Milwaukee @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Oct 3, 2024 ) NY Mets 4, Milwaukee 2
The Milwaukee Brewers and host New York Mets will play a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday after rain forced the postponement of the series opener on Tuesday.
Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta (8-4, 2.90 ERA) and New York's Clay Holmes (8-4, 2.97), Tuesday's scheduled starters, are slated to pitch the afternoon game.
The evening contest will feature a pair of rookie pitchers who were second-round picks in the 2022 draft, Brewers sensation Jacob Misiorowski (3-0, 1.13) and Mets prospect Blade Tidwell (0-1, 10.13).
Holmes has faced Milwaukee 17 times, with all but one of those coming in relief. He went 1-3 with a 6.64 ERA in those games, with 22 walks in 20 1/3 innings.
Peralta is perfect in three starts against the Mets, whose batters have hit just .138 off the 29-year-old right-hander. He last faced New York on Opening Day 2024, when he yielded just one hit and one run, on a solo home run by Starling Marte, while striking out eight and walking one in six innings during the Brewers' 3-1 win.
While the afternoon starters have been among the best in the NL this season, the evening game may be the marquee one simply because of the buzz surrounding Misiorowski. The 6-foot-7 righty has allowed just three hits and two runs over 16 innings, with 19 strikeouts and seven walks in his first three starts.
Despite the impressive performances, the Brewers plan to be careful with how they use Misiorowski. He has thrown 79 1/3 innings between the minors and Milwaukee so far this season after throwing 97 1/3 last season.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy likened a young pitcher's development to training for a marathon runner. It's best done incrementally.
"We just want to be smart about it, that's all," Murphy said, "like we would any other pitcher, whether they're throwing 99 (mph) or 92. You've got to take some precautions for his health and understand what he's done in the past."
Tidwell also has made three major league appearances, but he has struggled. He threw the final 3 1/3 innings in a 9-1 loss at Pittsburgh on Friday, surrendering four runs on five hits and two walks with only one strikeout. The 6-foot-4 righty has yet to pitch more than 3 2/3 innings in a big-league game.
Less than three weeks ago, the Mets owned the best record in the majors at 45-24. Since then, however, they have lost 13 of 16 games, the worst record in the big leagues.
One player who could help the Mets rebound is Francisco Lindor. The shortstop has 16 home runs and 43 RBIs with a .258 average. However, he hit just .204 with four homers and 10 RBIs in June. His month-to-month average fell by more than 50 points for the second consecutive month.
New York manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Tuesday afternoon that Lindor has shown flashes of breaking through.
"I think it's just one of those stretches where all the players go through it, and if someone knows how to get through it and come out the other side, it's Francisco," he said.
Coming off a 16-9 June, the Brewers made a few roster changes early Tuesday, including the promotion of utility player Anthony Seigler from Triple-A Nashville.
Signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, the 2018 first-round pick of the New York Yankees never made it past Double-A before this season. The switch hitter was batting .277 with seven homers, 35 RBIs and 20 stolen bases for Nashville.
--Field Level Media