Meet the Opponent: Familiar Faces Adames, Brosseau Have Brewers In Front in NL Central
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have only played 12 games ever against the Milwaukee Brewers in their history, and none since 2017. But there are still plenty of connections between the two teams.
They're attached at the hip these days because of a big trade last May that sent popular shortstop Willy Adames to the Brewers in exchange for pitchers Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen. Both pitchers are on the Rays' injured list right now, but they've been a big part of the Rays' 40-32 season so far.
It''s been a win/win trade for both teams, because Adames — who spent three-plus years with the Rays from 2018 to 2021 and had 43 homers, 124 RBIs and a long highlight reel of great defensive plays — has fit right in with the Brewers.
He's been a team leader from the get-go, and he's having a nice 2022 season for the Brewers, who are in first place in the National League Central, a half-game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals as of Tuesday morning. Adames has a team-leading 15 home runs and 39 RBIs, though is average is down at just .216. He came to the Rays back in 2014 in the David Price trade.
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) reacts after hitting a double in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at American Family Field. (Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)
The trade has worked out well for the Rays too, because it cleared the path for Wander Franco to start playing every day at shortstop, and it brought two great arms over in Rasmussen and Feyereisen. Franco has played 116 games thus far, hitting .280 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs, and he's just coming back from a month down with quadriceps and hamstring injuries.
Before going down with a shoulder issue, Feyereisen pitched in 22 games for the Rays and didn't give up a single earned run. Rasmussen, who should be back soon after going on the injured list with a hamstring injury, is 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA. He struggled a bit in three of his last four starts before the injury, but prior to that he was 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA in five starts. He was a reliever for the Brewers, but the Rays have worked him into being a key piece of their starting rotation.
There was a fourth person in that trade. Trevor Richards, a right-handed relief pitcher, also went to Milwaukee in that trade. He pitched just 15 games in relief for Milwaukee last year before being traded to Toronto, and that deal worked out well for the Brewers, too.
They got infielder Rowdy Tellez back from the Blue Jays, and he's had a big year in Milwaukee. He leads the Brewers in both RBIs (45) and batting average (.248). He had a big weekend in leading the Brewers to a series win over his former team. He was 2-for-4 Sunday with four RBIs in Sunday's 10-3 win.
Another familiar face to Rays fans is Mike Brosseau, an undrafted free agent who spent three years with the Rays from 2019 to 2021 and had several magical moments in his career. He hit .273 his first year and .302 in 2020, helping the Rays beat the New York Yankees in the playoffs with a home run off of Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman in the decisive Game 5.
He hit just .187 a year ago, and bounced back and forth between Tampa Bay and Durham. He was traded to the Brewers in November for pitcher Evan Reifert.
Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Mike Brosseau (20) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
The Brewers are 42-33 on the season, but have struggled a bit in June. Their high-water mark came on May 30, when they were 14 games over .500 after beating their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, in the first-two games of a series.
But then they lost the next two games to the Cubs, lost three of four at home to the San Diego Padres, got swept at home in a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies and lost two straight series on the road to the Washington Nationals and New York Mets.
When it all got added up, they went 3-12 during that two-week stretch from May 31 through June 16, falling behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.
They got well in Cincinnati — a lot of teams do that — sweeping a series, and then split a four-game series with the Cardinals and then took two of three from the Blue Jays.
They're set for a season-long battle with the Cardinals, because the NL Central is the most lopsided division in baseball. Milwaukee and St. Louis are a combined 17 games over .500, but the bottom of the division is horrible. The Pirates (29-44), Cubs (28-45) and Reds (25-47) are a combined 55 games under .500.
Want a comparison? The three worst teams in the AL East — the Blue Jays, Rays and Baltimore Orioles — are 12 games OVER .500.
The Brewers have taken advantage of that. They are 6-0 against the Pirates and 7-2 against the Reds. (They're just 5-5 vs. the Cubs, and have already played the Cardinals 12 times, going 6-6).
The Rays know how that works, going 18-1 last year against the Orioles in their 100-win run to win the AL East for the second straight year.
The Brewers are 4-2 in interleague play so far this season, taking two of three from both Baltimore in Toronto. The Rays are 10-1 in interleague play, losing to the Cubs in mid-April but then winning 10 straight games, two against Chicago, two against Miami and a pair of three-game sweeps over St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
The Rays and Brewers play Tuesday night (7:10 p.m. ET) and Wednesday afternoon (12:10 p.m.) in St. Pete, and then will play again in Milwaukee on Aug. 9-10.
May 9, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Mike Brosseau (43) celebrates with shortstop Willy Adames (1) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum. (Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)
The Rays are getting a bit of a break in the pitching matchups, avoiding Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. Brandon Woodruff (5-3, 4.74 ERA) will pitch Tuesday night's game, and Eric Lauer (6-3, 3.89 ERA) will start Wednesday's matinee.
The Brewers' do have a great bullpen, anchored by Josh Hader, who has 22 saves already and has allowed only three runs and nine hits all season. He has a 1.19 ERA and a great 0.66 WHIP. His ERA is third-lowest in the National League for pitchers with 22 more more innings.
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