MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:
A Series Situation
The Brewers are looking to avoid a series loss tonight…..the team is 5-0-1 over its last 6 series, going 2-1 at CLE, 3-1 at NYM, 2-1 at PIT, 2-2 vs. CHC, 2-1
vs. CIN and 3-0 at CIN.
Fine ‘Penmanship
Brewers relievers have tossed 15.2 consecutive scoreless innings over the last 5 games with opponents batting just .118 (6-for-51, 2bb, 23k).
Devin Sent
All-Star closer Devin Williams, who is unscored upon in 34 of his 37 appearances this season, is among NL relief leaders in saves (3rd, 23), ERA (3rd, 1.73), AVG (3rd, .136), H/9IP (4th, 4.21), save pct. (5th, 92.0) and WHIP (9th, 0.96)…..his ERA without his 2 blown saves is 0.25 (35.1ip, 1er).
A Piece of the Payamps
Joel Payamps, who was acquired from Oakland as part of a three-team trade in December, ranks among NL relief leaders in holds (2nd, 19), ERA (4th, 1.83) and WHIP (5th, 0.92)…..he has not allowed an earned run over his last 14 appearances (15ip).
The King
Elvis Peguero, who was acquired from the Angels in the Hunter Renfroe trade in November, is unscored upon in 29 of his 35 appearances this season, posting a 2.92 ERA and holding opponents to a .211 AVG…..his 13 holds are tied for eighth in the NL.
It’s Milner Time!
Hoby Milner has posted a 0.45 ERA in his last 22 appearances (20ip, 1er) and is unscored upon in his last 3 outings (5.1ip)…..Milner leads the team (T8th in NL) with 43 appearances.
Rebel Yeli
In his last 34 games, Christian Yelich has hit .336 (45-for-134) with 29 runs, 6 HR and 25 RBI while posting a .418 OBP/.597 SLG/1.015 OPS.
The Brice Is Right
Rookie infielder Brice Turang has yet to commit an error in 260 total chances (233 at 2B/27 at SS).
TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 5 (3-1) of a 6-game, 7-day road trip to Cincinnati (3-0) and Philadelphia (0-1) to open the second half of the season…..following this trip, the team returns to American Family Field for a 6-game homestand against Atlanta (3g) and Cincinnati (3g).
IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: INF/OF Brian Anderson (lower back), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), LHP Wade Miley (left elbow), OF Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder), 1B Darin Ruf (right knee), LHP Bennett Sousa (left shoulder), 1B Rowdy Tellez (right forearm/left ring finger), LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow) and RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder) are on the injured list…..Ashby, Mitchell, Ruf, Wilson and Woodruff are on the 60-day IL.
IN THE STANDINGS (111 days): The Brewers have spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings: FIRST: 62, SECOND: 47, THIRD: 2, FOURTH: 0, FIFTH: 0…..the team is currently in first place, leading the second-place Reds by 2.5 games.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 16-13-1 in series play.
Game 1: 15-16, Game 2: 17-13, Game 3: 16-13, Game 4: 4-1
Sweep Wins (5): vs. NYM (3g, 4/3-4/5), at SEA (3g, 4/17-4/19), vs. KC (3g, 5/12-5/14), vs. PIT (3g, 6/16-6/18), at CIN (3g, 7/14-7/16)
Sweep Losses (3): at COL (3g, 5/2-5/4), vs. OAK (3g, 6/9-6/11), at MIN (2g, 6/13-6/14)
AT HOME: The Brewers are 26-21 at home, going 8-6-1 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 26-22 on the road, going 8-7-0 in series play…..are 10-4 in their last 14 road games…..had a season-high, 5-game road winning streak end last night…..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 20 replay challenges this season, going 7-13…..their last challenge (lost) came on 7/8 vs. Cincinnati as an out call at second base (William Contreras) to end the game stood.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: #48 – RHP COLIN REA (16g, 15gs, 5-4, 4.71)
REA AT A GLANCE: Colin Rea, 33, will be making his 17th appearance and 16th start of the season…..Rea last started on 7/8 vs. Cincinnati and received no decision in the Brewers’ 8-5 loss (4.2ip, 7h, 5r, 5er, 1bb, 7k, 2hr, 1bk, 91 pitches)…..the team is 9-6 in his starts…..he has 3 quality starts…..opponents are batting .238 (72-for-303, 13hr)…..he has also made 2 starts at Triple-A Nashville this season, going 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA (7ip, 6h, 2r, 0er, 0bb, 9k)…..after pitching in Japan in 2022, Rea re-signed with Milwaukee on January 27 (non-roster invitee)…..his only outing for the Brewers prior to this season came in relief on 10/2/21 at Los Angeles-NL…..his name is pronounced “RAY.”
LAST SEASON: Rea pitched in Japan, where he went 5-6 with a 3.96 ERA in 23 games/16 starts with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
CAREER: Is 13-12 with a 4.83 ERA in 52 games/42 starts (234.2ip, 126er)…..has pitched for San Diego (2015-16), Miami (2016), Chicago-NL (2020) and Milwaukee (2021, ‘23)…..is 12-12 with a 4.82 ERA as a starter (218.1ip, 117er) and 1-0 with a 4.96 ERA as a reliever (16.1ip, 9er)…..Rea was originally selected by San Diego in the 12th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Indiana State University…..he underwent “Tommy John” surgery on 11/11/16, causing him to miss the entire 2017 season…..he was named 2019 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year after going 14-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 26 starts at Triple-A Iowa (Cubs).
CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 2-2 with a 5.31 ERA in 9 games/8 starts, all coming this season (40.2ip, 24er).
CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 23 games/16 starts (100.1ip, 54er)…..is 3-2 with a 4.08 ERA in 7 starts this season (39.2ip, 18er).
CAREER vs. PHILLIES: Is 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 2 starts, both coming with the Padres (2015 and 2016) at Citizens Bank Park (12ip, 11h, 6r, 5er, 4bb, 9k, 2hr).
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:
GAME #94 RECAP: The Phillies defeated the Brewers, 4-3, in game 1 of a 3-game set in South Philly … Starter Aaron Nola (W, 9-6) went 7.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 ER) on 4 hits with 0 walks and 6 strikeouts … Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run on the first pitch… Nola retired the first 14 batters he faced and was perfect into the 5th – Milwaukee scored twice in the 5th but Gregory Soto (0.2 IP) and Craig Kimbrel (1.0 IP) made scoreless appearances in relief of Nola.
REMEMBER THE FIGHTINS: The Phillies opened this season on the road and went 1-5 in six games through TEX (0-3) and NYY (1-2) … Since then (4/7-current), they are 51-37 with a .580 winning percentage and have the 2nd-best record in the National League and the 5th-best record in all of baseball, behind only ATL (.640), BAL (.614), TEX (.589) and TB (.587) … Since June 3, they have gone 27-10 and their .730 winning percentage in that span ranks 2nd in MLB behind only ATL (28-8, .778).
LEADING MAN: On the first pitch of last night’s game, Kyle Schwarber hit his 26th career leadoff home run and his sixth this season … Since joining the Phils in 2022, Schwarber has hit 13 leadoff home runs and the Phillies are 11-2 in those 13 games – they have won each of the last eight games Schwarber has led off with a homer (since 10/1/22 at WSH, g2) … Schwarber has homered in four straight games and he is the first Phillie to do so since Rhys Hoskins, Aug. 4-7, 2022 – the last Phillies player to homer in five straight games was Odubel Herrera, June 17-22, 2018 … Since being inserted back into the leadoff position on June 2, Schwarber has posted an .838 OPS with 13 home runs and 28 runs scored – the Phillies are 27-11 in those 38 games (.711 win %).
ARMS RACE: Over the last 37 games (since 6/3), the Phillies’ starting rotation has gone 17-7 with a 3.00 ERA (73 ER, 219.1 IP) with 220 strikeouts to 55 walks (4.00 SO/BB ratio) – they have faced 880 batters and held them to a .638 OPS … The staff has gone at least 6.0 innings in 25 of those 37 games (20-5 team record) … Philadelphia’s starters and relievers have combined for 13.8 fWAR which leads MLB (next: MIN, 13.4) and is more than two full wins clear of the next closest NL club (MIA, 11.4 fWAR).
ON THE PLUS SIDE: The Phillies currently have six players who qualify for the batting title who sport an OPS+ of 105 or greater (league average is 100): Brandon Marsh (122 OPS+), Nick Castellanos (119), Bryson Stott (112), Alec Bohm (109), J.T. Realmuto (107) and Kyle Schwarber (107) – Bryce Harper leads the Phillies with a 127 OPS+, but with 265 plate appearances, does not yet qualify … Philadelphia’s six different players with an OPS+ of 105 or greater is tied for tops among all MLB clubs with TEX and SD, who each have six players … Philadelphia’s six players with an OPS+ of 105 or better would be the second best mark in franchise history, behind only the 1892 club who had seven players: Roger Connor (166 OPS+), Ed Delahanty (157), Billy Hamilton (152), Sam Thompson (144), Jack Clements (127), Bill Hallman (116) and Lave Cross (108).
THE VIBES ARE BACK: This season, the Phillies were seven games under .500 at 25-32 (.439 win %) when they entered play on June 3, which was also the one-year anniversary of Rob Thomson’s first game as Phillies manager … Since then, they have gone 27-10 (.730 win %) with a +59-run differential (193-134) and enter tonight a season-high 10 games over .500 at 52-42 – this marks their best 37-game stretch since July 1-Sept. 11, 2011 (also 27-10) … When Thomson took over last year on June 3, the Phillies were also seven games under .500 at 22-29 (.431 win %), and in their first 37 games with him as manager (6/3-7/12/22), they went 24-13 (.649 win %) with a +52-run differential (183-131) … Since Thomson was hired on June 3, 2022, the Phillies are 117-88 and their .571 winning percentage ranks 5th in MLB, behind only ATL (.675), LAD (.644), HOU (.607) and BAL (.581).
FOURMULA FOR SUCCESS: When scoring at least four runs, the Phillies have won six straight (since 7/5), 15 of 16 (since 6/13) and 20 of 22 (since 6/3) … Overall this year, the Phillies are 39-12 when they score at least four (.765 win %) and 13-30 when held to three or fewer (.302 win %).
A CASE FOR COOPERSTOWN: Phils reliever Craig Kimbrel, the reigning NL Reliever of the Month for June, was selected as an All-Star for the 9th time in 2023 and picked up his first career save in an ASG … Kimbrel is only the 13th pitcher in MLB history with 9+ career selections to the ASG – of those 13 players, 9 are enshrined in Cooperstown: Warren Spahn (14 ASG), Mariano Rivera (13 ASG), Tom Seaver (12 ASG), Tom Glavine (10 ASG), Randy Johnson (10 ASG), Steve Carlton (10 ASG), Goose Gossage (9 ASG), Juan Marichal (9 ASG) and Carl Hubbell (9 ASG) – the only four pitchers with nine+ ASG selections who are not in the HOF are Roger Clemens (11 ASG), Clayton Kershaw (10 ASG), Justin Verlander (9 ASG) and Kimbrel … Kimbrel currently ranks 8th in strikeouts as a reliever (1,158) since at least 1893 (chart to the right) and earlier this season he became only the 8th member of the 400 save club – he enters tonight’s game with 410 career saves (8th all time, Jansen 7th at 411) … Kimbrel is 16-for-16 in saves this season and the Phillies are 42-1 when leading after 8 innings (.977 win %) … He is currently riding a 16.0-inning scoreless streak (since 6/11), over which he has 23 strikeouts to 3 walks while holding the 57 batters he has faced to a .094/.158/.113 slash line.
BEDLAM AT THE BANK: Through 43 games at CBP, the Phillies are averaging 39,482 in attendance per game which ranks 5th among all clubs in MLB behind only the Dodgers (48,201), Cardinals (42,199), Yankees (41,033) and Padres (40,379) … Of Philadelphia’s first 43 games at home, 22 have been sellouts (51%) and 32 have been over 35,000 (74%) … Among all clubs in MLB, the Phillies have the largest year-to-year increase in attendance per game this season at +10,940 (up from 28,541 per game through 43 home games in 2022) – CLE ranks 2nd at +6,428 per game … Per Baseball Reference, the last time a team saw a +10,000 spike in attendance from one year to the next was in 2010 when the Twins moved to Target Field from the Metrodome and saw a +10,332 spike from 2009 … For reference, the Phillies saw a +12,224 spike in attendance in 2004 when CBP was opened (40,125 per game) after averaging 27,901 per game during the final year at Veterans Stadium in 2003.
TONIGHT’S STARTER – CRISTOPHER SÁNCHEZ • LHP #61
2023: 0-3, 3.26 ERA Career: 3-5, 4.66 ERA
LAST START: 7/14 vs SD: L, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, BB, 5 SO … Sánchez vs Darvish … The Phillies opened the second half with an 8-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Fireworks Night at Citizens Bank Park … The Padres hit 4 home runs in the game and led 8-1 through the top of the 9th … The Phillies tried to mount a rally, they eventually ad Bryce Harper in the on-deck circle as the tying run after scoring twice in the 9th as 8 batters came to the plate
TONIGHT’S START:
- Watch Me Whip: Since being recalled on 6/17, Sánchez’s 0.88 WHIP is the best in the National League and second-best in all of baseball (min. 25.0 IP)
- Nobody Rides for Free: Sánchez ranks in the 97th percentile in walk % and his 1.48 BB/9.0 IP ranks 2 nd in the NL behind Noah Syndergaard (min. 25.0 IP)
- Change It Up: Per Statcast, Sánchez has struck out 11 batters with his changeup this season and has recorded a 39% whiff % with it, up from a 29.8% whiff % in 2022. His average vertical break of 43.7 inches on his changeup ranks 5th in baseball (min. 100 PA)
- Reach for the Stars: Per Statcast, Sánchez’s average release extension (where the ball is released relative to the rubber) of 6.9 feet puts him in the 90th percentile among all ML pitchers … As a result, his sinker velocity, which averages at 91.9 mph, has a perceived velocity of 92.9 mph
- Trust: Sánchez has thrown more than 2.0 IP in 20 of his 28 career ML appearances, with all but 8 of the multi-inning appearances in relief … He has a 3.74 ERA (31 ER, 74.2 IP) in appearances of 2.0 IP or more
- Comeback: Was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA) prior to his start on 6/17 at OAK. Sánchez is in his 2nd stint with the Phillies this season. He was reinstated from the 15-day IL (left triceps strain) prior to his start on 4/22 and was optioned postgame
- Games: Made 2 rehab starts for Lehigh Valley (AAA) in Durham from 4/11-16 and combined to allow 1 run on 3 hits with 11 strikeouts against 3 walks in 8.2 IP
- Pitch Usage: Sinker (52%), Changeup (27.3%), Slider (20.7%)
- vs NL West: 1-0, 4.05 ERA (6 ER, 13.1 IP) in 4 games (1 start)
HOME:
- 2023: 0-2, 4.43 ERA (10 ER, 20.1 IP) in 4 starts
- Career: 2-4, 4.44 ERA (25 ER, 50.2 IP) in 17 games (8 starts)
