Milwaukee, WI

Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Published

1 year ago

September 19, 2024

Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Milwaukee Brewers are coming off the high moment of their season. On Wednesday, they walked off the Philadelphia Phillies on the same day that they officially won the National League Central. If they come out a little flat on Thursday, we may have an idea of why.

The Diamondbacks, though, need to keep their foot on the gas. They’re currently the second Wild Card in the National League, but they’re only two games ahead of the fourth-place—and currently outside the postseason—Atlanta Braves. The Brewers, too, could still improve their position: with 10 games left in the season, they sit two behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second-best record in the National League (though it’s effectively three games, as L.A. holds the tiebreaker).

These two teams, of course, faced off in a three-game series at Chase Field just last weekend, as all seven of their games this season are crammed into a 10-day stretch. The Brewers won the first two games of that series and nearly the third, but that was the sort of bizarre “Devin Williams warmed up but didn’t pitch” game, which Milwaukee lost 11-10 in 10 innings. Since then, the Diamondbacks dropped two of three against Colorado, who seem to be playing National League contenders tough in the last month of the season.

It’ll be a four-game set this time between two teams that battled in the Wild Card round of last year’s playoffs and possibly could again in just a couple of weeks.

Probable Pitchers

Thursday, September 19 @ 6:15 p.m: Tobias Myers (3.07 ERA, 4.11 FIP) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (4.81 ERA, 3.66 FIP)

Myers has slowed a little down the stretch, but he’s still had a wonderful season. He picked up his eighth win of the season on Saturday in the Brewers’ 15-8 dismantling of Arizona, a game in which he allowed four runs in six innings.

He’ll face Brandon Pfaadt for the second time in a week; Pfaadt, however, had what was probably his worst start in a frustrating season, as he gave up eight earned runs without getting out of the second inning. Pfaadt’s ERA doesn’t look particularly good this season but he has a solid 3.66 FIP and his peripherals look good, suggesting he’s had some bad luck. In any case, the Brewers sure saw his stuff well on Saturday, and we’ll see if that continues on Thursday.

Friday, September 20 @ 7:10 p.m: TBD vs. Zac Gallen (3.61 ERA, 3.28 FIP)

This is the spot that DL Hall started in on Sunday for the Brewers, and ostensibly Colin Rea’s spot in the rotation if the rest of the probables are correct. Rea pitched 2 ²⁄₃ innings on Monday, so he’d be on short rest, technically, if he made this start. My guess is we see Hall again, but it could be a piggyback situation.

Gallen has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting in each of the last two seasons. He’s not going to do that this year, but he’s been solid; his walks are up a little bit, but he’s striking out basically the exact same number of batters as the last two seasons and his FIP has remained remarkably consistent (3.28 this season versus 3.26 in last season’s third-place CYA finish). He started that wild game on Sunday and allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, but he’d allowed zero runs in three of four starts prior to that one.

Saturday, September 21 @ 6:10 p.m: Aaron Civale (4.48 ERA, 4.17 FIP) vs. Merrill Kelly (4.00 ERA, 4.79 FIP)

Civale has a 3.68 ERA since joining Milwaukee after a mid-season trade, and has trended up lately: he’s got a 2.56 ERA (though a 3.95 FIP) over his last seven starts. In his last time out on Monday, he threw five innings of one-run ball in a 6-2 victory over Philadelphia.

Kelly missed much of the season and didn’t pitch between April 15 and August 11. Kelly has been a solid pitcher for the last couple years and was a big performer for Arizona in last year’s postseason; he got off to a great start this season and had a 2.19 ERA at the time of his injury, but he went through some struggles upon his return in August. He’s looked better in September, and has a 3.18 in three starts this month.

Sunday, September 22 @ 1:10 p.m: Frankie Montas (4.50 ERA, 3.92 FIP) vs. Jordan Montgomery (6.23 ERA, 4.59 FIP)

Montas has been quite good lately, though he’s had a few starts where he has looked excellent and then given up a few runs late. His stuff looked great against the Phillies on Tuesday, as he struck out 10, but the Phillies got him for three runs and hung a loss on him. In general, Montas has been very good since joining the Brewers and has perhaps positioned himself as the likely third starter on the postseason depth chart.

It has been a rough year for Montgomery, who went through a fraught free agency process before joining the Diamondbacks for far less money than he was certainly hoping to get. With a late start to the ramp-up process, Montgomery came out of the gate slowly and never really found his footing. Arizona has been occasionally using him out of the bullpen lately, though he was back in the starting rotation for his last outing on September 17, when he allowed three runs to the Rockies in 4 ²⁄₃ innings.

Prediction

I do expect that the Brewers will probably have a little bit of a post-clinch hangover on Thursday, whether that’s literal or not, and given how unlikely the Brewers are to chase down the Dodgers or Phillies in the last 10 games, the Diamondbacks are probably more motivated. But they’ve also struggled the last week and the Brewers had their number last weekend, so I’ll predict a split.

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Milwaukee, WI

5 takeaways: Horrific second half spells doom for Celtics in Milwaukee

Published

3 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

5 takeaways: Horrific second half spells doom for Celtics in Milwaukee

The Celtics have been on a heater recently, and midway through the second quarter against the Bucks on Thursday, it appeared they were going to cruise to a sixth straight win.

That all changed rather quickly as Boston would go on to miss 16 straight threes, losing in rather embarrassing fashion to a Milwaukee team without Giannis Antetokounmpo and who had lost 10 of its last 12.

Here are five takeaways from the loss…

Staying hot

As mentioned above, it wasn’t a night where Boston just didn’t have it — it was actually quite the opposite. The Celtics connected on 10 of their first 17 threes, with Jordan Walsh and Payton Pritchard each hitting a pair to build a 21-8 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Boston was shooting 56% from the floor and 53% from deep, going up by as many as 14 in the quarter.

That all came crashing down in the blink of an eye.

Walsh’s efficient run continues

Walsh was once again why Boston was finding success on both ends of the floor against the Bucks in the first half.

The 21-year-old forward was perfect from the floor in the first half, connecting on all seven of his shots — including three triples — to score 18. Walsh also snagged three steals as his defensive energy continued to shine.

At the half, Walsh was 27-for-32 in his last five games, good for 82% from the floor. Like the rest of the Celtics, Walsh didn’t do much in the second half, finishing with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting, but his offensive effectiveness continues to be impressive given where he was even two months ago.

Can’t hold a lead

The Celtics held a double digit lead on three separate occasions on Thursday night, and all three times that lead evaporated in just minutes.

When you have a team like Milwaukee, who have lost 10 of its last 12 and appear to be on the verge of losing one of the best players in the NBA, it isn’t hard to knock them out rather quickly. But each time the Celtics went up, they let go of the rope just enough to give the Bucks — and their half empty arena — some life.

A big part of that was Kyle Kuzma exploding for a season high 31 points. The journeyman forward went toe-to-toe with Jaylen Brown all night, getting the better of the superstar on multiple occasions.

Once that third double-digit lead shrank to nothing, Boston didn’t have enough to muster another one.

Brutal shooting

As is often the story with Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics, once the threes stop going in, the ship usually starts sinking.

That’s exactly what happened in the second half on Thursday night.

Boston missed 16 straight triples, which is good for the fourth longest streak in franchise history. During that cold streak the Bucks went on a 27-8 run en route to blowing out the Celtics.

The worst shooting offender of all was probably Sam Hauser, who missed all 10 of his attempts, seven of those coming from beyond the arc.

After scoring 67 points in the first half, Boston only put up 34 in the second half.

Bobby Portis goes nuclear

When you combine horrific shooting with 30-year-old Bobby Portis pouring in 27 points off the bench, it probably isn’t going to end well for you. Portis scored 18 in the second half, with two corner threes to open the fourth basically being the dagger for the Bucks.

The forward also wasn’t afraid to go after it with Brown, even drawing a technical foul after getting a little too close for comfort.

Portis also grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers to sign outfielder Akil Baddoo to major league deal

Published

15 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Brewers to sign outfielder Akil Baddoo to major league deal

The Brewers have made their first major league move in the 2026 free agent market.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers are signing outfielder Akil Baddoo to a major league deal. The major league nature of the deal is somewhat of a surprise, given that Baddoo spent almost all of last season in the minors.

Baddoo, 27, was a Twins second-round pick out of high school in 2016 and moved to Detroit in the December 2020 Rule 5 draft. That first season in Detroit went quite well: in 124 games, Baddoo hit .259/.330/.436 with 20 doubles, seven triples, 13 homers, and 18 stolen bases, which earned him 2.1 bWAR. But his bat has not reached those levels since, and in parts of four seasons since 2021, Baddoo has hit just .201/.288/.323 in 682 plate appearances. He spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Toledo, where he had good numbers: he hit .281/.385/.483 with 15 home runs, 21 doubles, six triples, and 25 stolen bases in 29 tries.

In the field, Baddoo is primarily a left fielder but has played some in center and a little bit in right. Defensive metrics have graded him as about an average outfielder, but those samples are not large.

Milwaukee had one open spot on their 40-man roster, which Baddoo will presumably take.

It’s an interesting move. The Brewers could use an upgrade in the outfield, but their depth isn’t bad; between Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Blake Perkins, Isaac Collins, Garrett Mitchell, and (sort of) Christian Yelich, the Brewers have several viable major-league options. Brandon Lockridge is also in the mix as a player at the line between Triple-A and the majors. Baddoo does not project to be much of an upgrade, and instead will slot in for more depth, but MLB at-bats might be hard to come by.

In unrelated free agent news of some interest to Milwaukee fans that broke about the same time, former Brewer Hoby Milner has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, where he’ll reunite with his former Brewers manager.

Update: According to Curt Hogg, the Brewers have also added outfielder Greg Jones on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Jones will be 28 in March and has appeared briefly in the majors over the past two seasons with the Rockies and White Sox. He was a fairly highly regarded prospect several years ago, appearing at #91 on Jonathan Mayo’s Top 100 prospect list prior to the 2022 season. He is likely to be merely added depth for the Brewers’ Triple-A squad.

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Milwaukee, WI

Hidden ‘Treasure Island:’ Wisconsin demolition exposes shuttered store

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Hidden ‘Treasure Island:’ Wisconsin demolition exposes shuttered store

BROWN DEER, Wis. – Take a look in any direction around the FOX6 TV station, and it is clear Brown Deer is growing. The village is amidst multiple major developments that will soon bring new apartments, shopping, and restaurants to Milwaukee’s North Shore. No project is bigger than what’s being called Riverside Landing.

A hidden treasure

What we know:

“All told, it’s going to be probably a four-year build-out,” said Brown Deer’s development director Nate Piotrowski. “It’s such a huge piece of land at really the gateway to Brown Deer.”

As crews demolish what was once here, something unexpected happened.

Demolition of Treasure Island store, Brown Deer

“I said to my husband, ‘Oh my God, I have to stop and get a picture of that,’” said Lynn Hunsicker.

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“And I thought, I haven’t thought of that place in years,” added Cynthia Taylor-Gray.

As an old facade is revealed by the construction of the development, memories have come flooding out.

Demolition of Treasure Island store, Brown Deer

“It never occurred to me the old Treasure Island roof would still be intact under there,” said Karen Spinti.

Treasure Island revealed

Dig deeper:

Discount store Treasure Island opened in the early 1960s. First in Appleton, and then in the exploding suburbs around Milwaukee.

“They had everything from hardware to underwear,” explained Cynthia Taylor-Gray.

Treasure Island won awards for its design. This picture was included in the August 1963 edition of Wisconsin Architect Magazine. Photos provided by Wollin Studios

Taylor-Gray said despite not being in one in decades, her memory has been jogged.

“It felt like acres, just acres of retail merchandise,” added Karen Spinti.

Sprinti recalled getting dither when she dove into the clothes as a child.

Treasure Island in 1963 as seen in Wisconsin Architect

“I remember having to go to the bathroom urgently and not being able to find my mom,” said Spinti.

The Madison Location of Treasure Island as seen in 1963 Wisconsin Architect Magazine

For Lynn Hunsicker, her senses have returned.

“I really remember the smell when you first walked in because it had popcorn and hot dogs,” recalled Hunsicker.

Treasure Island locations included full snack bars located at the front of the store. Picture appeared in 1963 Wisconsin Architect

It’s all coming back, as the store’s old look is revealed again.

But for all the clothes and tools and food for sale, there was nothing more recognizable than what was on top.

“Shop under the squiggly roof,” said Hunsicker with a smile.

Designing The Squiggly Roof

Designing the Squiggly Roof:

The squiggly roof isn’t just bringing back memories for shoppers.

“Frustrating for an 8-year-old, let me tell you. I spent a lot of time in the book section,” said architect Jim Shields.

Shields’ memory is different than most. His parents didn’t just drag him to the retailer, his dad’s employer designed it.

The Milwaukee architecture firm led by Jordan Miller and George Waltz, where Shields’ dad worked as a structural engineer, had a number of high profile projects.

Key players

George Waltz graduated from Yale before starting the firm with Jordan Miller.

From Milwaukee’s airport terminal to the downtown post office, it was the firm’s decision to go with an untraditional wavy roof for a retailer that may go down as their biggest hit.

“It’s called folded plate concrete. Normally, concrete is envisioned as a flat slab, or a plate. But in this circumstance, they could fold it up and down. And that gave it long-span capability,” explained Shields.

Courtesy: Dekalb Historyv Center

Branded as the squiggly roof, the design allowed Treasure Island’s massive stores to have fewer beams leading to a wide open floor space. The shape is so unmistakable, the roof was seen in nearly every ad.

“All under the squiggly roof. That was their trademark,” said Merissa Howard with the Dakalb History Center near Atlanta, Georgia.

Courtesy: Dekalb History Center

Howard said that Milwaukee design was soon being exported to her neck of the woods.

“They were absolutely massive. They were over 200,000 square feet, which to put into perspective, is bigger than a Costco,” said Howard.

Courtesy: Dekalb History Center

Known as the Treasury in some states, by the late 1970s, the retailer started to struggle through a recession.

“They were too big. There’s too much competition,” said Howard.

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By the 1980s, Treasure Island’s run was over. The stores closed, and new retailers moved in. Those famous squiggly roofs went away.

They’ve been there all along

Dig deeper:

But if you look close enough you’ll realize those roofs never actually disappeared. Have you ever been behind a former Treasure Island location? It’s worth a peek.

“They had a roof put over the top of it to keep it from leaking. So it was really hidden away,” said Jim Shields.

Shields said most of the locations weren’t destroyed, they were simply retrofitted. The squiggly roofs were hidden under new flat roofs placed on top.

From Appleton to West Allis and Brookfield, a peek behind the buildings revealed the squiggly roofs have been there all along.