USATSI_18465474 — Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Look to Keep Win Streak Alive Against Brewers

After sweeping the Los Angeles Angels, the Phillies travel to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers.

Author:
Declan Harris
Jun 6, 2022 5:00 PM EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies series against the Los Angeles Angels started a bit different than anyone had expected, with former Manager Joe Girardi getting fired after a 22-29 start to the season.

A day prior to this, Phillies' starting second baseman Jean Segura suffered a fractured finger after getting hit by a pitch. Segura's trip to the IL required Philadelphia to do some reshuffling of their cards to make it work.

Yet, through the trials and tribulations of swift change in management for interim manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies managed to pull off a sweep of the Angels, which ended with a walk-off home run from Bryson Stott.

The sweep saw many notable performances that the Phillies desperately needed.

One of these notable performances came from Zack Wheeler—named the NL Pitcher of the Month for May—who exemplified why he won the award when he went six innings while striking out nine batters on Saturday. This start would be Wheeler's seventh straight start of seven strikeouts or more, truly showing his dominance on the mound.

Philadelphia scored 26 runs over the course of the series, thanks to the "Las Vegas Connection" of Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott, who contributed 14 of those 26 runs.

The Milwaukee Brewers are coming off of a series against the San Diego Padres where they nearly got swept, losing the rubber match on Friday.

This series loss was uncharacteristic for the Brewers, though, as they currently lead the NL Central by a half-game over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Their success isn't entirely based on their offense, however, as their lineup does not feature any batters with an average over .300, which ranks 25th in MLB.

The Brewers' pitching staff is their bright spot, as they lead MLB in strikeouts and saves, while also ranking sixth in team ERA. These rankings are bolstered by the terrific performances of Eric Lauer, Corbin Burnes, and Josh Hader.

Let's take a look at the pitching match-ups for this series:

Game one:

Phillies starter: Ranger Suárez (4-3, 4.69 ERA)

Brewers starter: Jason Alexander (0-0, 2.57 ERA)

Suárez will open the series for the Phillies coming off of a shaky start against the San Francisco Giants where he allowed two runs while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings. In his first start against the Brewers this season, Suárez went 4.2 innings while striking out four batters and allowing four hits on April 22.

Not to be confused with the "Seinfeld" actor of the same name, Jason Alexander will be making just his second major league start against Philadelphia on Tuesday. In his major league debut on June 1 against the Chicago Cubs, Alexander went seven innings, while allowing seven hits and striking out three batters.

First pitch: Tuesday, 8:10 p.m. EST

Game two:

Phillies starter: Aaron Nola (3-4, 3.92 ERA)

Brewers starter: Adrian Houser (3-5, 3.51 ERA)

Nola will look to replicate his outing against the Brewers on April 24 when he pitched seven innings, allowed one hit, and fanned nine batters. Except this time, he'd like his teammates to supply some run support, as the Phillies, and Angel Hernandez, wasted Nola's gem by losing 1-0.

Houser's last outing on June 2 resulted in a no-decision, as he went five innings, allowing one run on five hits, three walks, and five strikeouts against the Padres. Although his prior start against the Phillies on April 23 was shaky, he still earned the win as the Brewers won 5-3.

First pitch: Wednesday, 8:10 p.m. EST

Game three:

Phillies starter: Zach Eflin (2-4, 3.88 ERA)

Brewers starter: Corbin Burnes (3-3, 2.50 ERA)

Eflin, who went eight innings while striking out six batters against the Angels on June 3, will hope to find that same success against the Brewers' lineup. In his career against the Brewers, Eflin has struggled, going 2-2 with a 4.58 ERA.

2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes will close out the series for the Brewers on Thursday. Burnes currently possesses a 2.50 ERA while leading the National League in strikeouts with 84 and WHIP with .922

First Pitch: Thursday, 2:10 P.M. EST

Players to watch:

Phillies: Bryce Harper

As previously mentioned, Harper played a pivotal role in the sweep against the Angels. Harper has continually put the team on his back over the course of the last month, slugging .352/.410/.752 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI since May 1.

Brewers: Josh Hader

Four of the Phillies' previous nine games have either gone into extra innings or into the bottom of the ninth inning. However, Brewers' closer Josh Hader may not allow late-game wins similar to how the Angels sweep came to a close. Hader currently leads MLB with 18 saves, along with a remarkable 0.00 ERA.