Brewers’ Saturday showdown with Luis Severino continues unsettling 2025 trend

In a perfect world, the Milwaukee Brewers, and every other MLB team for that matter, would match up against a team's ace once every five days. However, scheduling differences, injuries, and questionable managerial decisions can sometimes lead to a team facing two or three All-Star starting pitchers in one week. The Brewers find themselves in such a stretch right now.

The Crew just completed their sixth series of the year, and in five of those series, they have encountered the opposing team's ace (or in some cases, both co-aces). For a young team like the Brewers, facing this many All-Stars in the first two weeks of the regular season is a great opportunity to gain experience against the league’s best arms, but it also poses a significant challenge for those trying to establish themselves as everyday major league starters.

With the Athletics announcing that their ace, two-time All-Star Luis Severino, will take the mound for them in game two of the weekend series against the Brewers, a closer look at how the Crew has performed against the many aces they've faced so far is warranted.

Brewers results a mixed bag against aces this year

New York Yankees: Carlos Rodón and Max Fried

Rodón vs. MIL (3/27/25): 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Fried vs. MIL (3/29/25): 4.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

In a Gerrit Cole-less rotation, the New York Yankees don't have a clear-cut ace. The argument could be made for either Carlos Rodón or offseason acquisition, Max Fried. Rodón has spent more time in New York and got the nod on Opening Day, but Fried is the better pitcher and has closer resembled an ace so far this season. Regardless, the Brewers faced both Yankee co-aces in their first series of the year.

Rodón carved up the Brewers, with the only run coming on a solo home run by Vinny Capra. Rodón struck Jackson Chourio out three times and allowed just two batted balls of 100 MPH exit velocity or higher. Meanwhile, Fried's outing was headlined by poor defense from himself and the team behind him. As a team, the Yankees committed five errors with Fried on the mound, forcing him to throw 94 pitches before completing five full innings.

Kansas City Royals: Cole Ragans

Ragans @ MIL (4/2/25): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Chourio homered off of Cole Ragans in the bottom of the first inning, but the Brewers' offense went dormant for the rest of Ragans' outing. Ragans, who was a first-time All-Star and finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2024, struck out 10, including three strikeouts of Brice Turang, one of Milwaukee's best hitters to start the 2025 season. When he exited the game following the fifth inning, the game was tied, earning Ragans a no-decision despite his masterful display on the mound.

Colorado Rockies: Kyle Freeland

Freeland vs. MIL (4/8/25): 6.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Kyle Freeland struck out Yelich three times in his start against the Brewers last week, but that was just about the only success he had. The Brewers plated five runs against the Rockies' ace, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Chourio and a home run by Brice Turang. With four starts now in the books for Freeland, Turang's solo shot is the only long ball the southpaw has allowed. The Brewers’ display against Freeland propelled them to their third straight game scoring seven runs or more, and they carried this momentum into the next game, scoring a season-high 17 runs in game two of the Rockies series.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen

Burnes vs. MIL (4/12/25): 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Gallen vs. MIL (4/13/25): 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Another team with co-aces, the Arizona Diamondbacks rolled out former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and 2023 All-Star Zac Gallen in back-to-back games against the Brewers. Burnes, who the Diamondbacks signed to a six-year, $210 million contract this offseason, would be the Opening Day starter on most other teams, but with Gallen starting his seventh season in a Diamondbacks uniform, he was given the ball at the top of the rotation. Still, both pitchers have the reputation and success of a major league ace.

That being said, both Burnes and Gallen are off to slow starts in 2025, and their performances against the Brewers were evidence of that. Burnes tallied as many earned runs allowed as strikeouts and surrendered a towering home run to Chourio before leaving the game with a three-run deficit. Gallen's performance was eerily similar. He collected just five strikeouts, a disappointing number for someone with Gallen's bat-missing ability, and left the game with his team trailing. Of course, the Diamondbacks would go on to win both games, but that was thanks to late-inning heroics from their offense and not the work of their co-aces.

Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal

Skubal @ MIL (4/14/25): 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

Playing the day after a West Coast road trip with no off day was always going to be a difficult task, but facing the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner in Tarik Skubal only made it more difficult for the Brewers. Skubal was sharp on Monday against the Brewers and only got better as the night went on. The Crew didn't have a base-runner until Rhys Hoskins broke up the no-hitter (and perfect game) in the fifth inning with a line drive-single to left field. With Skubal receiving four runs of support from the Detroit Tigers' offense in the first two innings, this one was essentially over before a third of the game had been played.

Relief does not appear to be on the horizon for the Brewers, who travel back to the West Coast to face the San Francisco Giants for a four-game set following this weekend's home series against the Athletics. Although the Giants have yet to announce their starters for that series, their ace, Logan Webb, is scheduled to pitch Friday night, which puts him on schedule to start either game three or four of the series against the Brewers.