Houston Astros vs Milwaukee Brewers Picks and Predictions May 17th 2024

Astros in Crisis: Facing the Dominant Brewers in Series Opener

The struggling Astros face the high-powered Brewers in the opener

Despite having three players in the offseason — rookies Jackson Joliot, Blake Perkins and Sal Frelick — with OPS under 100, the Milwaukee Brewers are still building a team. An offense that ranks in the top five of each division in the National League.

Jorio and Frilick had big hits in the Brewers’ 10-2 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, fueling a strong team mentality. Their contributions helped the Milwaukee Bucks to a 5-2 record at home before embarking on a nine-game, 10-day road trip that begins Friday against the Houston Astros.

On Wednesday, Jorio and Frilick hit home runs and combined to go 5-for-8 with three RBIs and five runs. The Brewers have survived without league-average production from their corner outfielders, but the team’s success so far shows that a great lineup can be built when the pieces are in place. “We still haven’t been able to control the game at third with less than two players (out), but you can,” Brewers coach Pat Murphy said of giving up runs. on the board.

Pitching Showdown: Peralta vs. Brown

“There is room for improvement. You want to keep a constant attitude on the pitch, but it is very difficult. Very, very difficult.” There are many things that can distract you from this moment. It’s hard on all of us, especially the players on the list.

Righthander Freddy Peralta (3-1, 3.63 ERA) is expected to start Friday’s series opener for the Brewers. He allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in six innings against St. Louis. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, but that decision didn’t affect his new start. Milwaukee won that game 5-3 and Peralta went 7-1 as a starter.

Peralta’s Past Encounters with the Astros: A Mixed History

Peralta is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in two starts against the Astros (one start). His only start against the Astros came on June 11, 2019 in Houston, when Peralta allowed six runs on eight hits, struck out seven and allowed one run in four-plus. In the end, they lost 10-8.

Right-hander Hunter Brown (0-4, 7.79) started for the Astros. Brown made his first save appearance of the season, the longest of his career, in the Astros’ 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. He allowed one run on five hits in five innings and struck out a season-high seven batters.

Brown, who will make his professional debut with the Milwaukee Bucks, is 1-8 in his last 14 games (12 starts) since early September. Houston’s Framber Valdez threw seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over Oakland on Wednesday, and Christian Javier pitched in the Astros’ 8-1 win over the Athletics on Thursday. After six scoreless innings, the Astros swept the four game series.

Astros’ Recent Performance: Finding Momentum Despite Challenges

The Astros bullpen struggled after the first two games of the series. However, with Valdez and Javier working hard in the opening frame, Houston needed just two relievers — right-handers Seth Martinez and Sean Durbin — to put together the final two games. This would pave the way for Houston to list all the relief for the Brewers.

“Keeping these guys is a good thing,” said Astros manager Joe Espada, whose team has won five straight and seven of its eight. “Get ready for the No. 1 team. 1. 1 play well — (a) very enthusiastic — it is good to prepare our bulls.”