A single player hitting 30 home runs in the same season feels like witchcraft at this point.
Since taking 2 out of 3 from the Giants in Milwaukee, the Brewers are just 5-5. They’ve lost 4 out of their last 5 against the Cardinals (oof) and Rockies (ouch). None of this is meaningful for the Giants this week as they play out the string, but it’s worth pointing out that the Brewers, who’ve largely coasted to a playoff spot, might want to finish strong if they’re to go deep into the postseason.
One player who might’ve heard this clarion call from the Baseball Gods is shortstop Willy Adames, who has 8 home runs in his last 16 games to beef up a triple slash of .277/.338/.662 (1.000 OPS). He now has 30 home runs on the season and will more than likely be Milwaukee’s home run leader at the end of the season — unless #2 Rhys Hoskins (23 HR) goes on a ridiculous tear here.
This isn’t an outlier season in the home run department. Last year, Adames led the Brewers with 24 home runs and the year before that he had 31, good enough for second-best (Rowdy Tellez hit 35, Hunter Renfroe hit 29). He just turned 29 at the beginning of September and he’ll be a free agent in the offseason, so, this looks like a pretty standard contract year heater he’s on to end the season. Now if only the Brewers could leverage his performance into more wins. And, of course, they haven’t had anyone hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds hit 45 in 2004.
But we’re talking about the 2024 Giants now, and they just got done shocking the Padres by winning a series in San Diego over the weekend. Sunday’s game was a heavily scripted roleplay of “What if the Giants just played the kids and the kids turned out to be pretty good?” I enjoyed it. You enjoyed it. A sign of the things to come?
Thairo Estrada was on the Giants the last time they played the Brewers. Kyle Harrison was on the active roster. Matt Chapman? No extension. Blake Snell? No off-field fun with Logan Webb.
just a couple of aces being dudes pic.twitter.com/1WKe47Ysre
— lily (@rywalkers) September 9, 2024
Again, does the activity of the past couple of weeks change feelings about the Giants’ future? Maybe not. I point it out just to show that things can change drastically in a very short amount of time. No, the Giants aren’t better than the Brewers, but they’re different, about the most consistent bit of activity they’ve demonstrated over these past six seasons, in fact. Will these latest tweaks to the roster and gameplan be enough to keep them in this 3-game series against a playoff bound team?
Series details
Who: Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Francisco Giants
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: Tuesday (6:45pm PT), Wednesday (6:45pm PT), Thursday (6:45pm PT)
National broadcasts: None.
Projected starters
Tuesday: Aaron Civale vs. Landen Roupp
Wednesday: Colin Rea vs. Blake Snell
Thursday: Frankie Montas vs. Hayden Birdsong
Where they stand
Brewers, 82-61 (1st in NLC), 691 RS / 557 RA | Last 10 games: 5-5
Giants, 71-73 (4th in NLW, -8.0 WC), 615 RS / 637 RA | Last 10 games: 4-6
Brewers to watch
Rhys Hoskins: He went 0-for-8 against the Giants in the previous series and if you fold that 3-game set into the split, he’s just 5-for-his-last-43 (.119/.192/.256) over his last 13 games. He’s struck out 14 times and walked only four times. His two extra base hits have been home runs. Another way to look at the futility of his season: Since going 1-for-2 with a homer and a walk against his former team, the Phillies, on June 3rd (raising his season OPS back up to .831), he’s hit just .189/.261/.363 (.624 OPS). He’s been the 11th-worst hitter in MLB since then (72 wRC+) and is the 3rd-worst in the NL behind Patrick Bailey (of course) and Otto Lopez with the Marlins.
Still, he’s playing in front of hometown friends and family and in 14 games at Oracle Park he’s hit 4 home runs and slashed .245/.375/.509.
Aaron Civale: It’s probably advantageous to the Giants hitters that they’re seeing him again so soon (7 IP 0 R 7 K) and he’s been tremendously awful on the road this season (3.30 home ERA vs. 6.63 road ERA), but these are the Giants — can never be too sure.
Jackson Chourio: Here’s an intriguing prospect who signed a big extension in the offseason really getting good or stepping into his potential at the perfect time. In the first half he was hitting .243/.294/.384. Since the All-Star Break, he’s been the Brewers’ best hitter, slashing .320/.380/.584 (.934 OPS) in 44 games (195 PA). the line includes 10 home runs, 13 doubles, a pair of triples, and 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts. His 31:14 K:BB is good. He’s been a great player for them and did a really nice job of tormenting the Giants in Milwaukee at the end of August. Will he do it again in San Francisco?
Giants to watch
Grant McCray: He had a pair of strikeouts against Civale in Milwaukee, but he homered twice against the Padres this past Saturday night and both games reflected his talents as a major leaguer. The swing and miss is unacceptably and unsustainable high, but the raw power is cackle-inducing. Not saying he’s going to rename McCovey Cove McCrary Cove, but at least we know what we’ve got — then again, teams are quick to figure out Giants hitters and the Brewers’ pitching lab is sharper than most. His confidence and momentum from the San Diego series could continue this week or hit a wall.
Marco Luciano: Let’s just say he’ll hit his first home run in this series. I don’t know why I’m saying that; it’s unlikely. On the other hand, Aaron Civale (1.6), Colin Rea (1.44), and Frankie Montas (1.22), the trio of starters the Brewers will throw at the Giants, are the 4th, 10th, and 36th-worst, respectively, in giving up home runs (their HR/9 are in parenthesis next to their names). It’s a dinger staff. Can the younger Giant stake advantage?
Landen Roupp: This has been a fun story to follow all year. After impressing so much in Spring Training that the Giants had to give him a roster spot, he’s been in the wilderness for most of the season until the very end here and now he has a chance to bookend his season with strong impressions. As the reliable Baseball Jeff points out, Roupp hasn’t “thrown more than 67 pitches in a game this season,” so he’s not going to do more than be a bulk guy, but wrangling a tough lineup will be critical.
Prediction time