The Milwaukee Brewers have never won 100 games in a season, but they have a chance to reach that milestone Thursday when they conclude their road series with the Philadelphia Phillies.
After losing 6-4 in Tuesday’s series opener, Milwaukee (99-59) evened things up with a 4-1 triumph on Wednesday. The Brewers’ 11th win in 14 games put them on the precipice of the century mark with four games left in the regular season.
Logan Henderson allowed just one run over five innings in his final tune-up before the postseason. He’ll follow Jacob Misiorowski in the playoffs, giving Milwaukee a formidable 1-2 punch.
“He’s been fantastic for us. Unsung hero, for sure,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said of Henderson. “Miz getting all the attention, but this kid has matched him in a lot of ways, just his consistency and getting outs.”
The Brewers already have clinched a first-round bye, although they are hoping to finish ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers (97-61) for the best record in the majors and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
The Phillies (87-71), meanwhile, entered Wednesday with a magic number of two to secure a postseason berth. However, they didn’t do their part against Milwaukee as Aaron Nola gave up home runs to Brice Turang and Christian Yelich while the offense went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
“It’s always frustrating,” Philadelphia interim manager Don Mattingly said. “Everybody wants to get a hit in those spots. … You feel like if you can get a run here and a run there, it really changes the game.”
The Phillies will look to bounce back behind rookie right-hander Andrew Painter (3-10, 5.59 ERA), who is winless in his past five starts. He absorbed a 10-3 loss to the New York Mets in his last outing, as he gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings, allowing a pair of home runs in the process.
“I don’t worry about Paint’s toughness, honestly,” Mattingly said. “(I see him) bouncing back and continuing to make pitches. I don’t worry about Paint from the standpoint of growth, handling situations.”
Painter was the bulk innings pitcher against the Brewers on June 12 and yielded five runs in five innings in a 6-0 defeat. He did not take the loss.
Right-hander Bryse Wilson (0-0, 3.67) will make his first start of the season after appearing in 15 games out of the bullpen for three teams. He made one appearance for the Phillies on June 18 and then saw action in two games for the Chicago Cubs before joining the Brewers.
Wilson, who has a 2.55 ERA in 12 appearances for Milwaukee, has been out since late August with a back injury. He knows his job generally is to eat innings, particularly with the Brewers looking to keep their pitching staff healthy and rested with the postseason right around the corner.
“If I come in and we’re down a lot of runs, I know that innings have to be covered,” Wilson said recently. “I just go in and do the best I can to cover as many innings to where the next day, we have a much better chance to win because everybody’s available and there’s more options to go to in the bullpen.”
Wilson has appeared in five career games (three starts) against the Phillies, going 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA.
–Field Level Media
