with 150+ career plate appearances vs. the Brewers, Nolan Arenado is the active leader in slugging (.649) and OPS (1.042), while Paul Goldschmidt ranks among the top six in nearly every offensive statistical category (chart right).
UNPACKING LAST NIGHT’S 18-1 VICTORY:
- St. Louis has now won three consecutive series openers since setting a new franchise record of consecutive series-opening losses (11) to begin the season.
- The Cardinals won by 17+ runs for the first time since an 18-run margin in a 21-3 win over the Cubs on April 27, 1977 at Wrigley Field.
- The 17-run margin of victory tied for the 6th-largest in franchise history (since 1901) while tying a 99-year-old home record … The 1924 Cardinals defeated the Brooklyn Robins, 17-0, in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park on Aug. 24, 1924.
- Scored double-digit runs in an inning for the 29th time in the regular season (since 1901), first time since a 10-spot in the 6th inning of a come-from-behind 12-11 win at Cincinnati (July 19, 2019), and the first time overall since the infamous 10-run 1st inning against the Braves in a 13-1 win in Game 5 of the NLDS at Atlanta (Jack Flaherty also started that game).
- According to play-by-play info since 1959, Andrew Knizner became the 3rd MLB player to enter as a pinch runner and hit a grand slam in the same inning, joining Boston’s Gene Stephens on July 13, 1959 (6th inning; pinch ran for Ted Williams) and Oakland’s Rajai Davis on Sept. 5, 2008 (8th inning; pinch ran for Jack Cust). – Elias
- Knizner also became the 13th Cardinal (since 1901) to enter as a pinch runner and homer in the same game (last: Peter Bourjos, Aug. 10, 2014 at Baltimore) and the 2nd MLB player this season to hit a grand slam off of a position player (San Francisco’s J.D. Davis off White Sock Hanser Alberto, April 6, 2023) … Knizner also was the 20th Cardinal to hit grand slam in his only plate appearance. – Orf
- For only the 4th time in franchise history, three or more Cardinals drove in 4+ runs in a game (Nolan Arenado-4, Nolan Gorman-5, Andrew Knizner-4) … The last set of Cardinals to do so was Jim Bottomley (6), Tex Carleton (4), & Ripper Collins (4) Aug. 9, 1932.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: LHP JORDAN MONTGOMERY (2-5, 4.11)
TONIGHT’S GAME
NL Leaders: Losses (5, T-3rd); Walks/9 IP (2.35, 12th); HR/9 IP (0.78,13th)
- Is set to make his 9th start of the season and his 117th career (20th as a member of the Cardinals).
- Is trying to snap a career-high five-game losing streak, although the Cardinals have been shut out in three of his five losses while he has had three quality starts among his five defeats.
- Facing the Brewers for just the 5th time in his career. He blanked Milwaukee on three hits in 7.0 IP on April 8 in his first career appearance at American Family Field.
- Leads Cardinals starters with his 4.11 ERA, 5 Quality Starts, 11.9 baserunners/9.0 IP and 1.30 WHIP.
- For the season, Monty has allowed just four round-tippers, two coming in his most recent start (5/10) at Wrigley Field.
- Prior to his 5/10 start at Wrigley, he’d allowed just one earned run in three road games this season, fanning 22 in 19.2 IP. In six career road starts with St. Louis, he’s allowed zero earned runs in three of those games.
- Recorded his first and only GIDP of the season in his 5/10 start at CHI.
- Is 8-8 with a 3.53 ERA in 19 starts as a member of the Cardinals and St. Louis has won 10 of his 19 starts.
- Leads all Cardinals pitchers with 102 strikeouts since being acquired at the 2022 Trade Deadline (8/2/22).
- Has not walked a left-handed batter since being acquired by the Cardinals (69 total batters faced). Is the only pitcher in MLB who has faced 0+ left-handed batters without a walk to a LHB since 8/1/22.
- Made his fourth Opening Day roster and first with the Cardinals, adding to 2018, 2021 and 2022 with the Yankees. Was on the Injured List in 2019 and Taxi Squad in 2020.
- Has held his opposition to three earned runs or fewer in 78% (91-of-116) of his career
starts.
LAST TIME OUT
- Suffered his career-high 5th consecutive loss, as he dropped a 10-4 decision at Wrigley Field last Wed. (5/10). Five of his six runs allowed came via Cubs home runs.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
5/10 @CHI L 10-4 L-5 5.0 7 6 6 3 3 2 88-54
2023
- Took his first no-decision of the season as the Cardinals fell, 5-4, to the Detroit Tigers on 5/5. It was his team-leading 5th quality start, and 3rd-straight.
- Locked horns with Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on 4/29 at Dodger Stadium… allowed just one run across 6.2 IP, but was handed his 4th-straight loss (1-0).
- Threw a season-high 107 pitches and limited the SF Giants to just one unearned run over his 6.0 IP on 4/24, but took the loss as Alex Cobb blanked the Cardinals, 4-0. It was just the 2nd road loss for Monty as a member of the Cardinals.
- Established a new career-high with a 15.0 inning scoreless streak from 4/2-13, surpassing his previous high of 14.2 IP.
- Won his opening start of the season behind a 9-4 offensive effort vs. TOR (4/2) in a series clinching win.
- Threw 7.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball at MIL (4/8). Was the longest outing by a Cardinals pitcher this season and his 2nd consecutive scoreless outing against an N.L. Central opponent on the road (16.0 IP streak).
- Tied his career-highs in both hits (10) and runs (7) allowed as the Cardinals lost 8-7 vs. ARI (4/18) in a game they rallied from down 7-2 in the 4th inning.
