This is the kind of pitching matchup that gets buried under a Yankees-Brewers headline and shouldn't be. Schlittler is 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA and currently leads the American League in ERA through eight starts. Harrison, the lefty Milwaukee pried away from Boston in the offseason, is 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA and just punched out a career-high 12 in six scoreless against the Pirates. Two pitchers throwing this well in the same building doesn't usually end with a slugfest.
The Yankees come in at 26-13 and have been the most complete team in the AL — Aaron Judge already has 15 homers and Ben Rice is hitting .343 with a 1.214 OPS leading all of baseball. They took the opener Friday night, so Milwaukee is looking to even up a series against the league's best.
Both rosters are dragging some weight to the mound. The Yankees are still without Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jasson Dominguez, with Carlos Rodon penciled in to make his season debut Sunday. Milwaukee already lost Brandon Lockridge mid-game Friday to a leg/knee injury, Garrett Mitchell is out with illness, and Christian Yelich and Brandon Woodruff are still working their way back. Neither team is whole — but the Yankees absorb attrition better than just about anyone.
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRyan Weathers SP — The Yankees placed Weathers on the paternity list Wednesday.
- Day-To-DayBen Hess SP — Double-A Somerset placed Hess on its 7-day injured list April 18 due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Dominguez will miss "a few weeks" after an MRI revealed a low-grade AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Stanton (calf) has not been cleared to resume running, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Chivilli (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for roughly three weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGerrit Cole SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Cole (elbow) is expected to need a "couple more" rehab starts before being activated from the 15-day injured list, David Lennon of Newsday reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodon SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Rodon (elbow) is likely on track to return from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Sunday in Milwaukee, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
- Day-To-DayGarrett Mitchell CF — Mitchell (illness) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.
- 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.
- Day-To-DayJ.B. Bukauskas RP — Bukauskas will undergo surgery on his injured right lat and be sidelined for 9-to-10 months, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 10-Day-ILChristian Yelich LF — Yelich (groin) is expected to progress to facing live pitching and running the bases early next week, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJared Koenig RP — Koenig (elbow) is slated to resume a throwing program Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrandon Woodruff SP — Woodruff is tentatively slated to resume throwing Saturday after undergoing a minor procedure Tuesday to drain fluid from his inflamed right shoulder, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILQuinn Priester SP — Priester (wrist) is with the Brewers in St. Louis after being pulled from his rehab assignment due to shoulder soreness, Sophia Minnaert of Brewers.tv 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.
The market sees this exactly the way you'd expect given who's pitching: total sits at 7.5, with the Yankees a small road favorite at -134. Run-line action is split — sharp money has nudged Pinnacle to a chunky -139 on the Brewers +1.5, and the EV on either side of every market is negative. Translation: there's no obvious edge here, the books have it priced tight.
The read on the night: if Schlittler keeps doing what he's been doing and the Brewers make him work in the third trip through the order, you can squint at an under. If Harrison's slider is on — the offseason mechanical tweak across the rubber has been the whole story — Milwaukee has a real chance to drag this into the bullpens late. Either way, this isn't a game you put on in the background.