The Milwaukee Brewers are back on the road to face the Washington Nationals in Washington, D.C., three weekends after Washington swept them at home. Milwaukee was outscored 18-10 in that three-game set, and this rematch comes with both clubs trying to keep pace despite records that still sit below.500.
The Brewers have gone 8-7 since that sweep and enter at 16-14. They have taken series from the Blue Jays, Marlins and D-backs, but have also dropped series to the Tigers and Pirates. Washington has gone 8-9 in the same stretch and comes in at 15-17 after series wins over the White Sox and Mets, losses to the Braves and Giants, and a four-game split with the Pirates.
Milwaukee’s lineup has been patched together around Brice Turang, who leads the offense with a.291/.422/.505 line, four home runs, eight doubles, 20 RBIs, 26 runs and seven steals. Gary Sánchez, Jake Bauers, William Contreras, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Tyler Black have also helped lately, even as the club is hitting.241/.338/.364 with a.702 OPS that ranks 20th. The Brewers have hit only 22 home runs, tied for 28th, but they have scored 160 runs, sixth in the majors, and stolen 36 bases, tied for first.
The pitching side has been just as unsettled. Christian Yelich is still sidelined by a groin strain, Angel Zerpa is reportedly expected to miss a big chunk of time with forearm tightness, and Brandon Woodruff exited his start early with diminished velocity. Quinn Priester, Rob Zastryzny and Jared Koenig are also out, though Priester is the closest to returning because he is on a rehab assignment. Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn are also on rehab assignments with Triple-A Nashville, and the Brewers expect both to return Monday in St. Louis.
Washington has its own long injury list, one built almost entirely around pitchers. Clayton Beeter went on the injured list earlier this week with forearm soreness, but MRI results showed no structural damage and the Nationals expect him back in mid- to late-May. Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Cole Henry, Trevor Williams, Ken Waldichuk, Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana are also out.
That leaves the Nationals leaning on James Wood, who leads the club with 10 home runs and seven doubles, and CJ Abrams, who is hitting.296/.405/.556 with eight home runs, four doubles, 26 RBIs, 16 runs and five steals. Brady House, Keibert Ruiz, Curtis Mead, Daylen Lile, Jacob Young, Luis García and Nasim Nuñez are part of the regular mix, with Joey Wiemer, Jorbit Vivas, José Tena and Drew Millas providing depth. Wiemer has been especially productive in a small sample, hitting.327/.413/.582 over 23 games. Washington is batting.243/.325/.393 as a team, good for a.718 OPS that ranks 12th, and has 37 home runs.
The second meeting of brewers vs nationals is less about the memory of that sweep than the shape of each roster right now. Milwaukee has survived the injuries better so far and owns the better record, but Washington already showed it can control the matchup. With both teams banged up and searching for consistency, this series feels like a test of which club can turn fragments into enough offense and pitching to leave with something it can use next week.
