Game Discussion (Let’s Try This Again): Milwaukee Brewers (59-34) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (47-47)

The Brewers were rained out last night! I hope you’ll forgive that instead of rewriting an entire new game discussion, I’m just going to (mostly) copy and paste what I wrote before yesterday’s game, because both teams are using the same lineups they announced last night.

However, there are two new pieces of information today. The first is minor, and that’s that Garrett Stallings has been spotted in Pittsburgh and is presumably the 27th man for today’s doubleheader (he should be available in the nightcap). The second is more troubling: Kyle Harrison has been placed on the 15-day injured list with forearm tightness, with Robert Gasser getting recalled to replace him on the roster.

Harrison himself has reiterated what he said a couple of days ago: that he’s not too worried. Plus, a 15-day stint on the IL right now isn’t the worst thing in the world — 15 days from July 9 means he could be eligible to return after missing only six games on the other side of the All-Star break, and he wasn’t going to pitch this weekend anyway. It sounds like the Brewers already had some sort of plan in this respect:

Hopefully, this is just a precautionary short stint for Harrison. The Brewers have proved remarkably flexible when it comes to replacing their injured starters this season, but if Harrison is lost for a longer period, it would be a real blow.

In any case, today’s game starts at 11:05 a.m., and we’ll see you for some morning baseball! The rest of the preview, as written last night, is below.

It’s the start of the last series before the All-Star break (weather permitting) and the Brewers are in Pittsburgh to wrap things up with a three-game set with the Pirates. Brandon Sproat takes the mound for the Brewers, while first-time All-Star Braxton Ashcraft will pitch for the Pirates.

Before we get to tonight’s starters, we’ve got a transaction to tell you about. Since time is, as they say, a flat circle, the Brewers have signed Bryse Wilson to a major league deal. To make room for him, they’ve sent Drew Rom to Triple-A Nashville and they’ve designated Easton McGee for assignment.

Wilson pitched for the Brewers in 2023 and 2024, serving mostly as a long-relief, semi-mop-up option. In 2023 he had quite a nice year: in 53 outings, Wilson pitched to a 2.58 ERA and went 6-0. He struggled more in 2024, but he pitched over 100 innings in a swingman role and was slightly above league average via ERA+. However, in both seasons, Wilson vastly outperformed his peripheral numbers, and since leaving the Brewers, things have been a struggle. He made 20 appearances for the White Sox in 2025 and had a 6.65 ERA in 47 1/3 innings; in three big-league appearances in 2026 (two with the Cubs, one with the Phillies), he’s allowed seven runs, all earned, in 9 2/3 innings. Wilson’s role with the Brewers, for however long it lasts (likely not long), will surely be similar to what it was when he last pitched for them in 2024: mop-up duty. (For those who are optimists, Wilson is generally good at not walking guys, but he doesn’t really strike them out, either, and over the last couple of seasons he has been eminently hittable, with about 12.5 hits per nine innings.)

Back to tonight’s action. Sproat will look to get into the break on a high note. Sproat’s last outing was a mixture of good and bad: he was not pitching well, needed 92 pitches, and allowed eight baserunners to get through just four innings pitched. But the good news is that he was mostly able to work his way out of trouble, too, and he somehow allowed just one run in those four innings, a game which Milwaukee eventually won 3-2 against the Diamondbacks. It was an encouraging sign of maturation that he didn’t just implode when things weren’t going well. Since the beginning of June, Sproat has a very solid 3.30 ERA in 30 innings pitched, and the team is 5-1 in his starts, a stark contrast to his 6.24 ERA and 5-6 team record prior to last month.

Ashcraft has been quite good for Pittsburgh, as evidenced by his status as an All-Star injury replacement. He’s just 26 and in his second season, and he’s done nothing but pitch well since his debut in late May of last season. This year, Ashcraft is 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA (134 ERA+) and even better 3.16 FIP. He’s got sterling peripherals (10.1 K/9, 2.1 BB/9) and is a hard thrower who plays a curveball and sinker off a four-seamer that sits around 97 mph. The curveball, especially, is one of the better ones in the league.

The Brewers continue to rotate through their position players as they reach the end of this 18-games-in-17-days stretch. Christian Yelich is back in the leadoff spot, while the outfield goes Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick from left to right. William Contreras is behind the plate, while the infield is Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, and Jake Bauers.

After last night’s rainout, first pitch has been scheduled for 11:05 a.m. CT, with game two coming either at 3:05 p.m. or one hour after the end of game one, if that’s later than 3:05.