After a series to forget (no, seriously, we don’t talk about New York), the Milwaukee Brewers are headed to American Family Field for the first time in 2025, welcoming the Kansas City Royals for their second consecutive interleague series.
A depleted pitching staff is the biggest question mark for Milwaukee thus far, as the Brewers will have to find a way to get the ball back to Freddy Peralta in game three of this series on Wednesday.
On offense, the Brewers looked pretty good but not great against the Yankees.
After a rough 0-for-5 Opening Day with five strikeouts, Jackson Chourio bounced back to pick up three hits in his last two games and nearly had a homer in the series finale Sunday. Sal Frelick led the team with five hits in the first three games, while Vinny Capra, Brice Turang, and Jake Bauers each supplied a homer.
For the Royals, Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino each have a homer, as Garcia is hitting .400/.400/.800 and Pasquantino is hitting .333/.500/1.000 through three games. Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr., and Salvador Perez are the other big names offensively for the Royals, with Witt and Perez able to provide major offensive output seemingly at will, though they didn’t do much in the team’s first series (combined 6-for-25 with a double, four RBIs, one run, and a walk).
Probable Pitchers
Monday, March 31 @ 1:10 p.m.: Elvin Rodriguez (7.59 spring ERA, 9.55 career regular season ERA) vs. Kris Bubic (5.40 spring ERA, 2.67 2024 ERA)
After beginning his career as a starter, Kris Bubic made all 27 of his appearances in 2024 out of the bullpen, totaling 30 1⁄3 innings as he allowed 12 runs (nine earned) for a 2.67 ERA with 39 strikeouts and a sterling 1.95 FIP. Across 97 career appearances (60 starts), Bubic has a 4.66 ERA and a 4.57 FIP with 328 strikeouts over 355 1⁄3 innings. He made seven appearances this spring, six of which came in the form of starts, as he allowed 13 runs and struck out 25 across 21 2⁄3 innings (5.40 ERA). He’s made two starts against the Brewers in his career, with just one unearned run allowed and 11 strikeouts across 11 1⁄3 innings.
Rodriguez, who turns 27 the same day of his Brewers debut on Monday, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023, spending 2024 overseas in Japan. In 32 appearances for the Yakult Swallows last year, he went 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 44 strikeouts across 45 innings, making one start. Across 33 major league innings between the Tigers and Rays in 2022 and 2023, he has a career 9.55 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 33 innings. After signing a major league deal this offseason, he struggled in spring training, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 17 hits and two walks with 15 strikeouts across 10 2⁄3 innings. We’ll see if he can at least eat some innings in a game where the Brewers will look to keep their bullpen as rested as possible coming off a busy weekend in New York. This is his first career appearance against the Royals.
Tuesday, April 1 @ 6:40 p.m.: TBD vs. Michael Lorenzen (4.20 spring ERA, 3.31 2024 ERA)
Lorenzen, 33, is now in his 11th MLB season. After spending his first seven seasons with the Reds, he’s bounced around with five other teams in recent seasons. He split 2024 between the Rangers and Royals, making 26 appearances (24 starts) with a 3.31 ERA and 97 strikeouts across 130 1⁄3 innings. He was great in his limited stint with the Royals, striking out 22 with a 1.57 ERA across 28 2⁄3 innings down the stretch. The former Red has made 36 appearances (six starts) against the Brewers in his career, with a 5.43 ERA and 56 strikeouts across 58 innings.
The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for the second game in this series, though it’s likely it’ll fall to Connor Thomas, Chad Patrick, and/or Tyler Alexander, as all three of those players have already made appearances in relief. My best guess is Patrick will get the start, and Thomas and Alexander will be used in relief if necessary — Patrick (22 pitches) has pitched the least thus far, appearing in one inning on Saturday. Thomas (57 pitches) and Alexander (63 pitches) have both pitched multiple innings over the last couple of days as they ate innings against New York.
Wednesday, April 2 @ 12:10 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (3.60 ERA, 5.31 FIP) vs. Cole Ragans (5.40 ERA, 2.83 FIP)
Ragans, a former Texas Ranger, has been stellar since joining the Royals at the trade deadline in 2023. Across 45 starts, including 32 last season, Ragans has a 3.05 ERA and 2.85 FIP with 315 strikeouts across 263 innings with Kansas City. An All-Star and the fourth-place finisher in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season, Ragans went five innings in a no-decision on Opening Day for K.C., striking out three and allowing three runs on five hits and two walks against the Guardians. He’s made one start against the Brewers, allowing two runs with eight strikeouts across six innings last May in Kansas City.
On the other side will be Freddy Peralta for Milwaukee, coming off a solid though underwhelming Opening Day start in New York. Peralta’s only blemish in the loss was a pair of solo homers, both of which would have stayed in the park in just about every other stadium. Across five frames, he allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out eight. In two career appearances (one start) against K.C., Peralta is 1-0 with 11 strikeouts and no runs allowed on one hit and one walk over 8 2⁄3 innings, though those appearances came in 2018 and 2020.
How to Watch
Monday, March 31: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, simulcast on over-the-air stations in select markets in Wisconsin (see more details here), and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Tuesday, April 1: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Wednesday, April 2: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
I know it feels like the Brewers are the worst team in baseball right now, but that’s (hopefully, probably) an overreaction. I think they’ll bounce back nicely, as they’ve probably never been happier to be in Milwaukee. Give me the Brewers to win two of three, including their first win of the season on Monday, with countless tributes for Bob Uecker set to take place at American Family Field.
