The Blue Jays have a chance to get back to .500 for the first time since the end of April, locking horns with the NL Central division-leading Milwaukee Brewers for three games at American Family Field.

The Crew are 18-10 at home this season, coming off a series win that saw them take two in Detroit last weekend. Despite trading their ace Corbin Burnes and losing their manager Craig Counsell to the rival Chicago Cubs this past offseason, the Brewers have led the NL Central for most of the campaign.

Let’s take a look at what’s worked for them this season.

Monday, June 10th, 8:10 EST: Jose Berrios (5-4, 2.80 ERA) vs Colin Rea (4-2, 3.53 ERA)

Tuesday, June 11th, 8:10 EST: Yusei Kikuchi (3-5, 3.48 ERA) vs TBD

Wednesday, June 12th, 2:10 EST: Chris Bassitt (6-6, 3.80 ERA) vs Tobias Myers (2-2, 4.15 ERA)

The Brewers are 10th in overall team ERA (3.79), with that number dropping when it comes to their starting pitching (4.18, 17th). They have had 11 different pitchers log starts for them, with the only truly dependable option being their emerging ace in 28-year-old Freddy Peralta. The Dominican right-hander has spun a 3.95 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, punching out 92 batters in 70 2/3 innings. The Jays are not slated to face Peralta this week.

Monday’s starter will be Colin Rea, the next most consistent starter for the team, who has pitched around low strikeout totals (just 44 in 63.2 innings) to log a respectable 3.53 ERA on the season. Some regression may be in store, as the 33-year-old owns a 4.58 FIP entering play this week.

Milwaukee has had terrible luck with injuries in their rotation, with Joe Ross, Wade Miley, DL Hall, and most recently Robert Gasser missing time. That makes Tuesday’s starter a mystery, with Carlos Rodriguez potentially getting the nod after reportedly being called up to the big leagues by the Brewers (he still needs a 40-man spot).

On Wednesday, rookie righthander Tobias Myers makes his eighth start of the year and will look to build on his career-best outing last Friday against the Tigers, where he punched out five enroute to an eight-inning one hitter. All told, Myers has been just okay for the Brew Crew this year, but will likely continue to be leaned on going forward.

Perhaps the team’s biggest strength this year has been its bullpen, ranking sixth in team ERA entering play this week (3.34). Despite their elite closer Devin Williams being hurt all year, a cast of characters have filled in admirably to make up this surprisingly effective pen.

Trevor Megill has stepped into the closer’s role, converting 9 of 10 chances with a 2.12 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. He has also punched out 24 batters in 17 innings, as his stuff has played well in the 9th inning of games. The most effective reliever for the team has been 6-foot-8 left-hander Bryan Hudson, who has only given up four runs in a bullpen-high 35 innings on the year (1.03 ERA). His 42 strikeouts and 8 walks also point to continued success going forward. Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason, Hudson has been one of the best stories for the team all year.

Hoby Milner, Joel Payamps, and Jared Koenig have rounded out this relief core with solid numbers, as the team will likely require more innings going forward with the lack of depth in the starting rotation. This unit will likely get a huge boost when Williams returns at some point in the second half of the season.

A big part of why the Brewers are in first place is their surprising offense, which ranks sixth in the Major Leagues in team OPS (.739). They’ve been led by All-Star catcher William Contreras and his .851 OPS, who appears poised to start for the National League again this year. Contreras was acquired in a three-team trade that sent Sean Murphy to the Braves in 2022, a deal which the Brewers appear to have easily won.

Christian Yelich has been hitting just about as well as he has since his 2018 MVP year, with an OPS of .921 to go along with 10 steals on the season. A lower back strain in April has limited him to just 39 games but he is still among the team leaders in most offensive categories.

Another bright spot has been young infielders Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang. Ortiz was the main piece acquired from the Orioles in the Burnes trade, and appears to be a long term starter for Milwaukee in the future. The third basemen has almost as many walks (25) as strikeouts (31), slashing .284/.379/.467 so far on the year. Turang has been the club’s primary second basemen, getting on base at a .369 clip so far this season. Speed is the calling card for the former first round pick, with his 23 steals trailing only Elly De La Cruz on the Major League leaderboard. Perhaps more impressively, he’s only been caught stealing one time on the season.

If you were told before the season that the Brewers would have a top ten offense, it would be fair to assume that uber prospect Jackson Chourio had been a big part of it. That hasn’t been the case so far, as the Venezuelan outfielder has struggled to a .601 OPS, and appears likely to be sent down to triple-A at some point soon to regain his footing.

The Brewers have been a well-rounded team this year that has received surprising contributions on offense and in the bullpen. The good news for the Blue Jays is that they won’t have to battle with Peralta this series, and will face three mostly underwhelming starters. With the starting pitching advantage in all three games, there’s a good chance that the team can return home to Toronto with a winning record.