Milwaukee Brewers Vs. Minnesota Twins: Lineups, preview, and prediction (May 18, 2018)


(Photo credit: Keith Allison)

The Brewers head to Minnesota after taking two of three in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. Their last game, on Wednesday, was a dominant 8-2 win. They mashed four homers and hung eight runs on D-Backs starter Matt Koch. Starter Brandon Woodruff went five, with his only runs against coming on a two-run homer. The bullpen took over for the final four innings and shut down any hopes of a comeback.

The Twins last game, also on Wednesday, was a 7-5 loss to the Cardinals resulting in a split series. Against his old side Lance Lynn was a disappointment. He lasted just three innings, walking four and giving up three runs before being replaced. Logan Morrison hit a homer in the sixth, but the Cardinals offense got off to a fast start and the Twins just couldn't keep up.

Brent Suter (LHP) Vs. Kyle Gibson (RHP)

Suter has struggled at the start of 2018. He hasn't had a start without giving up a run, and has allowed at least four runs on three occasions. His ERA of 5.14 is not a mistake, his 1.38 WHIP and 10.5 H/9 all show just how much he has struggled to control lineups this year.

Conversely, Kyle Gibson is having perhaps his best season in the Majors at the moment. His 3.43 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 0.4 HR/9, and 10.1 K/9 are all career-bests. At 30 this is unlikely to be a new norm for Gibson though, and some regression, especially in homers allowed, could well be coming. His last few starts have been good, giving up just two runs in six innings against the Angels last time out.

Projected lineups

Brewers Lineup
Home Runs
Batting Average
On-Base Percentage
Cain, CF
5
.277
.386
Yelich, LF
4
.294
.357
Aguilar, 1B
3
.308
.377
Shaw, 3B
10
.248
.326
Santana, RF
2
.262
.279
Villar, DH
2
.280
.325
Pina, C
4
.220
.280
Saladino, 2B
2
.417
.417
Arcia, SS
2
.211
.254
Lineup
Home Runs
Batting Average
On-Base Percentage
Mauer, 1B
1
.287
.409
Dozier, 2B
7
.242
.304
Kepler, RF
5
.241
.318
Escobar, 3B
7
.279
.331
Garver, C
2
.254
.309
Morrison, DH
5
.206
.306
Grossman, LF
1
.230
.296
Buxton, CF
0
.167
.206
Adrianza, SS
0
.224
.286

Who's hot, and who's not

With Ryan Braun and Eric Thames on the DL, the Brewers lineup is thin right now. Fortunately, Tyler Saladino has been hot since entering the lineup, with two homers and a .417 average over the last two weeks. Travis Shaw has provided the bulk of the power during that time period, with four homers, while Christian Yelich is bedding into the team well, with a .313 average, a homer, and two steals.

Eddie Rosario has been the jewel in the Twins lineup of late. The outfielder is hitting .377 over the last two weeks with four homers. Logan Morrison, Brian Dozier, and Eduardo Escobar all have three homers in the same time span, though very different averages. On the flip side, Byron Buxton continues to struggle at the plate, hitting .105 over the last two weeks.

Prediction

The Brewers are a hair off the top of the NL Central, and are red-hot on the road with a 16-9 record. That all points toward them winning, but the Twins have an edge on the mound today with Gibson's form over Suter's. They are also producing a lot of runs of late. The Twins are 11th in runs this month while Milwaukee are 20th. I would pick the Brewers by a run, but don't be stunned if the Twins take this one.

For more articles like this, take a look at our News page.