The Milwaukee Brewers are set to welcome the New York Mets to town this weekend, in what will be a key battle for positioning in the National League. This is the second of two series between the teams, as the Mets took two of three against the Brewers in New York to start July.

The Brewers have been red-hot, as they’re coming off a perfect six-game road trip against the Nationals and Braves, making them the first team in MLB to reach 70 wins. The Mets, meanwhile, have been up-and-down since the All-Star break, losing their first two games, winning their next seven, and losing eight of their last nine leading into this series. They’re now 63-52 on the year, 2.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and three games ahead of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot.

Milwaukee’s injured list includes a few key bats in Jackson Chourio, Rhys Hoskins, and Jake Bauers, all of whom are expected to return in the next month or so. Deadline acquisition Shelby Miller could be activated ahead of this series, while fellow pitchers Jacob Misiorowski, Rob Zastryzny, and Robert Gasser are all expected to return before the end of August as well.

For New York, pitchers Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill (younger brother of Trevor) are both expected to return in August, while pitchers Max Kranick, Drew Smith, Dedniel Núñez, Griffin Canning, A.J. Minter, Christian Scott, and Danny Young are all out for the season. Infielder Nick Madrigal is also out for the year, while outfielder Jose Siri and supervillain Jesse Winker are both targeting September returns.

Christian Yelich continues to set the pace with 21 homers for Milwaukee, while William Contreras, Sal Frelick, and Brice Turang have all been solid recently. The rookie combo of Isaac Collins and Caleb Durbin has also been great, while new addition Andrew Vaughn is hitting an insane .377/.444/.701 with seven homers and 28 RBIs across 22 games with Milwaukee. Blake Perkins and Joey Ortiz round out the regulars on offense, with Danny Jansen, Brandon Lockridge, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Seigler primarily coming off the bench. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .257/.330/.398 (.728 OPS ranks 12th) with 114 homers (22nd), 570 runs (sixth), and 128 steals (second).

The trio of Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor leads the New York offense, as those three are all atop the team’s home run leaderboard with 20-plus each. Brandon Nimmo is fourth on the team with 19 homers, while Brett Baty, Jeff McNeil, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Alvarez, Starling Marte, Tyrone Taylor, Luis Torrens, and deadline acquisition Cedric Mullins round out the squad. As a team, the Mets are hitting .239/.318/.404 (.722 OPS ranks 13th) with 140 homers (10th), 501 runs (15th), and 91 steals (ninth).

Milwaukee’s bullpen has looked like one of the best in the business since the team’s hot streak started at the end of May, with Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, Jared Koenig, Grant Anderson, Nick Mears, Aaron Ashby, and DL Hall all playing key roles. Shelby Miller’s addition should add even more help, while “backfillers” Easton McGee and Rob Zastryzny have also been solid. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.62 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.35 starter ERA (second) and a 3.97 reliever ERA (15th). They’ve struck out 988 batters (seventh) over 1014 1/3 innings.

New York’s bullpen is led by closer Edwin Díaz, who has bounced back after a rough season to sport a 1.41 ERA with 23 saves and 67 strikeouts over 44 2/3 innings this year. Reed Garrett leads the team with 48 appearances, while Ryne Stanek has struggled to a 5.03 ERA despite 45 appearances. Deadline additions Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers are both in high-leverage roles, while Gregory Soto (another deadline acquisition), Brooks Raley, and Justin Hagenman round out the bullpen. As a staff, the Mets have a 3.67 team ERA (sixth), including a 3.63 starter ERA (sixth) and a 3.77 reliever ERA (10th). They’ve struck out 983 batters (10th) over 1022 innings.

Friday, August 8 @ 7:10 p.m.: Brandon Woodruff (2.22 ERA, 3.32 FIP) vs. Kodai Senga (2.31 ERA, 3.89 FIP)

Big Woo has been great through five starts since his return from injury, with a 2.22 ERA, 3.32 FIP, and 37 strikeouts over 28 1/3 innings. The Brewers have won all five of his starts, as he’s 3-0 on the season. His last appearance was an 8-2 victory over the Nationals, a game where he went six frames, allowing two runs on a walk and a homer with eight strikeouts. In three career starts against the Mets, he’s 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 16 1/3 innings.

Senga, in his third season with the Mets, has been great when healthy, but he’s had issues staying on the mound over the last couple of years. In 17 starts this season, he’s 7-3 with a 2.31 ERA, 3.89 FIP, and 86 strikeouts over 89 2/3 innings. The Mets have won each of his last eight starts, which means either his or Woodruff’s stretch of wins will come to an end. His last start was a short one, as he went just four innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in a 12-6 win over San Francisco. His only start against Milwaukee came in 2023, when he went five innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight in a no-decision.

Saturday, August 9 @ 6:10 p.m.: Logan Henderson (1.78 ERA, 2.99 FIP) vs. TBD

Henderson has now made five starts in the majors, returning to the team after Jacob Misiorowski hit the IL last weekend. He picked up right where he (and Miz) left off, going 4 1/3 innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts against the Nationals. He’s allowed one or fewer runs in four of his five starts (and just two runs in the other), earning three wins and striking out 33 batters over 25 1/3 innings. This is his first career start against the Mets.

For New York, this spot belongs to former Brewer Frankie Montas, but the team has reportedly been “noncommittal” about his role moving forward as he’s struggled this season with a 6.68 ERA, 5.07 FIP, and 29 strikeouts through seven starts (33 2/3 innings). If this does end up being Montas, he’s coming off two of his worst starts yet, allowing 12 runs on 15 hits and four walks over 8 1/3 innings between losses to the Padres and Giants. In three career starts against Milwaukee, he’s 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 11 strikeouts across 13 1/3 innings.

Sunday, August 10 @ 1:10 p.m.: Quinn Priester (3.15 ERA, 4.01 FIP) vs. Sean Manaea (3.52 ERA, 3.55 FIP)

Priester just keeps winning, as he’s now 11-2 on the season with a 3.15 ERA, 4.01 FIP, and 93 strikeouts over a career-high 114 1/3 innings. His last start was another great one, as he allowed just one run (a solo homer on the first pitch of the game) while striking out four across seven innings in a 3-1 win over the Braves. His only start against New York came back in 2023 while with the Pirates, a game where he allowed six runs and struck out three over five innings while taking the loss.

Manaea, 33, is in his 10th MLB season and second with the Mets after spending the first eight years of his career with three different California teams. In five games (four starts) this year, he has a 3.52 ERA and 3.55 FIP, close to his 2024 numbers of 3.47 and 3.83, respectively. He’s struck out 25 batters across 23 innings. His last start was his worst of the year, as he allowed five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in an extra-innings loss to the Guardians. In five career appearances (four starts) against Milwaukee, Manaea is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA and 24 strikeouts across 23 innings.

Friday, August 8: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network

Saturday, August 9: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network

Sunday, August 10: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, Telemundo Wisconsin, and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network

This is a tough, tough series, and it’ll really come down to which side of this streaky Mets team shows up. Let’s hope they stay cold for at least one more weekend. I’ll take the Crew to win two of three.