Brewers Host Cardinals in 30-20 NL Central Test — Cardinals Vs Brewers
The cardinals vs brewers series opened Memorial Day Monday with Milwaukee set to host St. Louis in an afternoon game. The Brewers entered at 30-20 and 1.5 games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central, so the matchup arrived with first place on the line.
Milwaukee’s first-place edge
Milwaukee got there after sweeping the Cubs earlier in the week, then dropping two of three to the Dodgers over the weekend. That split left the Brewers still in front, but not by much, and the Cardinals came in at 29-22 ready to narrow the gap.
Aaron Ashby has been part of why Milwaukee has held that edge. The left-hander carried a 2.61 ERA and an 8-0 record across 23 appearances, with 31 innings and 46 strikeouts, and he has anchored a bullpen that has worked behind a 3.31 team ERA.
Brewers pitching depth
The rotation and relief mix around Ashby has held up better than the injury list suggests. Quinn Priester was on the injured list and aiming for a June return, Brandon Woodruff was close to returning, and Rob Zastryzny and Jared Koenig were also close to coming back, while Angel Zerpa was out for the season after Tommy John surgery.
Akil Baddoo was rehabbing at Triple-A Nashville, and Brandon Lockridge was out until mid- to late June. That leaves Milwaukee leaning on the players available now, with the staff already producing a 3.19 starter ERA and a 3.47 bullpen ERA.
Cardinals reach Milwaukee
St. Louis arrived after a strange weekend in Cincinnati, where rainouts hit Friday and Sunday and the club played a 1-1 doubleheader on Saturday. The Cardinals also had three position players on the injured list: Lars Nootbaar was aiming for a June return after double heel surgery, Nathan Church was placed on the IL with a left shoulder strain over the weekend, and Ramón Urías had been out since May 5 with a right elbow injury.
Offensively, the Cardinals had the louder power numbers with 60 homers and a.716 OPS, but their.242/.323/.393 team line lagged Milwaukee’s.246/.333/.361. Jordan Walker led that attack with 15 homers, 11 doubles, seven steals and a.302/.372/.594 line through 50 games, while Alec Burleson had seven homers and JJ Wetherholt had nine homers and was 6-for-6 on the basepaths.
Milwaukee’s lineup brought balance instead of one big number. Jake Bauers and Brice Turang each had seven home runs, William Contreras was hitting.303/.371/.410 with four homers, eight doubles, 30 RBIs and 28 runs, and the club had 34 homers, 246 runs and 54 steals. The Cardinals had more home runs and fewer steals, but the Brewers held the better record, the better place in the standings and the steadier pitching foundation entering the opener.
For Milwaukee, the immediate task was simple: protect the 1.5-game cushion at home against the team chasing it. For St. Louis, the afternoon start offered a chance to pull the race tighter before the series settled into the middle games in Milwaukee.
