The Milwaukee Brewers fight for a postseason bye with struggling trade acquisition Dustin May and standout starter Logan Henderson.
The Milwaukee Brewers are keeping their cards relatively close to their chest with only six games remaining in the regular season.
Having already locked up a spot in the 2026 playoffs, the next goal is securing a first-round bye.
Even if the Atlanta Braves were to go 6-0 in their final six games, all it'll take is one Brewers win for their magic number to be erased.
The Brewers are in a great spot to get some rest and skip the National League Wild Card round for the second straight season, but they can't look past the Philadelphia Phillies.
Milwaukee comes into this series with a strong 98-58 record, the best in franchise history, but they have to deal with a hungry 86-70 Phillies team, one that is currently still on the outside looking in.
Dustin May faces Zack Wheeler in the series opener
Manager Pat Murphy hasn't seen much out of Dustin May since he was acquired at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old has quite a bit of playoff experience, and he's already appeared in some of the biggest games of his life, so why has he struggled so much this season?
May is a -0.2 WAR player in his eight starts with the Brewers, and that's the last thing this team needs. They already lost out on Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester, and now former All-Star caliber pitcher Kyle Harrison is likely missing the playoff roster entirely.
Zack Wheeler's 13-5 record and 2.99 ERA really put things into perspective. May is 7-9 this season, but his ERA is approaching five, and that's simply not going to cut it if the Brewers want to make a deep run in October.
While May looked incredible on Friday, Sept. 11, he quickly erased that two-hit, six-inning gem by giving up three earned runs on six hits in just 2.1 innings.
For reference, he needed only 84 pitches to record 18 outs on Sept. 11, but then was pulled after it took him 70 pitches to record seven outs on Sept. 18.
Brewers have a ton of confidence in Logan Henderson
Should the Brewers lose the series opener and the Braves win theirs, Logan Henderson takes the mound in game two looking to give Milwaukee a much-needed, and well-deserved bye in the playoffs.
Henderson has been sensational this season, sporting a 10-3 record with a 2.51 ERA. Remember, the 24-year-old hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any of his 22 career starts.
Aaron Nola stands in the Brewers' way in game two, but his 7-10 record and 4.49 ERA are nowhere near as daunting as Wheeler's numbers.
