Jose Quintana will look to add to his already impressive resume against the Brewers on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Pirates close out their three-game series against host Milwaukee.
Quintana (2-4, 3.33 ERA) has had the Brewers’ number across his 11 seasons in the major leagues, going 9-4 with a 2.74 ERA against Pittsburgh’s division rival. His nine wins are the most he’s had against an opponent in his career.
Milwaukee has not been able to beat the left-hander since May 10, 2019, when he was with the Chicago Cubs. Since that loss, Quintana has gone 3-0 and allowed 10 runs in 29 2/3 innings in six appearances.
But after splitting the first two games of the series, it might not be all that easy for the Brewers to break through against the southpaw to shift momentum in their favor.
Offense was relatively hard to come by on Saturday, as Milwaukee collapsed in the seventh inning and fell 4-3.
Ben Gamel, who played for the Brewers in 2019 and 2020, capped Pittsburgh’s four-run seventh inning with a two-run homer.
“(Brandon Woodruff) had good command of his stuff early. He really had feel for every pitch, he was throwing everything for strikes,” Gamel said. “It gets challenging at times, but we strung a couple on him.”
Although Saturday’s loss was an ugly one, the Brewers have still been dominant against Pittsburgh this season. They hold a 9-3 record against the Pirates, outscoring them 72-40.
Eric Lauer (6-3, 3.84) will get the start for the Brewers after allowing just one run on two hits in six innings of work in his most recent outing — a no-decision against the Cubs on Monday.
The left-hander racked up nine strikeouts, his most in a start since April 30.
“We saw the swing and miss back,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Lot of swing and miss, and that’s just how he kind of gets through the ball and he’s just got that little extra bit on the ball.”
Lauer will be making his ninth career start in what will be his 10th appearance against Pittsburgh. He currently sports a 3-2 record to go along with a 2.51 ERA across 46 2/3 innings.
He’ll have to watch out for Diego Castillo, though, who has found himself in the midst of a power surge over the past month. Seven of his past 11 hits have been homers.
“I’ve gone a long time feeling so comfortable at the home plate, feeling my barrel real well, like where the barrel of my bat is. So, I think that’s a big key with me,” Castillo said. “Every time that I feel where my barrel is, I kind of apply … more power.”
Daniel Vogelbach will also be eager to continue his success against his former team, as the former Brewer is batting .350 with a home run, five RBIs and three runs against Milwaukee this season.
Jack Suwinski has been trending in the opposite direction, going 0-for-18 over his last five games.
–Field Level Media