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| 4:40 PM PT5:40 PM MT6:40 PM CT7:40 PM ET19:40 ET23:40 GMT7:40 4:40 PM MST6:40 PM EST7:10 PM VEN3:40 UAE (+1)5:40 PM CT, May 25, 2023 American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 24,536 |
Opener between Giants, Brewers all about bullpens
San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers
- San Francisco took two of three against the Brewers at home from May 5-7 and has won seven of the last 11 meetings with Milwaukee. The Brewers took two of the three at home in 2022, however, with all three games decided by two runs or fewer.
- The Giants have won three straight series, taking seven of nine games after dropping six of their previous eight. The bullpen has allowed no more than one run in any of these nine games, posting a 1.13 ERA in 40.0 innings and converting all seven save opportunities.
- Michael Conforto hit two homers and a double with five RBI in the series against Minnesota and is slashing .320/.364/.720 in 13 games since May 10. Conforto is hitting .257 with seven home runs away from home compared to .182 with three homers at Oracle Park.
- Logan Webb has gone 3-1 with a 1.74 ERA over his last six starts, going at least six innings and allowing two runs or fewer in each start. No Giant has done so in seven straight starts since Webb himself had an eight-game streak from July to September 2021.
- Milwaukee blanked Houston over its last two games, taking 6-0 and 4-0 shutouts. It's the second time this season the Brewers have shut out an opponent in consecutive games (April 3-4). The team has pitched three straight shutouts twice all-time: July 2013 and April 1990.
- Willy Adames homered in Wednesday's win and has two home runs in his last four games after homering just twice in his previous 19. Adames has a .313 average with four home runs in 18 career games against the Giants.
San Francisco ace Logan Webb should be taking his turn in the rotation on Thursday in a bid for his seventh straight quality start. Instead, the Giants will hand the ball to a guy more accustomed to ending games.
With Webb still dealing with the back tightness that caused him to leave his Saturday start early, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said reliever Scott Alexander would be the team's opener as San Francisco begins a four-game set in Milwaukee.
Alexander (4-0, 4.42 ERA) pitched twice in the Giants' most recent series, a three-game set at Minnesota. He should be rested, having thrown a total of 19 pitches over two innings in the two appearances. The left-hander picked up his first save of the year and the 10th of his nine-year career on Monday in a 4-1 win over the Twins.
The only game in the series in which Alexander did not pitch was San Francisco's lone loss, a 7-1 setback on Wednesday. The Giants' bats weren't necessarily the problem, as they produced 10 hits, though San Francisco did leave a whopping 15 runners on base.
The biggest culprit may have been the Giants' gloves, as four errors helped the Twins score three unearned runs.
"Not our best defensive game," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "A good reminder that we have been playing good defense for the majority of the season, but that obviously wasn't good enough."
Though Alexander has made only five starts in his career, he has plenty of experience against the Brewers. In 10 career appearances (one start), Alexander has given up two runs on eight hits in 11 innings, good for a 1.64 ERA.
While the Giants have their opener set, things may be even more tenuous in the other dugout.
Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell did not name a starting pitcher for Thursday in his postgame press conference following the Brewers' Wednesday win over visiting Houston, but Julio Teheran would be the likely choice if he can pass his physical.
The two-time All-Star, who hasn't pitched in the majors since the 2021 season, agreed to terms with the Brewers on Tuesday. Regardless, Milwaukee likely will lean heavily on its bullpen on Thursday. Brewers relievers have combined for 7 1/3 scoreless innings in the past two games -- 6-0 and 4-0 shutouts of the Astros.
Joel Payamps entered with two runners aboard and one out in the sixth inning in both contests and escaped both innings unscathed.
"He's pitched wonderfully and he's getting big outs," Counsell said. "I think he's confident, I think that's the big thing. With any of these guys, they come into a game and they're confident and then it doesn't really matter the spot they're in, they feel like they're going to do their job."
Payamps likely won't be available Thursday, but closer Devin Williams will be fresh. He hasn't pitched since recording his seventh save in a 6-4 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
"It's kind of been a strange season for Devin," Counsell said. "In years past, we've had an incredible number of save opportunities, and this year it's been a little different, so at some point that will change and there will be a ton of moments for Devin."
--Field Level Media
Updated May 25, 2023
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