Brewers hit 3 HRs, beat Tigers 5-1 to take series
Milwaukee hit three home runs on its way to a 5-1 win over Detroit on Wednesday afternoon to take two of three in the series.
Christian Yelich got the hit parade going in the third inning with a solo shot, his fourth of the season, to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. Rhys Hoskins would follow that in the fourth inning as he hit a two-run homer -- his second in as many games. Then Sal Frelick found a pitch he liked in the sixth and knocked it out for his first long ball of the season.
All of it was plenty for a Brewers pitching staff that limited the Tigers to just .. runs over the final two games of the series. On Wednesday, it was Jose Quintana's turn, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing just the one run on four hits to improve to 2-0 on the year.
Milwaukee's bullpen held Detroit in check the rest of the way, including a spotless eighth inning from Jared Koenig.
The Brewers have now won four of their first six series of the season to sit 10-9 on the year. After a day off Thursday, they will welcome in the A's for a weekend series at American Family Field.
The Camp: Tough injury news for Kevin Heywood, two transfers leaving already, actual positives from spring ball
It's been a tough couple days on the news front for Wisconsin. Zach and Jesse dive into Kevin Heywood's likely season-ending injury, the departures of two recent transfer portal additions, some positives from the last couple of practices and the commitment of 3-star QB Ryan Hopkins.
Wisconsin loses starting LT to season-ending injury
Wisconsin has likely lost its starting left tackle for the 2025 season.
Sophomore Kevin Heywood went down with a leg injury last Thursday and needed help getting off the field. Coach Luke Fickell told reporters Tuesday morning that Heywood had suffered a torn ACL, would be getting surgery and will miss the upcoming season.
"That's one that is going to be really difficult and tough," Fickell said. "But it's also part of the game. We've been fortunate up front the last two seasons to have those guys prepared and be able to last through a season. Now we're going to have to figure out how we're going to manage some of that, move some guys around and expect some other guys to step up."
Heywood was slated to takeover the left tackle spot held by Jack Nelson the last three seasons. He had played in all 12 games last year as a true freshman and was lining up with the first-team offense all spring.
In his absence, Vanderbilt transfer Leyton Nelson has been working with the starting group. He missed all of last year with a knee injury of his own. Fickell also mentioned redshirt freshman Emerson Mandell as someone that needs to step up, while not ruling out moving junior Joe Brunner from left guard to left tackle.
Wisconsin will return to the field on Thursday for practice No. 12 of spring. The Badgers will hold their Spring Showcase on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
Wisconsin lands commitment from 3-star QB
Wisconsin has its quarterback for its 2026 recruiting class.
Ryan Hopkins (Santa Ana, CA) announced his commitment on Sunday night, making him the fifth player in the class so far.
https://twitter.com/Hayesfawcett3/status/1911588663797969260
The 6-foot-3. 195-pound Hopkins is a three-star recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite. He's ranked as the No. 29 quarterback in the country and the fifth-best in the state of California.
Hopkins was in town for spring practice earlier this month and had an official visit scheduled for May 30. He chose the Badgers over offers from Missouri, Kentucky, Michigan State and others.
With his commitment, Hopkins joins a class that features DL Carmelow Reed, WR Tayshon Bardo, CB Carsen Eloms and OL Benjamin Novak.
The Swing: Season recap, reacting to the transfer portal additions and departures
Wisconsin's season came to an end two weeks ago. Since then, the roster has undergone an extensive revamping that is still ongoing. Zach and Jesse return to talk about how the season ended but spend most of the time discussing the comings and goings from the transfer portal and what still needs to be done heading into next year.
https://youtu.be/No8At_4jobI
Wisconsin Basketball Portal Tracker
Even before a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament last month, Wisconsin coach Greg Gard knew he was going to need to remake his roster. Not only was he losing six seniors, the Badgers were also likely to lose several of their players to the transfer portal, which did end up happeing. It meant Gard had a number of open scholarships to pursue replacements, which he has done.
Here is a look at the guys coming and going for the team so far.
JOINING THE PROGRAM
F Austin Rapp (3 years of eligibility)
Former school: Portland
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
2024-25 stats: 13.8 pts, 6.5 rebs, 2.5 asts, 35.2% 3P
Accolades: 2024-25 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, WCC All-Freshman Team
https://twitter.com/BadgerMBB/status/1908641289488236636
G Andrew Rohde (1 year of eligibility)
Former schools: Virginia/St. Thomas
Hometown: Brookfield, Wis.
2024-25 stats: 9.3 pts, 4.3 asts, 2.9 rebs, 41.3% 3P
Accolades: 2022-23 Summit League Freshman of the Year, All-Summit League First Team
https://twitter.com/BadgerMBB/status/1909035865470353529
G Nick Boyd (1 year of eligibility)
Former schools: San Diego State, Florida Atlantic
Hometown: Garnerville, N.Y.
2024-25 stats: 13.4 pts, 3.9 asts, 2.9 rebs, 35.1% 3P
Accolades: 2024-25 All-Mountain West Second Team
https://twitter.com/NicholaswBoyd/status/1909320862832247246
LEAVING THE PROGRAM
F Xavier Amos (1 year of eligibility)
2024-25 stats: 3.5 points, 1.8 rebounds (37 games)
New team:
https://twitter.com/Evan_Flood/status/1909330359034298584
G Daniel Freitag (3 years of eligibility)
2024-25 stats: 0.1 points, 0.2 asts (14 games)
New team:
https://twitter.com/DanielFreitag_/status/1906740242914418888
F Chris Hodges (1 year of eligibility)
2024-25 stats: 0.1 points (15 games)
New team:
https://twitter.com/MarkStewartMJS/status/1907494105799635120
G Camren Hunter (1 year of eligibility)
2024-25 stats: 0.3 points 0.5 rebounds
New team: Central Arkansas
DECLARE FOR NBA DRAFT WITH OPTION TO RETURN
G John Blackwell (2 years of eligibility)
2024 stats: 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists
https://twitter.com/_Johnblackwell1/status/1907875902228255157
The Camp: Spring practice thoughts, position battles, listener questions
Wisconsin is nearly halfway through spring practice. Zach and Jesse discuss what they've seen through seven practices, including several interesting position battles on the offensive side of the ball. They also tackle a ton of listener questions, including whether the Badgers make a bowl game, the position group that could take the biggest jump and more.
https://youtu.be/OO_V1vXFnh8
Wisconsin guard John Blackwell declares for the NBA Draft
Wisconsin is facing the prospect of replacing four of its five starters next season after guard John Blackwell declared for the 2025 NBA Draft on Thursday.
Blackwell intends to maintain his college eligibility and said he plans to play for the Badgers if he returns to college for another season.
https://twitter.com/_Johnblackwell1/status/1907875902228255157
After a solid freshman season, the 6-foot-5 Blackwell emerged as Wisconsin's second-leading scorer this past year and served as the team's main ball handler. The sophomore from Michigan averaged 15.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.1 rebounds and dishing out 2.8 assists. He was even better in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 19 points against Montana and 21 against BYU.
Blackwell has the ability to go through the NBA Draft process and then decide whether to keep his name in or return for his junior season.
https://twitter.com/BadgerMBB/status/1907874976612405524
The Camp: Badgers back from spring break, in-state recruiting
Wisconsin was back from spring break on Tuesday as the team held practice No. 5 of spring. Zach and Jesse discuss what they saw, including a notable position change, what's different about the offense, some young guys making plays, the size along the defensive line and more. They also get into 3-star OL Gavin Meier's comments about the Badgers and why he chose Minnesota instead.
https://youtu.be/MUV-r2brb3E
Brewers get routed by Kansas City in home opener
Milwaukee's ugly start to the season continued Monday in the home opener with an 11-1 loss to Kansas City to drop to 0-4 on the year.
Getting the start on his birthday, Elvin Rodriguez was greeted rudely by the Royals. They scored three runs in the first inning, including a two-run single from Hunter Renfroe. Maikel Garcia would add another run in the second with a solo home run. Rodriguez settled in after that, eventually going four innings and allowing six hits along with those four runs.
Salvador Perez led off the seventh with a home run -- the 17th the Brewers have given up in the first four games of the year -- as Kansas City scored six more runs in that frame.
All of the offensive firepower wasn't needed because Milwaukee's offense was inept for a third time in four games. Only a Jackson Chourio RBI double in the seventh kept the Brewers from being shutout in front of a sold out crowd.
Kris Bubic got the win for the Royals, going six innings, allowing no runs on three hits and striking out eight.
The Brewers have now been outscored 47-15 through the first four games of the season.
Milwaukee will look for its first win of the season on Tuesday as the two teams matchup again at American Family Field. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.
