After falling to the Cubs 5-4 on opening day, the Milwaukee Brewers look to even the series today. Last season’s opening day starter, Brandon Woodruff takes the bump opposite Cubs’ lefty Justin Steele.
Woodruff vs. Cubs
Historically, Brandon Woodruff has enjoyed success against this group of Cubs batters, as they’ve accumulated a mere .183 batting average in 120 total at-bats. Only Ian Happ has managed to homer off the Milwaukee Brewers right hander.
An Intriguing Dichotomy
In 53 at-bats, Brewers batters have only been able to muster 3 total hits vs. today’s starter, Justin Steele. Only Willy Adames (2) and Hunter Renfroe (1) have reached base in the small sample size of appearances. However, today’s Brewers lineup has the potential to cause problems for the young lefty. Although in 2021 the Brewers struggled vs. LHP, offseason additions Andrew McCutchen and Hunter Renfroe give cause to believe things will turn around in 2022.
Andrew McCutchen, notorious lefty masher, is leading off today for the Brewers. Willy Adames and Christian Yelich, in the 2 and 3 holes, slashed .235/.321/.450 and .187/.294/.318 in 2021 respectively.
Questionable batting orders, perpetually, have been my principle complaint with Craig Counsell for some time now as he seems to ignore player splits. Does he simply not believe in them? Honestly, I would accept that answer. With that said, Keston Hiura is manning the bag at 1B, with Rowdy Tellez available on the bench. Each player demonstrates a same side split, so I would prefer to see Rowdy vs. LHP and Hiura vs. RHP. Keston Hiura is coming off a hot spring, so the team is likely eager to see if he can keep that up while the games count.
| POS | Batter | vs. LHP |
| DH | Andrew McCutchen | .293 |
| SS | Willy Adames | .235 |
| LF | Christian Yelich | .187 |
| RF | Hunter Renfroe | .276 |
| 1B | Keston Hiura | .130 |
| CF | Tyrone Taylor | .298 |
| 2B | Kolten Wong | .297 |
| 3B | Mike Brosseau | .234 |
| C | Victor Caratini | .271 |
Keep Your Eyes On…..
Andrew McCutchen – Cutch was specifically signed to improve the Brewers’ production vs. LHP. Placing him at the top of the order gives him the most opportunities to do damage against a LHP with only a year of MLB play under his hat.
Justin Steele’s repertoire revolves around his fastball, but includes substantial usage of a sinker, curveball, and his excellent slider. In 2021, McCutchen against LHP with this same makeup, averaged .320, with a SO rate of only 17% and a 92mph average exit velocity, per Baseball Savant.
About the Author
Billy Graves is the host of the Hit City Podcast, covering the Milwaukee Brewers and MiLB affiliates. You can also find him on the Slashers & Screamers podcast, reviewing your favorite horror films from years past and present, and on the Monday morning show Wake Up! with Wowie & The Kid. Find out more at SlasherSports.com!
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