August 16, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale (32) pitches against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McAloon-USA TODAY Sports The winning Milwaukee Brewers hope to end their downward trend by continuing their six-game streak with a three-game set starting Friday night against the Oakland Athletics.
Both teams played afternoon matches on Thursday, and each continued a recent pattern.
The Brewers suffered a 3–0 defeat at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals, their second consecutive loss after a six-game winning streak.
Milwaukee won five in a row, then lost three in a row, and then suffered a six-game losing streak.
After the shutout loss, the Brewers hope to have Blake Perkins back in the starting lineup in the opener at Oakland. The outfielder/DH hasn’t played since Aug. 11 because of a calf injury.
Perkins is one of Milwaukee’s top hitters against left-handed pitchers, with a .290 average against them. Oakland is scheduled to start left-hander J.P. Sears on Friday.
“This time of year, you kind of have to try and deal with everything if you can,” Perkins said. “Luckily for me, it was just a little bit of a rest, and I’m hoping to play well the rest of the time.”
Oakland, meanwhile, has won or tied five consecutive series, thanks to a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday that tied the four-game set 2-2.
The A’s have allowed just 10 runs in their last six games.
Manager Mark Kotsay praised his starting staff for taking some of the load off a busy bullpen, putting his team in a position to win every day.
“The confidence is very high,” he said of his starters. “All these guys have been able to play five innings, six innings and deeper. And the bullpen, they were pretty tired at the beginning of the week. (Thursday) it was great to get all the guys lined up and utilize them in their roles and it worked out.”
Five relievers contributed to a six-hit effort on Thursday, producing four shutout innings.
Sears (10-8, 4.15) hopes to continue that streak, having gone unbeaten in his last four starts, going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA. The 28-year-old earned the win in his only career start against the Brewers, allowing two runs over five innings in an 8-6 road win in June 2023.
The A’s won a three-game set in Milwaukee. The Brewers haven’t won a series in Oakland since winning three of four in 1995.
The Brewers are expected to counter in Friday’s opener with right-hander Aaron Civale (4-8, 4.78), who is having a nice outing of his own. After going winless in his first five starts for the Brewers following an in-season trade from the Rays, Civale has earned wins in each of his last two starts, allowing a total of two runs in 12 1/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.
The 29-year-old former American Leaguer hasn’t had a decisive showing in any of his previous lifetime outings with the A’s. He’s 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts.
–Field Level Media