TLDR: Milwaukee's already clinched the NL Central and is gunning for the best record in baseball. San Diego's still scrapping for a wild-card spot, and it just took the opener from the team chasing history.
Kyle Harrison gets the ball for Milwaukee looking to build off one of the nastiest starts of his season, while Walker Buehler tries to give San Diego length its rotation has been starving for. First pitch is at 6:40 PM PT at Petco Park.
Kyle Harrison
(10-3)·2.84 ERA
Aug 5 vs Pirates
W
5.0IP
0ER
10K
1BB
69P
08/11 Lineup
Walker Buehler
(8-6)·4.63 ERA
Aug 6 @ Diamondbacks
ND
4.0IP
1ER
3K
1BB
76P
08/11 Lineup
Milwaukee's lineup is banged up in the middle infield with Joey Ortiz day-to-day and Cooper Pratt getting an MRI on his hamstring, and the bullpen is without JoJo Romero and Joel Kuhnel. San Diego isn't much healthier — Nick Pivetta, Lucas Giolito and Joe Musgrove are all on the shelf, which is exactly why Buehler's turns in the rotation carry so much weight right now.
None of that stopped the Padres on Monday. They beat the Brewers 3-2 to open this set, and San Diego's now won 3 straight overall — a team that refuses to fold even as the calendar runs out on its wild-card chances.
The Brewers have baseball's best record and clinched the NL Central for the third straight season, and they're openly chasing the Dodgers for the top overall seed and the home-field edge that comes with it. That backdrop makes every August game feel a little bit like a rehearsal for October, even against a Padres club fighting for its playoff life a division away.
San Diego's offense has carried the load while the rotation sorts itself out, scoring freely in three of its last four games. Whether that keeps up against a Brewers team with the best record in the sport — and a real chip on its shoulder after Monday's loss — is the whole ballgame.
Brewers 2, Padres 11: Final Score & Odds Recap — Brewers Chase Best Record As Padres Cling To Wild Card Hopes
