Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 18th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Milwaukee Brewers will rely on right-hander Freddy Peralta in their quest to secure the National League Central title as they face off against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday in the final game of their three-game series between division leaders.
Peralta (11-8, 3.75 ERA) will go head-to-head with right-hander Aaron Nola (12-8, 3.62) on the mound.
Despite a 5-1 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday night, the Brewers' magic number dropped to one following the Chicago Cubs' 4-3 defeat against the Oakland Athletics. Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos each hit home runs, while Zack Wheeler delivered a dominant performance on the mound, allowing only one run over seven innings to even the series.
See also:
"Phillies Suffer Walk-Off Loss as Brewers Secure NL Central Title: MLB Recap"
See also:
"St. Louis Cardinals Put Right-Handed Pitcher Lance Lynn (Knee Injury) on 15-Day Injured List, Concluding His Year"
With the Cubs playing a day game on Wednesday, there is a possibility that the Brewers (87-64) could clinch the division title before their own game begins. Currently, Milwaukee holds a 10-game lead over Chicago.
Brewers' first baseman Rhys Hoskins experienced postseason play in 2022, during his final season with the Phillies, and admits that it is an unusual situation.
"It's strange. I've never been in that position before," Hoskins said regarding the potential of arriving at the ballpark as division champions. "The team I was on that made the playoffs, we were in control of our own destiny and were able to clinch by winning a game.
"Tomorrow's schedule is a bit out of our control, so in our eyes, we still need to win games here," he added.
The Phillies (91-60) have lowered their magic number to clinch the NL East to four, and just one to secure a spot in the postseason. They currently hold a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best overall record in the NL, with Milwaukee trailing by two games. The top two teams receive a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Philadelphia also holds the tiebreaker against Milwaukee, thanks to a three-game sweep in June.
"We definitely needed a win here," said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. "We'll try to win the series tomorrow, but securing the tiebreaker against these guys is going to be crucial down the stretch."
See also:
'Orioles Designate for Assignment 9-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel'
See also:
"Yankees Dominate Mariners as Juan Soto Hits 40th Home Run: MLB Recap"
In his last outing, Peralta picked up the win after allowing just one run in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
Peralta has a record of 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA in his last seven starts. While he pitched six innings in three of his five starts in August, his longest outing in three starts this month is 5 1/3 innings.
In his career, Peralta has a record of 0-2 with a 4.01 ERA in six games (including five starts) against the Phillies.
Nola has only managed to secure one win in his last 11 starts, going 1-4 since July 11. In his most recent start, he allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings in an 11-3 loss to the New York Mets. So far this month, he has given up five home runs in 15 innings over three starts.
In 13 career starts against the Brewers, Nola has a record of 7-2 with a 2.76 ERA. He has faced Milwaukee once this season, pitching seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory for the Phillies on June 5.
Harper has hit three home runs in his last four games, ending a 30-game homerless streak.
Following their win on Tuesday, the Phillies now have a record of 34-1 this season when their starting pitcher goes at least seven innings, including a streak of 34 consecutive games. This is the longest streak in Phillies history and the second-longest in MLB history, behind the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals (42 straight).
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers Recap SEP 3TH 2023
Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to help the visiting Philadelphia Phillies rally for a 4-2 win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon and avoid a three-game series sweep.
Trea Turner had two hits and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 14 games for the Phillies (75-61), who had lost three straight overall.
Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez pitched four innings in his first start since Aug. 13 because of a strained right hamstring. Suarez allowed two runs and five hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Dominguez (4-3), Matt Strahm and Jose Alvarado followed with scoreless innings before Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
Brewers starter Wade Miley had a no-hitter for 5 2/3 innings, but ended up taking the loss after allowing four runs and four hits in 6 1/3 frames. Miley (7-4) struck out four and walked three.
William Contreras and Mark Canha homered for the Brewers (76-60), who had won 11 of 13.
Contreras extended his career-long hitting streak to 13 games and gave the Brewers an early 1-0 lead with a home run in the first inning.
Canha bounced his home run off the top of the right-field fence to lead off the third and extend the lead to 2-0.
Miley did not allow a base hit until Turner hit a hard one-hopper off the glove of third baseman Andruw Monasterio with two outs in the sixth to put runners on first and second. Nick Castellanos then lined an RBI double down the left field line to cut the lead to 2-1.
Miley had thrown 74 pitches when he came back out for the seventh. Bohm led off with a home run that barely cleared the wall in the left-center to tie it 2-2.
Realmuto followed with a blast to center to give Philadelphia a 3-2 lead.
After walking Cristian Pache with one out, Miley was replaced by Abner Uribe, who walked Kyle Schwarber with two outs before surrendering an RBI single to Turner to stretch the lead to 4-2.
Strahm started the seventh with the two-run lead and walked the first two batters he faced, but managed to strand both runners.