Brewers’ rejuvenated offense takes aim at Max Fried, Yankees

Hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski will look to benefit from the Milwaukee Brewers’ rejuvenated offense against the visiting New York Yankees on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

Misiorowski (2-2, 2.84 ERA), who left his last start with a right hamstring cramp after 5 1/3 hitless innings, will be opposed by left-hander Max Fried (4-1, 2.39).

The Yankees rallied for a 9-2 victory over Texas on Thursday with a six-run sixth inning to finish their homestand 6-1. Cody Bellinger had three hits to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez was carted off after crashing into the wall while making a catch on the first play of Thursday’s game. Dominguez sustained a low-grade left AC sprain in his left shoulder and will be placed on the injured list, the team announced. Concussion tests have been negative.

Milwaukee, which was idle Thursday, won at St. Louis 6-2 on Wednesday behind Andrew Vaughn’s three-run homer. It was his first homer since coming off the injured list.

The Yankees, tied for the best record (26-12) in the majors with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, have won 16 of their last 19 games. Bellinger is hitting .471 (16-for-34) over his nine-game streak with seven doubles, two triples, two homers and 14 RBIs. Aaron Judge leads the majors with 15 homers, including three in his last five games.

Fried allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start, but did not get the decision in an 11-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. In his two starts prior to that, he did not allow an earned run over a combined 14 innings.

“I was happy with being able to limit and not give up the lead, especially when stuff started kind of going sideways,” Fried said following his last start.

Fried is 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA in six career starts vs. Milwaukee.

The Brewers, whose 24 homers are just one ahead of San Francisco for fewest in the major leagues, have been bolstered by the return of Vaughn and Jackson Chourio.

Chourio, who went on the injured list Opening Day morning with a fractured left hand, is 6-for-9 with three doubles in two games back.

Chourio hit 21 homers with 78 RBIs last season after 21 homers and 79 RBIs as a rookie in 2024. Vaughn, who also went on the IL with a fractured bone in his left hand after playing in the opener, had nine homers and 46 RBIs in 64 games with the Brewers last season after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox.

“He’s done those types of things for us in the past, and it’s great to have him back and in just his second game having that type of impact,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of Vaughn following Wednesday’s game.

Misiorowski was dominant his last time out with eight strikeouts and two walks in a 6-1 win at Washington, retiring the final 12 hitters before cramping. He had 43 pitches of more than 100 mph, third most in the pitch-tracking era.

Misiorowski has 59 strikeouts in 38 innings, an MLB-best 13.97 per nine innings. Opponents are batting .172 against him. He will be facing the Yankees for the first time.

The meeting is the first since the Yankees swept last season’s opening series in New York, outscoring the Brewers 36-14.

–Field Level Media