Milwaukee Brewers Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

This upcoming week the Milwaukee Brewers will take on the Philadelphia Phillies in a battle of the National League’s worst teams. While the match-up isn’t very intriguing, here are some reasons to watch the series play out.

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Battle for Number 1

As it stands today, the Brewers and Phillies are the worst in all of baseball. While the MLB draft is unlike many of the other drafts in the other major sports, this match-up could have implications as to who will have the top spot in the 2016 MLB draft. Baseball is a long season, but with both teams struggling they should be in the mix for the worst record by season’s end.

Same Old Phillies?

Just like the Brewers the Phillies are a team with a lot of veterans that could be moved. With players like Jonathan Papelbon, Cole Hamels and even Ryan Howard possibly on the move, both teams could have an entirely different roster come August when they square off in Milwaukee.

Ryan Braun Magic?

Braun has only played 22 games in Philadelphia in his career, but he has hammered the ball each time out. Last year, he had his best series of the season that included a three homer game when playing at Citizens Bank Park. In his career he has a .407 batting average and 10 homers while playing there. He is heating up as he hit his 15th home run today and playing at a park where he has dominated should not hurt his chances for a strong series.

Hot Phillie

The Phillies don’t have a lot of stars to watch right now, but rookie Maikel Franco looks to be a big part of their future. In 40 games this year, the 22-year-old Franco has 10 home runs and a .301 average. He is a big bat that the Brewers cannot let beat them this week.

Young Pitchers

The best part of the season so far has been watching the development of the young pitchers in Milwaukee. On Monday, Jimmy Nelson will look to build off his best start of the season and shut down the Phillies offense. Tuesday, Taylor Jungmann will be on the hill in another tough match-up, this time facing Phillies ace Cole Hamels.

Match-ups

The four-game series beings Monday. Here is a look at the pitching match-ups:

Jimmy Nelson 4-8 4.34 vs. Sean O’Sullivan 1-5 5.34

Taylor Jungmann 2-1 2.74 vs. Cole Hamels 5-6 3.26

Kyle Lohse 4-9 6.28 vs. Aaron Harang 4-10 3.56

Matt Garza 4-10 5.52 vs. Adam Morgan 1-0 1.59

Next: Should Brewers Consider Selling a Prospect?