The Milwaukee Brewers will visit the Detroit Tigers for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday. Here is what you should know beforehand:
Following a 5-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday, the Brewers are 12-9 and fell to last place in a crowded, competitive National League Central Division in which no team has a losing record. Milwaukee, however, has won four of its last five games after a six-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, the Tigers possess a 12-11 record while sitting in second place in the American League Central Division. After recently dropping five straight games, the Tigers went on a six-game winning streak and have won eight of their last 10 games.
The probable pitchers for Tuesday's series opener are Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison versus Tigers right-hander Keider Montero.
This season, Harrison has made three starts and has notched a 1-1 record with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Through 14 ⅔ innings pitched, Harrison has 15 strikeouts while allowing 12 hits, five earned runs, and four walks.
Montero has also made three starts and holds a 1-1 record. Additionally, he possesses a 3.31 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP with 16 strikeouts while allowing six earned runs, 12 hits, and two walks over 16 ⅓ innings of work.
When it comes to hitting, the Brewers have endured multiple games in which the batting order has struggled. This had led to Milwaukee having a .232 batting average, which ranks No. 18 of the 30 MLB teams as of April 20.
The Tigers possess the No. 11 batting average at .245. In terms of team OPS, Detroit and Milwaukee are both closer to the middle of the pack, with the Tigers sitting at No. 13 with a .707 OPS and the Brewers at No. 15 with a .705 OPS.
The Brewers’ starting rotation has demonstrated strength, particularly when it comes to opponent batting average.
Milwaukee’s starters are holding opposing hitters to a .218 average, good for No. 10 in the league. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ starters are tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 12th-best opponent batting average at .222.
When it comes to the bullpens, the Tigers’ relievers lead Milwaukee’s by two spots in ERA; occupying 14th place with a 3.79 ERA while the Brewers’ relievers occupy 16th place with a 4.07 ERA.
However, a much larger disparity between the bullpens is demonstrated when viewing the opponent batting average. the Brewers sit near the bottom of the league in that category at 28th with a .269 average. Conversely, the Tigers’ bullpen has the 11th ranked opponent batting average at .232.
With a bat in his hands, Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang has been electric.
Heading into the series against the Tigers, Turang is second among NL hitters in OBP (.437) and walks drawn (17), fourth in OPS (1.008), tied for fifth in fWAR (1.1) and stolen bases (6), and seventh in slugging percentage (.571).
Brice Turang is on another level pic.twitter.com/EBpglIOPaF
He is also in the 96th percentile in hard hit percentage, the 96th percentile in average exit velocity, and the 92nd percentile in expected slugging percentage.
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