New York Yankees vs. Milwaukee Brewers: Luis Severino vs. Colin Rea

After dropping last night’s series finale against the Tigers in humbling fashion, the Yankees still have yet to sweep consecutive series this season. Their longest winning streak remains at five, which would be the first time since 2014 that the team failed to record a winning streak of at least six games. That’s in the past however, and the Bombers can back in the win column tonight hosting the first place Brewers in the first of three games at the Stadium.

I applaud the Yankees for giving Luis Severino a full runout of starts, allowing him to build a platform of late-season success as he heads into his first taste of free agency this winter (it’s not like a playoff run is realistic anyway). He looked like he was turning things around, with consecutive scoreless starts pitching into the seventh against the Nationals and Tigers, but he wasn’t as lucky against the far more potent Astros offense last time out. He’s been plagued by the long ball, giving up a career-high 22 in 85.1 innings — one more than his mark of 21 in 193.1 innings in 2017. In 18 appearances, Severino is 4-8 with a 6.75 ERA (64 ERA+), 6.18 FIP, and 74 strikeouts in 85.1 innings.

Colin Rea is in his second stint with the Brewer after shuttling between Milwaukee and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of NPB over the last three seasons. The 33-year-old right relies heavily on a three-fastball mix of sinker, cutter, and four-seamer, throwing each over 20 percent of the time. Despite operating in the low-90s, his four-seamer has bedeviled hitters all year, holding them to a .141 average and .282 slugging, likely on account of all three fastballs looking similar out of the hand yet displaying divergent movement profiles. In 21 appearances, Rea is 5-5 with a 5.07 ERA (86 ERA+), 5.13 FIP, and 91 strikeouts in 104.1 innings.

The Yankees continue to shuffle the kids in and out of the lineup. Jasson Domínguez maintains his hold on the three-spot while Oswald Peraza continues to man third. Austin Wells reclaims his spot behind the dish after getting last night off while it’s Everson Pereira who has his name called for a day off. Oswaldo Cabrera takes his spot in left while Jake Bauers spells Giancarlo Stanton in right.

The Brewers lineup also boasts rookies in the debut seasons. Center fielder Sal Frelick has hit the ground running with a 110 wRC+ in 36 games while fellow rookie Brice Turang has been slower to hit his stride with a 62 wRC+ in 115 games. Mark Canha has been their hottest hitter since his deadline move from the Mets, with a 132 wRC+ in 31 games as he walks almost as much as he strikes out. Despite being far from the heights of his MVP-level seasons, Christian Yelich is always a threat in the box and has been much better than recent years. However, it’s William Contreras who leads the team as a four-and-a-half win players bringing above-average offense and defense behind the plate.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES — NYY / Bally Sports Wisconsin — MIL

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

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