Cardinals, Brewers Split Wild, Evenly Matched Opening Series

First series of the year, the Morris Drive Classic. I kinda love that this has become a tradition. Obviously it's easy enough to schedule, but it's also just a nice way to break in the new cards. Last year, the Classic was my first series in KPSL, and it was my way of getting my ears wet playing strat consistently again. That one could have gone better. But 2025 was 2025. Things were different then. Heliot Ramos could still hit lefties then. Times have changed.

Going into this season I had a slight expectation for the Brewers, mostly that we'd be better than last year and potentially even a surprise competitor. My dad also had an expectation for his Cardinals, that they'd improve on last year and cross the threshold on the strength of a full year of Paul Skenes. With one series, the picture's slightly clearer for both of us. Or maybe it isn't.

Regardless, the Cards and Brewers matched each other well this series, trading paint and ending in a split, with barely any time to take a breath. Here now the writeup:

Game 1: Cardinals 6, Brewers 5 [F/13]

W: Andrew Kittredge

L: Jimmy Herget

Yeah. 13 innings. Game 1. 

The most incredible part of this game, a game where I scored 3 more runs than I thought I would, is that the first inning featured the Brewers unloading on Paul Skenes. You read that correctly. I looked at Skenes' card, it's ridiculous. I prepped for this series with the idea that if anything was going to happen, it'd need to happen on my card, as Skenes wasn't gonna allow me any decency. Yet in that first inning, Kyle Stowers singled aoard, Isaac Paredes hit into a 2-base error, Drake Baldwin sac'd Stowers home and Wilmer Flores, a guy I was inches from cutting until I saw his clutch ability, marked a new year by homering in his first at-at of 2026. It was 3-0 after 1, which means I'd somehow managed a lead against Paul Skenes.

I knew there was a chance it'd get away from me, though, for two reasons. One: the Cardinals are built to knick leads away, and they did here. Against Carlos Rodon, who gave up 7 hits and 4 ER despite a blistering 9 Ks, the Cardinals found some ways to get ahead, with a 2nd inning RBI double from Austin Hays, a 3rd-inning solo shot from Freddie Freeman and a 4th inning RBI double from Tyler Freeman [no relation to Freddie]. Here's where I mention that, in a series of perpetual average weather, Todd rolled a ballpark single on William Contreras and rolled the two that it required, the only such case all series. The other reason was that, well, Paul Skenes was starting. I managed basically nothing against him after inning 1. Some singles in inning 6, a sneaky Matt McLain double in inning 7. One more RBI knock from Tyler Freeman in the sixth broke the tie and made it 4-3.

Once Skenes left, with a few runners on, I could actually sneak ahead with a Jackson Chourio 2 RBI single, and once it was 5-4 I used the bullpen to coast. My bullpen's way better this year, and this game proved it, with personnel like Victor Vodnik, Anthony Bender, Kyle Finnegan and Daniel Palencia allowing 0 runs. In the ninth, looking at a win, I put on the new closer, Jhoan Duran, when I could have kept Anthony Bender on. We'll never know what would have happened with Bender on, but with the Durantula, the contact parade from Alec Burleson, Harrison Bader and Masyn Winn tied things up again. It was 5-5 at the end of regulation, and despite several close calls, it remained that much until 13. Todd had some fun with substitutions, even having Kevin Gausman run for a bit. Every close call fell apart.

Finally, with Jimmy Herget on, a Jorge Mateo sacfly brought Liam Hicks home, and Randy Vasquez was able to shut down the top of the Milwaukee order [including Stowers, who failed to show up when I needed him] to FINALLY...end Game 1.

An absolute scorcher. Completely exhausting. And that was just game 1.

Game 2: Brewers 5, Cardinals 4 [F/11]

W: Jimmy Herget

L: Randy Vasquez

The first one went to 13. This one went to 11. Like I said, two really evenly matched teams.

This was Matt Boyd's first start in the KPSL, and while it wasn't pretty, it does establish why he was drafted so high. Through 6, he gave up 8 hits, 3 runs [2 of them earned] and struck out 6. Even 2025 Erick Fedde got hit harder than that. The Cards managed a lot of small stuff, like a Freddie Freeman RBI double, a Willson Contreras sacfly...and eventually a Freddie Freeman homer in the 5th [he really hated me this series]. 

The Brewers were a little flashier against Brandon Woodruff, who at the very least struck out 9. The third inning began with Jackson Chourio's first homer of the season, then continued with Drake Baldwin's first homer of the season [on a HR 1-3;out 4-20 roll, which I rolled a 2 on]. In the 6th, after a wild pitch brought Xander Bogaerts to 2nd, Heliot Ramos joined the party with his first homer of the year. The lead lasted about 5 seconds, as Christian Yelich pinched in the 7th and took Anthony Bender yard, making it yet another tie game. And once again, both bullpens were rock-solid [and slightly less exhausted] to bring the game to extras. I'd like to personally shout out Daniel Palencia for getting us out of some very close calls, and ensuring the game wasn't blown.

The game ended very simply- bottom 11, Randy Vazquez was on again, and Pedro Pages came up to start the inning. The new catching addition made it quick, and took one out to end it there. Before I even figured Baldwin would be a possibility, I knew I needed someone like Pages to improve my catching situation, and this was why.

Game 3: Cardinals 3, Brewers 2

W: Ryne Nelson

L: Ben Lively

SV: Raisel Iglesias

Simple one, this, mercifully. My team simply could not do anything off of Ryne Nelson. Literally just a J.P. Crawford sac in the 4th. That's it. Nelson, through 7 and a third, was absolutely sharp, with 5 Ks, and only two hits allowed: a Chourio triple in the 4th and an Eli White double in the 8th. This was not the game I was expecting for the lineup to be completely stymied. The Skenes game I'd give you, but not this. Well done.

Ben Lively honestly wasn't terrible in opposition, but he was still responsible for 2 runs in the 2nd on contact moments from Masyn Winn and Tyler Freeman, and he got another run home thanks to some base-loading in the 5th. Lively is here, despite his small sample size and AL card, because he can keep runs in play, and for the next 4 starts I am fine with that. 

Aside from one last RBI from Nick Fortes late after Nelson had already paved the way, the Brewers didn't really have much more to add here. The heart of the order keeled over and died against Raisel Iglesias with 3 straight Ks. Eeeeesh.

Game 4: Brewers 8, Cardinals 1

W: Sonny Gray

L: Brady Singer

Clobbering Singer was something I was prepared to happen, but Sonny Gray having the best start of the series? Absolutely not. I've made this clear, I got Gray for the innings and the K upside, and I'm stomaching the black ink. Obviously it's not 2020 anymore, or even 2024, but the guy can still be a big game pitcher and he's got tons of innings. This game justified the trade. I gave up Jordan Beck for this guy, and he made it feel like a bargain.

Gray's line, after 6: 4 hits, no walks, 2 strikeouts. The sole run was the first batter of the day, an immediate solo shot to T.J. Friedl. Everything else was manageable. It came down to two factors. Firstly my defense, which should be shocking. Big plays came down to defenders such as Wilmer Flores, Heliot Ramos, Blaze Alexander and J.P. Crawford, and there was no bloodshed. I've made it clear that this is a much worse defensive team than last year, and yet everybody pitched in to back up Sonny. Didn't think it was possible but I was grateful. The other factor was Todd's rotten rolling. SEVEN RUNNERS LEFT ON throughout the game, not even including a guy who got caught stealing. Everyone in position to advance a runner just could not get the job done.

Alright, time to talk about the Brewers' offense. Against Brady Singer these guys had some fun. First inning, J.P. Crawford has an RBI triple followed by a Kyle Stowers RBI double. Third inning, Blaze Alexander [the other piece of the Jordan Beck deal] had to step in for Isaac Paredes, who's out for the next 2 [he had a dismal series], and he blasts a homer. Fifth inning, after Matt McLain got caught thrown out at home [one of two times that happened to me this game], J.P. Crawford smashed a 2-run bomb to soften the blow. The fun went on after Singer left, with Pedro Pages and Heliot Ramos having RBI's off of Randy Vasquez, clearly the loser for the Cards this time around. When all was settled, J.P. Crawford finished the day a double away from a cycle, Chourio had a 3-5 day at the plate, and Palencia and Bender finished the job. 

What a win. I didn't think this combination of the team could make it happen, and against a righty, but they nailed it. 

Both teams start the season 2-2, and trudge forward with a clearer sense of their own abilities. For Todd, this series came with the possibility that the team's just not as good as it may have looked on paper. For me, this series came with the possibility that despite obvious flaws, this team can still win close games and curate blowouts. It could happen. You never know.