MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:
Today’s Transactions
LHP Andrew Chafin was acquired from Arizona in exchange for RHP Peter Strzelecki.
In Case You Missed It
OF/1B Mark Canha was acquired yesterday from New York-NL along with cash in exchange for RHP Justin Jarvis…..Canha was added to the active roster today.
NL Central Standings
Team Record
Cincinnati……………………………………59-49
Milwaukee ……………………. 57-50 (-1.5)
Chicago ………………………….. 53-53 (-5.0)
Pittsburgh ……………………..47-58 (-10.5)
St. Louis ………………………….47-60 (-11.5)
Note: MIL owns tie-breaker over CIN
NL Wild Card Standings
Team Record
San Francisco……………………………58-49
Philadelphia………………………………. 57-49
Arizona ……………………………………….57-50
Milwaukee ……………………………….57-50
Miami ………………………………………….57-50
Chicago ……………………………53-53 (-3.5)
Note: SF and AZ own tie-breaker over MIL
Gnat to the Nats
Mark Canha is a career .364 hitter (36-for-99) against Washington, the second-highest average among active players (min. 100 PA) behind current Nationals OF Corey Dickerson (.366)…..Canha batted .344 (11-for32) with 4 RBI in 9 games against the Nationals this season with the Mets.
On the Mend
INF/OF Brian Anderson was sent to Triple-A Nashville to begin a rehab assignment tonight vs. Durham (Rays)…..Anderson has been on the injured list since July 16 with a lower back strain…..RHP Brandon Woodruff had his rehab assignment transferred to Nashville. He will start tonight.
In Need of a Win
The Brewers are on a 4-game road losing streak, one shy of their season-high skid of 5 straight road losses from 5/2-5/6.
Will I Am
William Contreras is batting .365 (35- for-96) with 10 doubles, 3 HR and 18 RBI in his last 23 games with a .392 OBP/.563 SLG/.955 OPS…..his 10 doubles in July led the NL while he ranked among leaders in hits (2nd) and batting average (3rd).
Providing a Spark
Sal Frelick has reached base safely 15 times (7h, 8bb) in his first 9 career games, matching Danny Thomas in 1976 and Doug Loman in 1984 for the most times on base by any Brewers player over their first 9 career games…..the franchise record through 10 career games is 16 by Thomas and Dale Sveum in 1986.
Rebel Yeli
In his last 46 games, Christian Yelich has hit .337 (62-for-184) with 36 runs, 9 HR and 34 RBI while he has a .408 OBP/.592 SLG/1.000 OPS.
TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 5 of a 6-game trip (0-4) to Atlanta (0-3) and Washington (0-1)…..the Brewers are coming off a 3-3 homestand against Atlanta (1-2) and Cincinnati (2-1)…..following this road trip, the team returns to American Family Field for a 7-game homestand against Pittsburgh (4g) and Colorado (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), RHP Julio Teheran (right hip), 1B Rowdy Tellez (right forearm/left ring finger), LHP Justin Wilson (left lat), OF Jesse Winker (back) and RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder) are on the injured list….. Ashby, Mitchell, Ruf and Woodruff are on the 60-day IL.
IN THE STANDINGS (124 days): The Brewers have spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings: FIRST: 73, SECOND: 49, THIRD: 2, FOURTH: 0, FIFTH: 0…..the team is currently in second place, trailing the first-place Reds by 1.5 games.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 18-15-1 in series play.
Game 1: 16-19, Game 2: 19-15, Game 3: 18-15, 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 (4): at COL (3g, 5/2-5/4), vs. OAK (3g, 6/9-6/11), at MIN (2g, 6/13-6/14), at ATL (3g, 7/28-7/30)
AT HOME: The Brewers are 29-24 at home, going 9-7-1 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 28-26 on the road, going 9-8-0 in series play…..from 7/1-7/16 had a season-high 5-game road winning streak…..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 25 replay challenges this season, going 11-14…..their last challenge (won) came on 7/31 at Washington a as a safe call on a steal of second base (Alex Call) was overturned.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: #51 – RHP FREDDY PERALTA (20gs, 6-8, 4.46)
PERALTA AT A GLANCE: Freddy Peralta, 27, will be making his 21st start of the season…..Peralta last started last Wednesday vs. Cincinnati and received no decision in the Brewers’ 3-0 win (6ip, 4h, 0bb, 13k, 89 pitches)…..his 13 strikeouts tied a career high which was set in his Major League debut on 5/13/18 at Colorado…..the team is 10-10 in his starts…..he has 10 quality starts…..opponents are batting .226 (93-for-411, 18hr)…..Peralta was acquired from Seattle, along with RHP Carlos Herrera and RHP Daniel Missaki, in exchange for 1B Adam Lind on 12/9/15…..on 2/28/20, he signed a 5-year contract through the 2024 season with club options for 2025 and 2026.
LAST SEASON: Peralta went 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 18 games/17 starts…..he held opponents to a .190 batting average with 86 strikeouts in 78.0 innings…..the team went 8-9 in his starts…..he produced 4 quality starts…..he was on the injured list twice last season: 5/23-8/2 (right posterior shoulder strain) and 9/9-9/24 (right shoulder inflammation).
CAREER: Is 36-25 with a 3.95 ERA in 136 games/87 starts (524ip, 230er)…..is in his sixth Major League season, all with the Brewers (2018-23)…..is 28-23 with a 3.97 ERA as a starter (440ip, 194er) and 8-2 with a 3.86 ERA in relief (84ip, 36er)…..was an All-Star in 2021.
CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 22-14 with a 3.50 ERA in 74 games/46 starts (288ip, 112er)…..is 4-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 12 starts this season (64.1ip, 29er).
CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 14-11 with a 4.50 ERA in 62 games/41 starts (236ip, 118er)…..is 2-4 with a 5.04 ERA in 8 starts this season (44.2ip, 25er).
CAREER vs. NATIONALS: Is 2-2 with a 7.29 ERA in 5 games/3 starts (21ip, 17er)…..took an 8-2 loss in his only start last season on 5/22 in Milwaukee (3ip, 6h, 5r, 5er, 1bb, 2k).
WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
OPPONENT – MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Nationals and Brewers will face each other six times in 2023 (3 in D.C., 3 in MIL)…The Nationals advanced to the 2019 NLDS with a 4-3 win over the Brewers in the Wild Card game..Henry Blanco played two seasons in Milwaukee (2000-01)…Ricky Bones pitched five seasons (1992-96) in Milwaukee and an All-Star for them in 1994…Alex Call is from River Falls, Wisc. and attended River Falls High School.
QUICK STOP AT HOME
The Washington Nationals opened this three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers with a 5-3 win on Monday night…Joey Meneses (3-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R) led the offense, while Jake Irvin put together another strong start (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO).
- With last night’s victory, the Nationals have won eight of their last nine games at Nationals Park.
STATUS CHECK
The Nationals have won seven of their last 11, 11 of their last 19 and are 17-15 (.531) since June 24.
- This stretch includes series victories over the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Colorado R Rockies.
ROSTER MOVE
The Nationals recalled infielder Jake Alu from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday..Alu is tied for first among Nationals farmhands with 22 doubles and ranks in the system in hits (3rd, 90), runs (5th, 48), batting average (6th, .293), OPS (7th, .777), RBI (T7th, 43), slugging percentage (8th, .420), extra-base hits (8th, 28) and on-base percentage (10th, .357).
- Nationals also claimed left-handed pitcher Robert Garcia off waivers from the Miami Marlins… Garcia went 2–0 with two saves and a 2.85 ERA in 31 games (one start) and struck out 62 batters in 41.0 innings for Triple-A Jacksonville…He made his MLB debut on July 14 at Baltimore and allowed one hit and one walk in 0.1 inning.
BORN TO RUN
CJ Abrams is tied for third in the National League with 25 stolen bases…He has stolen 22 consecutive bases without being caught, the longest single-season streak in Nationals history (2005-pres.) and the second-longest streak overall in Nationals history (2005-pres.) behind Roger Bernadina (24 G, June 9, 2010 to June 24,
2011) according to the Elias Sports Bureau…It is the longest active streak in MLB…Abrams was last caught stealing on May 3 vs. Chicago (NL).
- Since being moved to the leadoff spot on July 7, Abrams is hitting .338 with two doubles, a triple, three homers, seven RBI, seven walks, two hit by pitch, 14 stolen bases and 20 runs scored…He’s hit safely in 17 of the 20 and has reached safely in 18 of the 20.
- Of note this series, Abrams is 26-for-71 (.366) with five doubles, one triple, two homers, four RBI, five walks, eight stolen bases and 18 runs scored in 21 games against the NL Central this season.
NOBODY SHUTS OUT THE NATS
The Nationals have not been shut out since April 19 vs. Baltimore, a streak of 89 straight games…It is the longest single-season streak in Nationals history (2005-pres.) and the longest streak in MLB this season ahead of Arizona (87 G, March 30-July 5).
- The next longest single-season streak is held by the Seattle Mariners (97 G, June 12-Oct. 3, 2021).
OK, KYLE
Kyle Finnegan has four saves, five holds and has pitched to a 0.89 ERA (2 ER/20.1 IP) with a .152 opponents’ average (10-for-66) in his last 18 appearances.
- He’s set a new career-high and is tied for eighth in the NL with 15 saves this season.
- Finnegan surrendered seven earned runs and three home runs in his first three outings…Since the next outing on April 7 at Colorado, he has pitched to a 1.69 ERA (8 ER/42.2 IP) with 43 strikeouts and three home runs allowed in 40 games.
LANE TRAIN
Lane Thomas ranks in the National League in hits (4th, 121), doubles (T4th, 26), average (7th, .287), and runs (9th, 70).
- He leads the National League (T1st in MLB) with a career-high 11 outfield assists.
BACKSTOP BATS
Some notes on Washington’s catchers:
- Riley Adams has produced multi-hit efforts in his last four starts and in five of his last six…During this six-game stretch, he is 11-for-25 (.440) with five doubles, a homer and six RBI.
- Keibert Ruiz is hitting .345 (19-for-55) with four doubles, two homers, eight RBI, four walks, one stolen base and seven runs scored over his last 15 games…He’s hit safely in 13 of the 15 games.
STARTING PITCHER – #40 JOSIAH GRAY
Right-hander was acquired by the Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 Trade Deadline…Was Los Angeles’ No. 2 prospect entering 2021 and its Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…Was originally selected by Cincinnati in the second round (No. 72 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York…Was acquired by the Dodgers on his 21st birthday, Dec. 21, 2018…Is the Player Ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy…Named to his first All-Star team in 2023.
LAST START
Threw 6.0 scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked three and struck out four on July 27 at Citi Field against the Mets…He took a no decision in Washington’s 2-1 defeat.
ALL-STAR
Gray was selected to the National League All-Star team this month…He tossed a scoreless third inning in his first All-Star Game on July 10…He got Josh Jung out on a fly ball, struck out Jonah Heim and induced a ground ball by Marcus Semien.
vs. MILWAUKEE
Has never faced the Brewers.
RECENCY BIAS
Gray is 1-0 with an 0.69 ERA (1 ER) in 13.0 innings over his last two starts, striking out eight and holding hitters to a .146 average against (6-for-41)…Over his last six starts, Gray is 3-2 with a 2.36 ERA (9 ER/34.1 IP) with 30 strikeouts.
ROAD GRAY
Gray ranks third in Major League Baseball with a 2.52 ERA on the road this season…He’s allowed three earned runs or less in 11 of his 13 road starts.
RANKS
Gray ranks 5th in the National League with a 3.27 ERA…He paces the Nationals staff in opponents’ batting average (.252), opponents’ slugging percentage (.403), opponents’ OPS (.742) and home runs allowed per 9.0 innings (1.14).
KEEPING THE BALL IN THE YARD
Gray has allowed 1.14 home runs per 9.0 innings (15 HR/118.1 IP)…He allowed back-to-back home runs to lead off the game on April 1 vs. Atlanta (Acuña Jr./Olson) and beginning with the next batter, has allowed just 13 additional home runs in the next 118.1 innings entering play tonight…This improvement comes after he led Major League Baseball with 38 home runs and 2.30 home runs per 9.0 innings last season.
THE STORY OF HIS CUTTER
As told to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post in a recent story: “At the start of spring training, Gray debuted a cutter he learned from Erasmo Ramírez, who drew his grip on a baseball Gray practiced with until he lost it at the gym during the offseason. Gray joked that some Florida teenager could be throwing Ramírez’s cutter in high school games. Yet by the time he misplaced the ball, Gray knew where to put his fingers. The pitch felt like a natural complement to his slider, moving more side-to-side while his gyroscopic slider drops almost straight down.”
