Milwaukee looks to get their first win of the season and, more importantly, reestablish their dominant pitching in the third stanza of a four game series in Chicago. Fastball Freddy saddles up to face Marcus Stroman on Sunday.
Freddy vs. Cubs
Freddy Peralta has enjoyed relative success vs. Cubs batters, but considering the past two games, that may mean very little. Cubs OF Ian Happ has the most experience vs. Peralta, though with little output. Happ left the game on Saturday after being hit in the knee by a pitch. Consequently, benches cleared before cooler heads prevailed. Nonetheless, I would expect Happ to sit this one out.
Similarly, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch (to no surprise) but could very well start on Sunday. He has reached base to the sound of a .400 OBP in his career vs. Peralta.
Japanese sensation Seiya Suzuki has been busy early on in the season and will face Peralta for the first time, hopefully out of many. Nick Madrigal will also get his first shots at Fastball Freddy, if he is present on the lineup card.
Overall, the Cubs who have faced Peralta, cumulatively, are slashing a mere .218/.364/.364 with only one HR to show (Happ).
Brewers vs. Stroman
If you thought the current Cubs team had little experience vs. Peralta, you’d best put seatbelts on your ears, because I’m going to take them for the ride of their lives. I’d be satisfied if even one person got that reference.
Brewers batters have faced Marcus Stroman only 38 times, per Statheads, and collectively have a .289 batting average. If we could line up Willy Adames and eight of his clones, Milwaukee might just have a chance. Adames is 4 for 6, with 1 HR, and 0 strikeouts in his lifetime vs. Stroman.
Andrew McCutchen is not far behind, showing a .429 averagge in 7 AB. Cutch comes in with some extra motivation as he received the receipts after 3 Cubs batters were plunked in Saturday’s game.
Many Brewers hitters will be getting their first looks at Marcus Stroman on Sunday, including Kolten Wong, Christian Yelich, and whoever is manning first base, Rowdy Tellez or Keston Hiura.
A Sinking Feeling
Marcus Stroman, if the past predicts the future, should be serving the Brewers up with a healthy dose of sinkers as his primary pitch. Stroman also comes prepared with a nasty slider and a good split-finger fastball. Detecting movement will be key as the Brewers likely won’t see a straight fastball until a reliever is summoned.
Keep Your Eyes On…..
On Base Jace
Considering Craig Counsell loves to stack the lineup with lefties vs. RHP, I would expect to see Jace Peterson holding down the hot corner.
It was mentioned above that Marcus Stroman favors his sinker. He did so in 2021 at a 44% tick. In the same season, Peterson sported a .448 batting average against the sinkerball with 3 home runs and only an 8% strikeout rate.
The downside to this is that he’ll likely be at the bottom of the order, possibly as low as the 9 spot. Peterson is 1 for 3, lifetime vs. Stroman, with a single on the ledger.
Draftkings Sportsbooks currently has Jace Peterson o0.5 hits at -130 odds. I would like plus odds, but I do like this to happen at some point of the night.
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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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