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St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers

By JR·2 min read
St. Louis CardinalsSTL(77-82)
Milwaukee BrewersMIL(100-59)
AT
6:40 PM CT

TLDR: Milwaukee won its 100th game for the first time in franchise history and locked up the No. 1 overall seed in the same night. Now it has 3 games left against a Cardinals team with nothing to play for either, and the question is how many Brewers regulars actually play in them.

FRI SEP 25, 6:40 PM
Spread
WIN
Total
Cardinals
(77-82)
LWLWL
Brewers
(100-59)
WWLWW

The 100-59 Brewers clinched the No. 1 overall seed Thursday and open their final weekend at home against a 77-82 Cardinals team missing several regulars. Gasser and McGreevy are both contact pitchers, so the game should come down to how much Milwaukee rests its lineup and bullpen, and to a St. Louis offense that barely scored in Pittsburgh.

Cardinals
  • Fresh off a day game; Milwaukee flew in late
  • Facing a Brewers team with nothing to play for
  • Pitching kept Pittsburgh to 2 runs twice
  • 6 runs total across 3 games in Pittsburgh
  • Jordan out for season, Baez on IL
  • McGreevy lasted 4 innings, 1 K last time
Brewers
  • Gasser threw 7 scoreless innings last start
  • Staff allowed 1 run or fewer in 4 of 5
  • Chourio homered off the bench Thursday
  • Top seed clinched, so regulars likely resting
  • Late travel from a night game in Philly
  • Rotation thin: Woodruff, Priester, Fitzpatrick out

Robert Gasser (5-5, 4.01) starts for Milwaukee coming off his best outing in a while: 7 scoreless innings in Baltimore, with 3 hits allowed. He struck out only 2 in that start and walked 3, so the scoreless line flatters it some. Michael McGreevy (7-9, 3.84) goes for St. Louis. His last start was a grind against Washington, 4 innings on 88 pitches with 1 strikeout. Neither of these guys misses many bats, so expect plenty of balls in play on both sides.

Michael McGreevy
Michael McGreevy
(7-9)·3.84 ERA
Sep 19 vs Nationals
ND
4.0IP
2ER
1K
1BB
88P
09/25 Lineup
Robert Gasser
Robert Gasser
(5-5)·4.01 ERA
Sep 19 @ Orioles
W
7.0IP
0ER
2K
3BB
107P
09/25 Lineup

The context matters more than the pitching lines. The Brewers wrapped up the top seed and home field throughout the postseason Thursday night, per MLB.com, after beating the Phillies 5-1 and then watching the Dodgers lose. Jackson Chourio only came off the bench in that game, walking, stealing second, scoring, and then homering in the 9th. Pat Murphy called 100 wins "just a number." Expect his lineup card this weekend to be about October, not about Friday. Milwaukee also flew home from a night game in Philadelphia. The Cardinals finished in Pittsburgh with a day game Thursday and should get in a lot fresher.

St. Louis comes in 77-82 and scuffling at the plate. The Cardinals scored 6 runs total in 3 games at PNC Park, got shut out in the opener, and lost the finale 2-1 to Paul Skenes. They won 1 of those 3. The lineup is also short-handed: Blaze Jordan is done for the year with an ankle injury, Joshua Baez went on the IL with an oblique strain, and Everson Pereira is still rehabbing his hand at Triple-A Memphis.

Milwaukee's recent run has been built on pitching. The Brewers shut out Baltimore 1-0 and 3-0, then held the Phillies to 1 run in each of the last 2 games of that series. According to MLB.com, they're the first team ever to win 100 games without a winning streak longer than 5. That tells you how steady they've been all year. They have rarely overwhelmed anyone and have just kept winning.

St. Louis Cardinals
(77-82)
09/24L@Pirates1-2
09/23W@Pirates5-1
09/22L@Pirates0-2
09/20WvsNationals5-3
09/19LvsNationals5-8
Milwaukee Brewers
(100-59)
09/24W@Phillies5-1
09/23W@Phillies4-1
09/22L@Phillies4-6
09/20W@Orioles3-0
09/19W@Orioles1-0

Milwaukee's pitching staff is thinner than the record suggests. Brandon Woodruff is still on flat-ground throwing with his shoulder, Quinn Priester and Brian Fitzpatrick are out for the year, and Grant Anderson is rehabbing his biceps. Bryse Wilson was expected back from his back injury to pitch in bulk relief Thursday. With the top seed locked, expect the final weekend to be about keeping arms fresh, not stretching them out.

St. Louis Cardinals
(5)
  • 10-Day-ILBlaze Jordan (3B) — Jordan (ankle) will not play again this season.09/19
  • 10-Day-ILJoshua Baez (LF) — The Cardinals placed Baez on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left oblique strain.09/18
  • 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira (RF) — Pereira (hand) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI single along with two walks.09/18
  • 15-Day-ILHunter Dobbins (SP) — Dobbins underwent reconstructive surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is expected to require a 12-month recovery.09/04
  • 60-Day-ILMax Rajcic (RP) — Rajcic revealed on his Instagram account Thursday that he recently underwent a right elbow UCL reconstruction.07/23
Milwaukee Brewers
(6)
  • 15-Day-ILBryse Wilson (RP) — The Brewers are expected to activate Wilson (back) from the 15-day injured list to have him start or pitch in bulk relief during Thursday's game in Philadelphia.09/24
  • 15-Day-ILGrant Anderson (RP) — Anderson (biceps) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday.09/15
  • 60-Day-ILBrandon Woodruff (SP) — Woodruff (shoulder) has extended his flat-ground throwing to 105 feet, and his readiness for mound work will be re-evaluated at the end of September.09/15
  • 60-Day-ILBrian Fitzpatrick (RP) — Fitzpatrick (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery over the past week.07/05
  • 60-Day-ILQuinn Priester (SP) — Priester will undergo thoracic outlet compression surgery on Monday and is expected to be sidelined 8-to-10 months.06/18
  • 60-Day-ILAngel Zerpa (RP) — The Brewers transferred Zerpa (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Sunday.05/31

First pitch is 6:40 PM CT at American Family Field. You're watching the best team in baseball on cruise control against a Cardinals club that just wants to get to the offseason. The most interesting part will be the Brewers' lineup card when it posts.

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