It's a rookie-ish RHP duel to kick off the weekend: Coleman Crow (0-0, 2.61) on his third big-league start for the Brewers against Kai-Wei Teng (3-3, 2.19), who's been the Astros' surprise rotation answer after opening the year in the bullpen. Crow's last time out he gave Minnesota 5 innings, 1 ER, 3 hits, no walks on just 68 pitches. Teng punched out 6 over 6 shutout innings vs. the Cubs last week.
The bigger story is the gap between these clubs right now. Milwaukee is 33-20, just swept St. Louis at home (5-1, 6-0, 2-1), and the rotation behind Freddy Peralta has been the most boring kind of effective. Houston is 26-32 but has won 4 of 5, including back-to-back wins in Arlington to salvage the Rangers series. Daikin Park has been a bandbox for them, but the Astros' team ERA sits 29th in baseball — this lineup is doing all the heavy lifting.
Houston's injury list is doing most of the talking on the AL side. Jose Altuve (oblique), Carlos Correa (ankle surgery), Yainer Diaz (oblique), and Joey Loperfido are all out, and the rotation is missing Hunter Brown, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, Ronel Blanco, and Hayden Wesneski. Josh Hader is closing in on a return from the biceps issue — he threw rehab outings at Triple-A Sugar Land this week — which would finally give Joe Espada a real ninth-inning answer. Milwaukee is healthier but down Brandon Woodruff and Logan Henderson, which is exactly why Crow got the call back up from Nashville.
- Day-To-DayGerson Garabito RP — Garabito will be out for four months after undergoing surgery to address a broken bone in his foot, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrandon Lockridge LF — Lockridge is expected to be sidelined until mid-to-late June after an MRI on his right knee showed a bone bruise, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILQuinn Priester SP — Priester (shoulder) recorded two outs and was charged with three earned runs on two hits and three walks Wednesday in his rehab start with Triple-A Nashville. He struck out one batter.
- 15-Day-ILJared Koenig RP — Koenig (elbow) said his live bullpen session went well Tuesday and he expects to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrandon Woodruff SP — The Brewers announced Tuesday that Woodruff (shoulder) is scheduled for a 60-pitch live batting practice session next week, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILLogan Henderson SP — Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Monday that Henderson might not make his next scheduled start Wednesday against the Cardinals due to back tightness, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Zerpa RP — Zerpa will undergo UCL reconstruction on his left elbow next week, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 60-Day-ILRob Zastryzny RP — Zastryzny (shoulder/ribs) will resume a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayWalker Janek C — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Janek on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILJose Altuve 2B — Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that the Astros could have Altuve (oblique) simulate at-bats rather than embark on a rehab assignment, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILJoey Loperfido LF — Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Monday that Loperfido (quadriceps) will pause his rehab assignment until Wednesday after fouling a ball off his foot during Sunday's game with Double-A Corpus Christie, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILYainer Diaz C — Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Diaz (oblique) is expected to begin a rehab assignment during the first week of June, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILCarlos Correa SS — Correa is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday in Houston to repair the tendon in his left ankle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILLance McCullers Jr. SP — McCullers was scratched from his scheduled start against the Twins on Tuesday due to shoulder inflammation, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 15-Day-ILBennett Sousa RP — The Astros placed Sousa on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to Wednesday, Julia Morales of Space City Home Network reports.
- 60-Day-ILCristian Javier SP — Javier (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pinnacle has the Brewers at -114 with the run line at Milwaukee -1.5 (+143), total 8.5. That feels about right. Crow's sample is tiny but his stuff has played; Teng is pitching way over his FIP. The Astros' bullpen ERA is also dead last in the league, which means if this is tied in the 7th you'd probably rather be holding Brewers tickets than Astros ones.
First pitch from Daikin Park is 7:10 PM CT. Three-game set, Brewers will throw Peralta and Quintana the next two days, so this is the spot Houston probably circled as their best shot at a win in the series. Get the lead early or it's going to be a long weekend in the AL West basement-adjacent.