A struggling New York Mets lineup was just what the beleaguered Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff needed to see Friday night. The Mets will hope to find the cure for what’s been ailing them Saturday, when they visit the Brewers in the middle game of a three-game series.
Right-hander Zack Wheeler (2-2, 5.05 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Brewers left-hander Gio Gonzalez (0-0, 3.60 ERA).
Reigning National League Most Valuable Player Christian Yelich could return to the Brewers’ lineup Saturday night. Yelich exited Sunday’s game with a sore lower back and has sat out the last five games.
He told reporters Friday he felt good after participating in a series of pre-game baseball activities. Even with his recent absence, Yelich entered Friday tied for first in the majors in homers (14) with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger and ranked among the top three in both slugging percentage (second at .804) and on-base percentage (third at .460).
The Brewers earned a 3-1 win Friday night, when Ryan Braun hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the fifth inning and four Milwaukee pitchers combined to retire 12 of the final 15 Mets batters.
A well-pitched win came at the right time for the Brewers, who gave up 11 runs in back-to-back losses to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday and Thursday. Milwaukee entered Friday with the worst ERA (5.20) in the National League.
“I don’t say I’m worried,” Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain told reporters following Thursday’s game. “We’ve had a few bad outings, but I think these guys can bounce back and get into form.”
The Mets entered Friday with the second-worst ERA in the NL (4.90), but the rotation has allowed just eight runs over 32 2/3 innings over the last five games. Now, though, New York has to worry about an offense that has produced just two runs in the last three games. One of those runs came via a solo homer from winning pitcher Noah Syndergaard in a 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.
“The runs have been tough to come by,” manager Mickey Callaway said of the Mets, who are averaging 2.6 runs in their last nine games after averaging 5.6 runs in their first 23 games. “Our pitching has stepped up the last week or so and we’re just not synching the two up. It’s plain and simple, we’ve got to score more runs.”
The Mets’ roughest start in the most recent turn through the rotation was endured by Wheeler, who gave up four runs over six innings and didn’t factor into the decision Monday, when New York fell to the Reds, 5-4. Wheeler gave up all four runs in the second inning.
Gonzalez will be making his second start of the season after signing with the Brewers on Apr. 27. He debuted the next day against the Mets and didn’t factor into the decision after allowing two runs over five innings in Milwaukee’s 5-2 loss.
Wheeler is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four career starts against the Brewers. Gonzalez is 15-6 with a 2.85 ERA in 27 starts against the Mets, whom he’s faced and defeated more than any opponent.