Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals Series Preview: Key Matchup Breakdown

The Milwaukee Brewers return home this week to host the St. Louis Cardinals in a key three-game National League Central series that opens Monday afternoon on Memorial Day. Milwaukee enters the matchup atop the division at 30-20 after sweeping the Cubs earlier in the week, but the Brewers cooled off over the weekend by dropping two of three to the Dodgers. St. Louis arrives in second place, sitting 1.5 games back after a rain-disrupted weekend in Cincinnati that included two postponements and a split doubleheader.

Both clubs have navigated injuries, though Milwaukee’s list is more pitcher-heavy. Quinn Priester and Brandon Woodruff remain sidelined on the mound, along with Angel Zerpa, Rob Zastryzny, and Jared Koenig. Zastryzny, Koenig, and Woodruff are considered close to returning, while Priester is targeting a June comeback. Zerpa is out for the season following Tommy John surgery. Among position players, Akil Baddoo is rehabbing at Triple-A Nashville and Brandon Lockridge is expected back in mid- to late June.

St. Louis has a shorter injured list, with three position players currently sidelined. Lars Nootbaar is working back from double heel surgery and rehabbing at Triple-A Memphis, Nathan Church is out with a left shoulder strain, and Ramón Urías remains without a timetable because of a right elbow injury.

Offensively, Milwaukee has been led by Jake Bauers and Brice Turang, who share the team home run lead with seven apiece. William Contreras has also been hot, pushing his season line to .303/.371/.410 with four home runs, 30 RBIs, and 28 runs scored. Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Gary Sánchez, and Andrew Vaughn continue to supply regular production, while Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo provide additional depth. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .246/.333/.361 with 34 home runs, 246 runs, and 54 stolen bases.

The Cardinals’ offense has been paced by Jordan Walker, who is enjoying a breakout season with 15 homers and a .302/.372/.594 slash line. Rookie JJ Wetherholt has added nine homers and is a perfect 6-for-6 stealing bases, while Alec Burleson has chipped in seven home runs. Pedro Pagés, Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, Victor Scott II, and Iván Herrera round out the regular lineup.

Milwaukee’s pitching staff remains a strength. Aaron Ashby has anchored the bullpen with a 2.61 ERA and an 8-0 record, while Grant Anderson and DL Hall have also posted ERAs under 3.00. Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe help complete a deep relief unit. Overall, the Brewers own a 3.31 team ERA, ranking fourth in MLB, alongside strong marks from both the rotation and bullpen.

St. Louis has relied heavily on a deep but inconsistent bullpen. Riley O’Brien leads the group with 13 saves and a 2.96 ERA, while Gordon Graceffo and JoJo Romero have also been effective. The Cardinals’ staff ERA sits at 4.20, with a bullpen ERA of 4.39.

Monday’s opener features one of the weekend’s most intriguing pitching matchups: Jacob Misiorowski against Matthew Liberatore. Misiorowski has been dominant in May, allowing no runs over his last four starts and striking out 37 batters in 24 1/3 innings. Liberatore has shown flashes for St. Louis but has struggled with consistency.

Tuesday brings another strong duel, with Kyle Harrison opposed by Michael McGreevy. The series finale on Wednesday is projected to feature Logan Henderson for Milwaukee and Dustin May for St. Louis, assuming the Brewers keep their rotation aligned.

Milwaukee has the edge at home and the better overall pitching profile, setting up a chance to extend its lead in the division.