Game Thread #45: Milwaukee Brewers (26-18) @ Houston Astros (20-25)

The Milwaukee Brewers are back at it tonight in Houston, taking on the Astros at Minute Maid Park at 6:10 p.m. Bryse Wilson will be on the hill for Milwaukee, with former MVP, Rookie of the Year, and three-time Cy Young Award winner (and current 41-year-old man) Justin Verlander pitching for Houston.

The Brewers lost a heartbreaker last night, a back-and-forth game where big home runs continuously changed the game’s momentum. Tonight, Verlander will try to keep his good start to the season going: he was banged up to start the season and didn’t debut until April 19, but in five starts he holds a 3.38 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, and he’s coming off his best start of the year on Sunday, in which he threw seven shutout innings and allowed only two hits.

For the Brewers, Bryse Wilson will make his sixth start and 12th appearance of the season. He’s been a lifesaver for a banged-up rotation and has slotted seamlessly into a starting role after serving as the bullpen’s long man last season and at the beginning of this year. As sample sizes become more robust, it’s worth pointing out that Wilson now holds a 2.60 ERA (164 ERA+) in 110 ²⁄₃ innings as a Brewer.

There are a couple of small changes in Milwaukee’s lineup today, as Gary Sánchez goes to the bench, Christian Yelich moves to DH, and Blake Perkins enters the lineup and plays center field (with last night’s center fielder, Sal Frelick, moving to right). Joey Ortiz, who has been one of baseball’s best players lately, will look to stay hot: Curt Hogg notes that in the last three weeks, Ortiz is second (to Aaron Judge) in wRC+. Hogg has another fun note before today’s game:

First pitch at 6:10 p.m. on Bally Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.