Three of Milwaukee's Top Five Hitters Are Out and the Brewers Still Beat Miami in 10

The Milwaukee Brewers are playing without three of their top five hitters right now, and they're still finding ways to win. That's the silver lining heading into Saturday's middle game of their weekend series against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park, but don't mistake survival for strength. This offense is a shell of what it's supposed to be.

On the injured list: first baseman Andrew Vaughn (fractured left hamate), center fielder Jackson Chourio (fractured left hand), and designated hitter Christian Yelich (groin strain). Last season, Chourio and Yelich combined for 66 doubles, 50 homers and 37 steals. Vaughn was called up from the minors on July 7 and hit nine homers with 46 RBIs and an .869 OPS in 64 games. "It's a different offense without those three," manager Pat Murphy said bluntly. "Without three of our top-five hitters, we're not going to be as good." No kidding.

How Milwaukee Scraped Out Friday's Win

The Brewers beat Miami 7-5 in 10 innings on Friday without hitting a single homer. Three of those runs came after the ninth inning. Two were unearned. It's the kind of gutsy, grinding win that keeps you in games when your lineup is compromised, but Murphy knows this isn't sustainable.

Woodruff Takes the Ball Against Sandy Alcantara

Right-hander Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 4.32 ERA) gets the start for Milwaukee on Saturday. The 33-year-old has been a problem for Miami, going 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in six career starts against the Marlins. But there's a catch: injuries have wrecked his availability. From 2023 through 2025, Woodruff made just 23 starts total. His velocity isn't what it was during his All-Star seasons in 2019 and 2021.

Miami counters with Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 2.67 ERA), the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner. Alcantara is 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA in seven career appearances against Milwaukee, including five starts. He posted a dominant 0.74 ERA over his first three starts this season, but his most recent outing was rough: an 8-2 loss to Detroit where he allowed seven runs on 10 hits in six innings, including three homers against reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. "I tried to do my best," Alcantara said. "I tried to go seven innings to give us a chance to win, but it didn't happen."

Miami's Mistakes Piling Up

The Marlins' strength is their middle infielders. Shortstop Otto Lopez (.983 OPS) and second baseman Xavier Edwards (.910 OPS) combined for five hits on Friday, including a homer and a triple by Lopez and a double by Edwards. "Otto has been on a good run the past 10 to 12 days," manager Clayton McCullough said. "(Edwards) controls his at-bats. The way he is impacting the baseball is encouraging."

But Miami shot itself in the foot repeatedly. The Marlins got three runners picked off or thrown out on the bases and made two errors that led to unearned runs. "We didn't help ourselves," McCullough said. "We have to do better and play cleaner from start to finish." Third baseman Graham Pauley left Friday's game with right oblique discomfort and his status for Saturday is uncertain.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.