Your 2025 NL Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers are heading west for their final road series of the season, as they’ll take on the San Diego Padres for three games beginning Monday evening. With the magic number down to just three for MLB’s No. 1 seed, both of these teams still have a lot to play for.
The Padres, currently at 85-71, are on the verge of clinching a postseason berth. They remain in the hunt for the NL West crown, trailing the Dodgers by three games with six games left to play—although the Dodgers hold the tiebreaker. Meanwhile, the Brewers, who boast the best record with one week remaining, are grappling with significant health concerns.
### Injury Report and Roster Updates
Brandon Woodruff was placed on the Injured List on Sunday with a right lat strain, marking another postseason setback after the Brewers lost him just before the playoffs two years ago. While he is technically eligible to return for the postseason, his prognosis does not look promising at this time. Other potential returns include Trevor Megill, DL Hall, Logan Henderson, and Jose Quintana.
Unfortunately, pitchers Shelby Miller, JB Bukauskas, and Connor Thomas, as well as outfielder Garrett Mitchell, are done for the year. On the Padres side, shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been out since late August with a foot fracture but could potentially return for this series. Former Brewer Nestor Cortes is sidelined with biceps tendinitis but might be back in time for the playoffs. Joe Musgrove, Jason Adam, and Jhony Brito are all out for the rest of the season. Reliever David Morgan is expected to come off the injured list later this week, recovering from shoulder inflammation.
### Offensive Leaders and Team Stats
Milwaukee’s offense is led by Christian Yelich, who is just one home run shy of 30 for the season after recently surpassing 100 RBIs. Jackson Chourio is two steals away from another 20-20 season, while Brice Turang needs two home runs to join him in that elite category. William Contreras is currently day-to-day with another hand injury but is expected to be on the field for this series.
Supporting the offense are Sal Frelick, Rhys Hoskins, Caleb Durbin, Isaac Collins, Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, Andruw Monasterio, Joey Ortiz, Blake Perkins, and Danny Jansen. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .261/.334/.408 with a .742 OPS (ranked 11th), 163 home runs (tied for 20th), 790 runs scored (third), and 159 stolen bases (second).
The Padres’ offense is powered by Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis. Machado boasts 26 home runs, 93 RBIs, and 87 runs scored, while Tatis has contributed 23 homers, 66 RBIs, 108 runs, and 32 steals. Other notable contributors include Gavin Sheets, Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, and Ramon Laureano. The rest of the lineup features Freddy Fermin, Elias Diaz, Luis Arraez, Ryan O’Hearn, Jose Iglesias, Will Wagner, Mason McCoy, and Bryce Johnson.
San Diego collectively is hitting .252/.321/.388 with a .709 OPS (18th), 142 home runs (29th), 665 runs scored (19th), and 105 steals (tied for 17th).
### Bullpen Breakdown
The Brewers’ bullpen is anchored by Abner Uribe, who holds a 1.74 ERA with 88 strikeouts across 72 1/3 innings. Jared Koenig, Nick Mears, and Aaron Ashby have shared most of the other high-leverage innings with Megill sidelined. Additional bullpen arms include Grant Anderson, Erick Fedde, Tobias Myers, and Rob Zastryzny, with Bruce Zimmermann, Chad Patrick, Robert Gasser, and Jacob Misiorowski providing flexibility as both starters and relievers.
Collectively, Milwaukee’s pitching staff has a 3.62 team ERA (second-best in MLB), including a 3.54 ERA from starters (second) and a 3.73 ERA from relievers (10th). They have racked up 1,378 strikeouts (fifth) over 1,387 2/3 innings.
San Diego boasts arguably the best bullpen in baseball, led in appearances by Jeremiah Estrada (3.47 ERA, 104 strikeouts in 70 innings). Adrian Morejon has posted a 2.04 ERA over 70 2/3 innings, while closer Robert Suarez has earned 40 saves in 45 chances with a 3.06 ERA. Mason Miller, acquired at the trade deadline from the Athletics, has been dominant with a 0.86 ERA and 39 strikeouts across 21 innings. Wandy Peralta, Yuki Matsui, Kyle Hart, Ron Marinaccio, and Bradley Rodriguez round out the Padres’ bullpen.
Their staff features a 3.68 team ERA (third), with starters at 4.14 ERA (18th) and relievers at 3.08 ERA (first). They have amassed 1,367 strikeouts (seventh) over 1,377 innings.
### Probable Pitchers
**Monday, September 22 @ 8:40 p.m.:**
Freddy Peralta (2.65 ERA, 3.61 FIP) vs. Nick Pivetta (2.81 ERA, 3.49 FIP)
Peralta continues his compelling bid for the NL Cy Young Award, despite much of the attention going to Pirates’ Paul Skenes. Over 31 starts, Peralta leads the league with 17 wins, posting a 2.65 ERA, 3.61 FIP, and 195 strikeouts in 169 2/3 innings. After a shaky outing against the Rangers, he rebounded nicely with 10 strikeouts and one run allowed against the Angels. In six career appearances (three starts) against the Padres, Peralta is 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 22 innings, including six shutout innings with three strikeouts in a June no-decision.
Pivetta has also had a strong season, with a 2.81 ERA and a slightly better 3.49 FIP. The former Phillie and Red Sox right-hander has a career-high 185 strikeouts in 176 innings. In his last outing, he pitched 4 2/3 innings against the Mets, giving up three runs with five strikeouts. However, in four career starts against Milwaukee, Pivetta is 1-3 with a 9.95 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 19 innings.
**Tuesday, September 23 @ 8:40 p.m.:**
TBD vs. Randy Vasquez (3.94 ERA, 4.98 FIP)
The Brewers have not yet announced a starter for Tuesday’s game due to Woodruff’s injury. With Robert Gasser and Chad Patrick recently pitching over the weekend, Bruce Zimmermann or Tobias Myers are the most likely candidates. Zimmermann, a former fifth-round pick, has gone 10-7 with a 4.11 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 138 innings at Triple-A Nashville. He has 38 MLB appearances (27 starts) with the Orioles and a 5.57 ERA over 158 1/3 innings but would be making his Padres debut.
San Diego has also yet to name their starter. Randy Vasquez is the probable choice, coming off a tough appearance against the Mets where he allowed four runs in just 2 1/3 innings. Vasquez owns a 3.94 ERA with 109 strikeouts over 125 2/3 innings this season. He has made two prior starts against Milwaukee, allowing zero runs and striking out five in 9 2/3 innings, including 4 2/3 shutout innings in June.
**Wednesday, September 24 @ 3:10 p.m.:**
Quinn Priester (3.25 ERA, 4.08 FIP) vs. Dylan Cease (TBD ERA/FIP)
Priester’s dominant stretch of starts that have led to Brewers wins continues. In his last outing, he went 5 2/3 innings with two runs allowed and 10 strikeouts in a win over the Angels. For the season, Priester is 13-2 with a 3.25 ERA, 4.08 FIP, and 128 strikeouts across 152 1/3 innings. His only career outing versus San Diego was in 2023 with the Pirates, where he pitched 5 1/3 innings with four runs and four strikeouts.
Dylan Cease will start for the Padres. At 29, Cease is having an off-year compared to his Cy Young and MVP-caliber 2023 campaign, partly due to some bad luck—his 3.64 FIP is a full run better than his 4.64 ERA. He has struck out 207 in 163 innings, making it five straight seasons with 200+ strikeouts. His last start saw six innings pitched, four runs allowed on four hits and three walks, with six strikeouts. Against Milwaukee in three career starts, Cease is 1-1 with a 3.67 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.
### How to Watch
– Monday, September 22: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB Network
After the Padres eked out a 2-1 series win in Milwaukee back in June, expect the Brewers to fight back hard. With Peralta and Priester on the mound, look for Milwaukee to take two out of three games on the road.
https://www.brewcrewball.com/series-previews/71897/series-preview-brewers-padres-pitching-probables-peralta-pivetta-zimmermann-vasquez-priester-cease