Brewers at Athletics
Milwaukee began addressing its injury-depleted starting rotation by reacquiring Jordan Lyles from Pittsburgh on Monday, but more moves could be coming as the Brewers begin a nine-game road trip with three against the Oakland Athletics beginning Tuesday. Milwaukee lost Brandon Woodruff and Jhoulys Chacin last week and Gio Gonzalez left his last start because of shoulder tightness, leaving the Brewers in dire straits.
"You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Milwaukee right-hander Zach Davies told reporters about Wednesday's trade deadline. “In the past, there have been trades, but you never know what’s going to happen. Everybody will look to their left and right in here and fight for everybody anyway, regardless of what happens at the deadline.” Despite their pitching issues, the Brewers trail St. Louis and the Chicago Cubs by only one game for National League Central supremacy while in close pursuit of a wild-card spot. Oakland remains in American League wild-card position despite losing five of six games before winning a pair of one-run decisions against Texas over the weekend. The Athletics' Chris Bassitt takes the ball Tuesday after allowing more than three earned runs for only the third time in 17 starts this season in his last outing and opposes Adrian Houser, who is coming off three straight relief appearances.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), NBCS California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Adrian Houser (4-4, 4.19 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Chris Bassitt (7-5, 4.09)
Houser allowed two runs and three hits with four strikeouts in five innings over his last three games after struggling as a starter. The 26-year-old Oklahoma native was 0-3 with a 7.94 ERA in his previous four games - all starts - and is 0-4, 7.83 in six turns this season. Houser, who has 54 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings in 2019, has never faced Oakland or any of its players.
Bassitt yielded four runs on a pair of two-run homers with seven strikeouts in six innings of a 4-2 loss at Houston on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Ohio native, who has a 1.20 WHIP and .220 batting average against, has permitted 14 home runs in 94 2/3 innings this season after allowing 14 in his first 191 1/3 career frames. Milwaukee's Mike Moustakas is 3-for-10 with a home run, double and three RBIs from his days with Kansas City versus Bassitt, who has never faced the Brewers.
WALK-OFFS
1. Athletics LF Khris Davis, who hit 133 home runs from 2016-18, has 16 this season and is batting .141 with zero homers in July.
2. Milwaukee RF Christian Yelich (major league-leading 36 home runs and .337 batting average) is hitting .397 during a 16-game hitting streak - the third-longest of his career.
3. Oakland C Josh Phegley left Sunday's game with a bruised left thumb. X-rays were negative.