Series Preview, SF Giants vs. Brewers: let's hop to it - matchups, series details, and more
Things are looking... up?
The SF Giants were in freefall just a few short weeks ago, bottoming out at 6-13 after a tremendously disappointing start to the season. But since then, they've put on a couple of win streaks, going 7-4 to right the ship a bit. It's still nowhere near the torrid 107-win pace of yesteryesteryear, but it's certainly an improvement on a dreadful April slump.
This weekend, the Giants will face a Brewers team that's in a bit of a reversed situation; after an absolutely blistering 18-9 start to the season, the Brewers have dropped 4 straight after a visit to the mile-high confines of Coors Field. They'll look to get right at sea level, but so will the Giants - neither team pitched well in totality after their high-altitude stints (Giants pitching giving up 22 runs in their Mexico City series last weekend.
If both teams bring their A-games, it'll be a tense, fun series to watch. Both teams have backed up solid rotations with surprisingly potent offenses, with the G-Men holding the edge in overall offensive production, while the Brew Crew host some truly elite shutdown pitchers. We've got you covered with matchups, players to watch, probable starters, and more.
Matchup to Watch:
Sean Manaea vs. Corbin Burnes
SF Giants starting pitcher Sean Manaea throws a pitch at Oracle Park (2023).
Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
The starters for game 1 of this series offer a fascinating matchup of veteran pitchers with huge ceilings. Burnes, of course, enters the series having won a Cy Young just two years ago, to go along with top-10 finishes in 2020 and 2022. But this year, he's been merely pedestrian, rocking a 4.01 ERA and significantly reduced strikeout-to-walk numbers. He's still flummoxing lefties, but right-handed hitters are hitting .305 off the ace so far this year. With Slater, Estrada, Davis, Haniger, Flores, and Bart all more-than-capable hitters, the Giants should be able to pounce on this unforeseen weakness in the Brewers' rotation.
Manaea, though, is having an even rougher start to the year. Unlike Burnes, Manaea isn't notably weaker against hitters from either side. Unfortunately, he's simply been weak in general, allowing harder contact than the vast majority of the league despite an uptick in overall velocity. According to FanGraphs, Manaea has been worth a little less in overall value this year than Madison Bumgarner, who just got released by the Diamondbacks. Some of that has to do with a two-inning stint in Mexico City, where the hitters may as well have been using aluminum bats. Some of that has to do with legitimate concerns about his viability as a starting pitcher going forward. Friday's game should give us a good indication of who, between Burnes and Manaea, is more capable of shrugging off an early season funk and delivering solid performances for the rest of 2023.
Hitter to Fear:
Rowdy Tellez - .258/.333/.537, 9 HR in 97 AB
The Brewers' 1B may be stocky, but what he's got in store is power, power, and more power. Already, Tellez has smashed 9 home runs, which puts him on an easy-breezy 40 home run pace. He's arguably the most dangerous slugging threat in this series, even if there are Giants who can rack up total bases more efficiently than he can. For a pitching staff that's notably struggled with giving up the long ball so far, it wouldn't be surprising to see him launch a dinger or two this weekend. He's a hometown kid, though, growing up in Sacramento and graduating from Elk Grove High. So I wouldn't be against seeing him go yard a few times... after a huge Giants lead is already in hand, of course.
Pitcher to Jeer:
Devin Williams - 0.00 ERA, 5 SV, 10 G
Devin Williams has been spectacular ever since he hit the ground running in his 2020 Rookie of the Year campaign. All he did during that pandemic season was record an ERA+ of 1375, and that's no typo. Williams just pitched 14 times better than average that year, contributing heavily to Milwaukee's reputation as pitching factory despite being overshadowed by names like Burnes and Woodruff. When Josh Hader got traded to San Diego last year, Williams slid right into the closer role, where he's continued to excel. There's not really a fun fact about splits here to expose. If the Giants want to win, they shouldn't be trailing when Williams takes the mound.
Player to Cheer:
Austin Slater - .500/.538/.583, cool guy
Thairo Estrada is still hitting .342 after a full month of play, which surely deserves some mention. But I want to highlight Slater and his funny short-sample-size-stats here, because his return from injury comes at a time of dire need. With Yaz out for the near future and no viable replacement in center field - Bryce Johnson is out with a concussion (and shouldn't be rushed back), and pinch-replacement Brett Wisely hitting a cool .042 - San Francisco needs Austin Slater, and in a big way. Luckily, he's slid back into the lineup smoothly, making good contact in his at-bats and providing a major-league presence in the outfield. Plus, he'll provide right-handed pop against a seemingly vulnerable Corbin Burnes to start the series. Slater being the presumptive starter in center for any significant length of time is probably more wishful thinking than anything else, but if there's any player who needs to coast on some serious vibes for awhile, it's him. If you're watching Slater, time to charge those vibe batteries up.
Series details:
Who: SF Giants vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
When: May 5-7, Friday (7:15 PM), Saturday (4:15 PM), and Sunday (1:05 PM). All times Pacific.
Projected starters:
Friday: Sean Manaea* (0-1, 7.85 ERA) vs. Corbin Burnes (3-1, 4.01 ERA)
Saturday: Alex Cobb (1-1, 2.43 ERA) vs. Colin Rea (0-2, 4.79 ERA)
Sunday: Ross Stripling (0-1, 6.10 ERA) vs. TBD
*Indicates LHP
How to watch:
- SF Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 680/1510 AM
- Astros broadcast: Bally Sports Wisconsin, WTMJ 620/Brewers Radio Network
- National broadcasts: MLB Network (Fri. 5/7, out of market)
