The former NL/current AL Astros will take on the former AL/current NL Brewers for the first of three games - the only three times the Astros will play the Brewers this season, and the next, and the next - this weekend. Tonight's first pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm Central time. Unlike in 2008, this game in Milwaukee will be a road game.
The Brewers currently employ a number of former Astros on their 40-Man roster: Chris Carter, Domingo Santana, Jonathan Villar. On Milwaukee's Double-A team in Biloxi are Brett Phillips, Josh Hader, and Jacob Nottingham.
The Astros have not played the Brewers since 2013, when Jordan Lyles and Hector Ambriz got the wins in a 2-1 inter-league series win. These were the only games the 2013 Astros won all season long on their march to a 2-160 record, and the successful drafting of Brady Aiken.
The Brewers are coming off a 2-1 series loss to the Giants in which they were outscored 17-8 (helped by a 12-3 Opening Day loss). They will send Wichita Falls native Chase Anderson to the mound. Anderson was acquired from the Diamondbacks in the January 2016 trade that sent Jean Segura and Tyler Wagner to Arizona for Anderson and Aaron Hill.
In 2014, Anderson became the first pitcher since Jered Weaver in 2006 to win each of his first five MLB starts.
The only current Astro that Anderson has faced is Carlos Gomez, who is 1x6 with a double, 3K:0BB against him.
The Astros send Scott Feldman to the mound to face the Brewers. He hasn't pitched against the Brewers since 2013, of course, but he has faced a few Brewers individually.
Aaron Hill: 5x24, HR
Ryan Braun: 2x6, 2B, HR
Jonathan Lucroy: 0x5
Chris Carter: 2x4, HR, BB
Feldman will be making his first regular season start since getting shut down on September 1. The Astros were 8-10 in his starts in 2015, though he was on the wrong end of three one-run losses after the All-Star Break, including an August 24 start at New York in which he threw eight shutout innings in a 1-0 loss.
The Astros lead the all-time series 127-112.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
