Brewers last minute notes: Frelick remains out, Fedde's history against Milwaukee, Braves lose slugger to IL

Tonight's series opener between the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves is less than an hour away, but there are a few last minute notes to catch up on before the hottest offense in baseball takes the field once again. The Brewers' offense is coming off a record-breaking weekend in which they posted 56 hits and 38 runs in a sweep of the Washington Nationals. The Crew enters play on August 4 with the best record in baseball and a 2.0 game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

Meanwhile, Atlanta is scuffling as of late. Despite defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the Speedway Classic yesterday, the Braves have lost seven of their last 10 games. They sit 16 games below .500 and 14 games out of a Wild Card spot in what has been the most disappointing season for the Braves in the last eight years.

Things won't get any easier for the Braves, who face Quinn Priester tonight. The Brewers have won each of Priester's last 11 starts, and the former first-rounder has his season ERA down to an impressive 3.27 mark. Priester faced the Braves back on June 10 and tossed six innings while only allowing one earned run and striking out seven.

While the Brewers have Priester and a well-rested bullpen to rely on tonight, they will once again be without one of their key bats.

Sal Frelick not in the lineup tonight

After tweaking his left knee in Saturday's game against the Nationals, Sal Frelick had to be removed from the game and has yet to return to the field. Frelick, who is in the midst of a breakout season, previously injured his left knee back in college and had it surgically repaired. In an effort to be very careful with their Gold Glove right fielder, the Brewers are once again electing to keep Frelick out of the lineup in their series opener against the Atlanta Braves tonight.

Additionally, Frelick missed some time with a hamstring strain coming out of the All-Star Break with a hamstring strain. So a few days off will not only give rest to his knee, but also put some more time between the hamstring injury that he sustained in the final game before the All-Star Break, which ironically also occurred in a game against the Nationals.

Brandon Lockridge, the Brewers’ newest position player whom they acquired at the deadline from the San Diego Padres, will see some more at-bats with Frelick out of the lineup. Lockridge has four hits, two walks, and a stolen base in his first three games with the Crew. He starts tonight in right field.

Brewers hoping to get to Braves starter Erick Fedde once again

It's been a story of injuries for Atlanta this season. With five starting pitchers on the 60-day IL, the Braves have been forced to get creative with their starting pitching in recent weeks. As such, it will be former St. Louis Cardinal Erick Fedde on the bump for Atlanta tonight. Fedde was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on July 23 and traded to the Braves four days later.

Fedde has had a rough go of it this season, carrying a 5.33 ERA through his first 21 starts. He made his first start for the Braves last Friday and gave up four earned runs to the Kansas City Royals in 4.2 innings pitched. He has struggled to keep the ball in the park this year, and his strikeout numbers have taken a significant dip since last season.

Additionally, Fedde has historically not done well when facing the Brewers. He holds a 5.77 ERA in eight starts against the Brewers in his career. He's surrendered four home runs to the Crew in those eight games, and Milwaukee's hitters are hitting .312 against him. Since joining the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season, the Brewers have handed Fedde the loss in each of the three starts that he's made against them.

Braves place Austin Riley on the 10-day IL ahead of series against Brewers

The injury bug persists for the Braves. Its latest victim is Atlanta's 2x All-Star third baseman Austin Riley, who was placed on the 10-day IL with a lower abdominal muscle strain on Monday morning. A fixture in the middle of Atlanta's lineup, Riley is slashing .260/.309/.428 with 16 HR this season. It's not quite up to Riley's 2021-23 level, in which he finished Top-7 in NL MVP voting in three consecutive seasons, but his 2025 production is still good enough for 104 OPS+ and his removal from a lineup that is already without Ronald Acuña Jr. is significant.

Acuña was placed on the 10-day IL on July 30 with inflammation in his right Achilles tendon. However, even without Acuña and Riley, the Braves still have a few formidable bats in their lineup. Despite having down seasons by their standards, both Matt Olson and Marcel Ozuna can leave the yard at any moment. Meanwhile, catchers Sean Murphy and Madison native Drake Baldwin have both been having strong seasons, and the Braves will often use one as the DH to get both bats in the lineup. Additionally, after a very slow start to the season, center fielder Michael Harris II has picked things up as of late, slashing .400/.429/.700 over his last 15 games.