If you like messy baseball, this week’s three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the surprising Milwaukee Brewers is the series for you.
On Tuesday, tensions between the two teams erupted into a bench-clearing brawl that led to four suspensions. Somehow, the Brewers found time to pull out an 8–2 victory—turning the tables on the Rays after they shut out Milwaukee 1–0 Monday.
In Wednesday’s series finale, the hijinks continued. Late in the game, umpires asked Brewers pitcher Thyago Vieira to change his glove—seemingly oblivious to the fact that Vieira had used the same glove in the previous night’s game.
Milwaukee’s announcers on Bally Sports Wisconsin speculated that the change was due to the coloring of the removed glove, and chuckled at the fact that Vieira replaced it with a garish yellow one.
Tensions flared between Chicago White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham and Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras during Sunday's matinee after Pham was thrown out at home in the bottom of the eighth inning on a play that wasn't particularly close.
There was a moderate collision between Pham and Contreras at home plate, and the Brewers catcher appeared to bark some superlatives at the veteran outfielder after slapping the tag on him to end the inning.
Whatever Contreras said did not sit well with Pham, who looked back toward Milwaukee's dugout and eventually needed to be restrained by his teammates as he shouted in the direction of Contreras.
“Nah we ain’t taking that from the Brewers. I don’t care how many Ls we got this year”
Ultimately, not much came of the situation, though Pham didn't hold back when asked about the moment by reporters after the 6–3 defeat.
"One-run ball game, close play at the plate—actually it wasn't even f–ing close... Third base coach sends you, you gotta go. I'm nailed out at home by a mile, I'm going to the dugout and I hear the tough guy with all the 'hoorah' sh–. I'll never start anything but I'll be prepared to finish it.
"There's a reason why I do all kinds of fighting in the offseason. Because I'm prepared to f– somebody up," Pham said.
“There’s a reason why I do all kinds of fighting in the offseason… because I’m prepared to f*** somebody up.”
Tommy Pham didn’t hold back on his play at the plate with William Contreras 👀
Pham endured a frustrating day at the plate, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk. The White Sox fell to 15–45 following Sunday's loss, the worst record in MLB.
In a stark departure from his usual form, Chicago Cubs rookie pitcher Shota Imanaga allowed seven earned runs to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday and struck out only one across 4 ⅓ innings. It was the first time the lefty allowed more than three runs in a start this season and his ERA "ballooned" to 1.96 as a result.
That could be good for bettors.
Entering Wednesday's game, Imanaga was the odds-on favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year award at -125, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Thursday morning, his odds were +105.
Imanaga has been the heavy favorite for the award for some time now, and this move to plus money could be a chance to grab some value on the rookie.
More importantly, this uncharacteristic start highlights the volatility of backing pitchers for the award.
Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes has the next-best odds for the award at +210 at DraftKings. Olivia Dunne's boyfriend has been lighting up the gun with a fastball that averages 99.3 mph and a max velocity of 102 MPH. He has a 2.25 ERA and a 21-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 16 innings pitched in three starts.
While the velocity is impressive, there is risk to backing Skenes. Not only could his pitching style potentially be more conducive to injury, like a player he's compared to, former Cy Young award winner Stephen Strasberg whose rookie season was cut short for Tommy John surgery, Skenes plays for a team that is not expected to win many games. Skenes could be a generational talent, but I will wait to pull this ticket until there's better value.
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto has the next-best odds at +650, followed by another Pittsburgh starter, Jared Jones, at +1300.
Milwaukee Brewers third-baseman Joey Ortiz has the shortest odds among hitters at +1500, well ahead of teammate Jackson Chourio (+5000), who entered the season as a favorite.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Things quickly became heated on the field Tuesday night in the eighth inning of the Milwaukee Brewers' 8–2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
To lead off the eighth, Rays outfielder Jose Siri grounded out to first base. While Siri jogged to first, Brewers reliever Abner Uribe appeared to have some words for the 28-year-old. Siri chirped back.
Despite umpire Phil Cuzzi's best efforts to separate the two players, Uribe and Siri exchanged blows, with Uribe throwing the first punch over Cuzzi’s shoulder to connect with Siri’s helmet. Both the Brewers and Rays benches cleared, and chaos ensued from there.
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) May 1, 2024
When the dust had settled, Siri and Uribe both were ejected. Hoby Milner took over on the mound for Uribe, and the Brewers cruised to finish off their 8–2 win.
Tensions between Siri and the Brewers began earlier in the game. After Siri crushed a solo homer in the third inning, Milwaukee starting pitcher Freddy Peralta hit him with a 95.2-mph fastball in his next at-bat in the sixth. Home plate umpire Chris Guccione ejected Peralta and Brewers manager Pat Murphy after that play.
MLB likely will hand out suspensions for Uribe and Siri, among others, on Wednesday. The Brewers and Rays will wrap up their three-game series Wednesday at 1:10 p.m. ET.
