Phillies vs Brewers: Five players to watch for in the series
Phillies fans are relieved to see the long road trip come to an end this weekend
The Phillies were doing the opposite of California dreaming during their 10 game road trip, during which they dropped seven games between the Dodgers, Giants, and Cubs. Injuries to Rhys Hoskins and Pedro Florimon complicated the trip and saw the major league debuts of Mitch Walding and Dylan Cozens.
Now back in Philadelphia, the Brewers come to town in the middle of their own road trip where they’ve dropped four of five games and have lost three straight between the Indians and White Sox.
Still holding onto first place in the National League Central by a game and a half over the Cubs the Brewers are looking to right the ship in Philadelphia.
Last year Milwaukee and Philadelphia split a six game season series where the Phillies outscored the Brewers 33-27. Aaron Nola came through with a big start allowing one run off five hits in seven innings with nine strikeouts on July 21.
Here are five Brewers to watch during this series in Philadelphia.
Honorable Mention – RHP Jeremy Jeffress
Milwaukee reliever Jeremy Jeffress has been lights out in 30 appearances with a remarkable 0.59 ERA with five wins and three saves. The 30-year-old allowed just one earned run in May and has only given up two all season.
The Brewers are 23-7 in games Jeffress pitches in this season.
. . . Jesus Aguilar. 5. team. 76
First baseman Jesus Aguilar has been a solid all-around hitter for Milwaukee with Eric Thames out with a thumb injury. He’s second on the team in most offensive categories with a .295 batting average, 10 home runs, 32 RBI, and 46 hits in 54 games.
He’s not immune to the Brewers offensive woes, hitting .211 during their June road trip with a three hit game with a home run against Chicago.
Aguilar could come up big in this series as he’s known to hit the long ball on a consistent basis. According to FanGraphs, he’s behind Joey Gallo with the second-longest average hit distance at 232.9 feet.
He’s 0-6 against the Phillies in his career, a solid sign coming into the homestand.
. . . Travis Shaw. 4. team. 76
Once a top prospect of the Red Sox, Travis Shaw was acquired by Milwaukee prior to the 2017 season to man the hot corner. He’s lived up to expectations for the Brewers hitting 14 home runs, 14 doubles, and driving in 38 runs, all leading the Brewers offense.
The 28-year-old is holding his own at third, but has five errors this season, fifth-most among National League third basemen.
Like most of the Brewers hitters Shaw has struggled through their eight game road trip, hitting .235 against the White Sox and Indians. As a career .259 hitter he’s played average ball hitting .255 over his last 14 games.
Don’t expect Shaw to show any signs of life against Philadelphia, as he’s 5-35 against them in nine games with nine punchouts.
76. . . . Lorenzo Cain. 3. team
Milwaukee’s free agent splash brought a championship caliber bat to the middle of their lineup and he hasn’t disappointed. Lorenzo Cain is matching his career .289 batting average this season adding seven home runs and a .389 on-base percentage, seventh-best in the National League.
The first five games of Milwaukee’s road trip have been below average for Cain, who’s hitting .278 in that span of games. He is coming off back-to-back multi-hit games against the Indians and has reached base in all but six of his last 30 games.
Cain still maintains his National League-leading 3.0 WAR, tied with Atlanta’s Freedie Freeman. Third baseman Matt Shaw is the only other Brewer with a WAR over 2.0 going into the series.
Philadelphia has seen little of Cain since he played in Kansas City, but they’ve held him to a .188 average in 21 plate appearances, all at Citizens Bank Park.
Christian Yelich. 2. team. 76. . .
One of the best young hitters in baseball Christian Yelich was coveted by the Phillies last offseason during the Miami Marlins firesale. Traded to Milwaukee in exchange for four prospects, including top prospect Lewis Brinson, Yelich’s bat has picked up after a slow start. Hitting .330 in May, Yelich looks like the young star who quietly raked in Miami behind Giancarlo Stanton.
Yelich has torched the Phillies in 67 games with Miami, hitting .293 with eight home runs and 15 doubles. Last season alone he hit four home runs and he’s a career .324 hitter in Citizens Bank Park with six home runs.
Over the last two weeks, Yelich has hit .328, but he’s tapered off during a road trip that included the White Sox and Indians, hitting .235 with one extra-base hit. His success against Philadelphia could reverse this trend, and become a major factor for the first place Brewers this weekend.
1. team. 76. . . . Josh Hader
Not often is the closer considered one of the players to watch for in a series, but Josh Hader has been lights out for Milwaukee. Traded twice already in his career the 24-year-old has a 1.05 ERA in 20 games with 69 strikeouts to 13 walks. He’s been nothing but spectacular in his last eight appearances allowing zero runs with 26 strikeouts.
Most importantly, the Brewers have not lost a game this year when Hader makes an appearance. Essentially, if Hader enters the game, the Brewers are 20-0. Of Hader’s 20 appearances he’s pitched more than an inning 17 times and at least two innings 12 times.
In three appearances versus Philadelphia Hader has allowed zero runs with four strikeouts and has allowed just two hits in Citizens Bank Park in 11 plate appearances by Phillies hitters.
Next: Phillies: Power Ranking Players from 2008
Consistent dominance from Hader is the reason he’s one of the top young relievers in the league, and a player to watch this weekend.