The Milwaukee Brewers already have clinched a spot in the postseason.
The prospects of the Baltimore Orioles doing so aren’t as bright heading into the opener of a three-game series Friday night against visiting Milwaukee.
The Orioles (75-78) have a three-game winning streak after returning from a 4-2 road trip. They didn’t play Thursday in advance of their final homestand, which entails six games.
Baltimore swept the New York Mets in three games this week, and ex-Met Pete Alonso was the center of attention for the Orioles. The first baseman has an AL-best 102 RBIs to go with 37 home runs.
His production has allowed Baltimore to stay in playoff contention, and that’s where the focus is.
“Mid-late September, it’s crunch time for us,” Alonso said. “Chasing down a playoff spot is the most important thing.”
The Orioles are three games out of the third and final wild-card spot in the American League and must pass three teams in order to reach the postseason.
It already has been a good week for the Brewers (95-58), who sealed the National League Central title even though they couldn’t complete a series sweep in Pittsburgh, falling 7-4 on Thursday afternoon.
The Brewers own the best record in the major leagues, but their margin for the top spot overall in the NL is just two games on the Los Angeles Dodgers (93-60).
“We’re not trying to pretend we’re better than we are, but we come to play every day,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said.
In Thursday’s game, Bo Naylor hit his first home run with the Brewers. It was his third game with his new team, which acquired him from the Cleveland Guardians before the trade deadline last month.
The Brewers, who’ve won seven of their last nine games, are set to embark on the second leg of a three-city, nine-game road trip.
The Orioles barely are hanging in the AL wild-card race, and roster moves are creating additional challenges. Infielder Jackson Holliday went on the 10-day injury list Wednesday due to left wrist inflammation, and Jose Barrero joined the active roster. Catcher Samuel Basallo has been playing through ailments.
Left-hander Cade Povich (2-1, 4.05 ERA) likely will make his first appearance in September for Baltimore on Friday, as he has split time the past few months between the Orioles and Triple-A Norfolk. He was solid for five innings on Aug. 31 at Colorado, allowing one run on five hits and three walks in his most recent big-league outing. He’ll face Milwaukee for the first time.
Povich fills a rotation spot that had been held by right-hander Kyle Bradish, who went on the 15-day injured list at the beginning of the week because of lower abdominal discomfort.
Right-hander Dustin May (7-9, 4.49 ERA) will start for the Brewers on Friday.
May, who’s aiming to reach the eight-win mark for the first time in his career, won for the first time in about five weeks when he blanked the visiting Cincinnati Reds for six innings last Friday in a 20-0 rout.
May has faced the Orioles twice in his career, going 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA across eight innings.
–Field Level Media
