Milwaukee will play the second game of its three-game series at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. The Brewers entered the series having won seven of their nine games since the All-Star break, while Pittsburgh had lost eight of its nine games. This story was published prior to Tuesday night’s series opener between these teams.
Milwaukee is trying to take control of the National League Central, and it has been successful in doing so since the All-Star break. The Brewers won three out of four games against Colorado in their first series back before winning four straight contests against the Twins and Red Sox. Their winning streak was snapped in a 7-2 loss to Boston at Fenway Park on Sunday. Milwaukee is in first place in the NL Central, leading St. Louis by three games in the standings. The Cardinals were unable to land Washington star Juan Soto at the trade deadline, giving Milwaukee an edge heading down the stretch.
The #Brewers have acquired from Texas:
RHP Matt Bush
for
INF Mark Mathias
LHP Antoine Kelly pic.twitter.com/eRzm0pcIAr— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 2, 2022
The Brewers are still looking to make improvements at the plate, as they rank No. 17 in team batting average (.240). Left fielder Christian Yelich leads the way with 95 hits, while designated hitter Andrew McCutchen has 88 hits. First baseman Rowdy Tellez and shortstop Willy Adames have provided power, combining for 40 home runs. They will be facing a Pittsburgh pitching staff that is No. 26 with an ERA of 4.62. Right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta is going to be on the mound for Milwaukee on Wednesday night. He will be activated from the 60-day injured list to start this game. Peralta has not appeared in a game since May 22 due to a lat injury, and he threw just 52 pitches in his last rehab start. He is 3-2 with a 4.42 ERA and 50 strikeouts this season.