The teams with the two best records in the majors clash Friday night when the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Toronto Blue Jays to open a three-game series.
The Brewers have the top record in the big leagues despite losing 6-4 on Thursday to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Milwaukee dropped two in a row while splitting the four-game series.
The Blue Jays have the best record in the American League after winning two of three from the Minnesota Twins, including a 9-8 victory on Wednesday in a sloppy rubber match. Adding to the intrigue is that the Brewers have the best road record in the majors (38-28) and the Blue Jays have the best home record (44-22).
“We are pretty similar,” Toronto manager John Schneider said on Wednesday. “They have (star) players but are doing it collectively, kind of like us.”
Neither team has been brilliant recently. The Blue Jays are 15-14 over the past month. The Brewers are 5-8 since their franchise-record 14-game winning streak ended on Aug. 17.
“There’s never been a team in the history of baseball that just keeps having things always fall their way,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Especially a team this young, this inexperienced. We’ve got a lot of position players who were in Triple-A a couple of months ago. You are just not going to get results every time.”
The Brewers were 2-for-24 with runners in scoring position over the past two games.
“There are all sorts of things (in) play that really you can’t put your finger on,” Murphy said. “We’re having good at-bats.”
Milwaukee experienced a setback this week when closer Trevor Megill went on the injured list due to a right arm flexor strain.
The Brewers could have outfielder Jackson Chourio back from a right hamstring strain this weekend.
Milwaukee is slated to start right-hander Freddy Peralta (15-5, 2.68 ERA) in the series opener. He has made one career start against the Blue Jays, a 3-1 loss on June 1, 2023, at Toronto. He allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.
Right-hander Shane Bieber (1-0, 1.50) is scheduled to make his second start as a Blue Jay after missing more than 16 months following Tommy John surgery. Bieber made a strong debut at Miami on Aug. 22, allowing one run and two hits while striking out nine in six innings against the Marlins. In two career starts against Milwaukee, he is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA.
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette went 2-for-5 on Wednesday to extend his hitting streak to a season-best 12 games. He is batting .438 (21-for-48) in that span.
Ernie Clement, a valuable utility player for Toronto, is dealing with a couple of ailments.
He sustained a small hairline fracture to a small bone at the base of the left middle finger when hit by a pitch on Monday, but he continued to play.
Clement went 2-for-4 on Tuesday, though he needed 10 stitches in his left shin after he was spiked while making a tag at third base. He was used as a ninth-inning defensive replacement on Wednesday.
“I don’t think it is going to get worse or heal any differently if he is playing or not,” Schneider said. “… It’s pain tolerance. Just (considering) him day-to-day.”
–Field Level Media
