Milwaukee rolls into Pittsburgh with a six-game division cushion and a bat that won't cool off. The Pirates counter with their ace and not much else.
Bush’s Picks
MILPIT
MILPIT
OverUnder
Best BetBrewers
Milwaukee's the class of the division right now and it shows in the results — 4 wins in their last 5, with the only blemish a blowout loss they've already put behind them. Pittsburgh's offense is missing four regular starters, which makes backing the Pirates outright a tough sell even with Skenes on the bump. The Brewers are the play here regardless of who they trot out to start.
Brewers
+Best record in baseball at 58-34
+won 4 of last 5, including a 10-run rout
+Henderson back from IL adds rotation depth
−Woodruff out for extended stretch, shoulder capsule
−Harrison day-to-day with elbow soreness
−no confirmed starter for this game
Pirates
+Skenes fresh off a win over Atlanta
+won 3 of last 5
+found a productive lineup despite injuries
−missing starting C, 1B, CF and SS to injury
−shut out 0-3 in last outing
−bullpen thinned by Dotel and Sisk injuries
Pittsburgh hasn't announced a starter for the series finale, but the Brewers' rotation picture is a little shakier than the record suggests — Brandon Woodruff is out for the season's foreseeable future with a shoulder capsule injury, and Kyle Harrison is dealing with elbow soreness after his last two starts went south. Paul Skenes takes the ball for the Pirates instead, fresh off a win over Atlanta where he went 6.0 innings, allowed 2 earned runs and struck out 4.
Whoever Milwaukee sends out Sunday, they'll be doing it with a lineup that's been mashing. The Brewers won 4 of their last 5, including a 10-2 laugher and a pair of one-run grinds against St. Louis, before a 1-5 letdown to close that trip. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is trying to shake a nasty stretch of injury luck — Endy Rodriguez, Spencer Horwitz, Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin are all out, which means the Pirates have lost their starting catcher, first baseman, center fielder and shortstop within about a month of each other.
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Skenes remains must-watch even on a rough patch, but this Pirates team has had a habit of leaving him hanging — Pittsburgh's offense has gone cold behind him more than once this year. The bullpen's banged up too, with Wilber Dotel and Evan Sisk both on the shelf, which puts extra strain on whoever holds a lead if Skenes hands one over.
Milwaukee Brewers
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Pittsburgh Pirates
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Recent form.
Milwaukee's depth is the separator here. Logan Henderson just came off the IL to make a spot start in St. Louis, and the Brewers still found a way to win series after series even while shuffling arms. That kind of margin for error is exactly what a team with a six-game division lead should have, and it's the biggest reason Pittsburgh, sitting under .500, looks like the underdog even with the better arm on the mound.
Milwaukee Brewers
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Pittsburgh Pirates
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
The Pirates have gotten creative plugging holes — journeymen filling in at short and behind the plate have kept the offense afloat better than expected — but replacement-level production doesn't hold up over a full series against a lineup as deep as Milwaukee's. Sunday's tilt closes the set with the Brewers looking to leave Pittsburgh having taken care of business against a team fighting just to get back to .500.
