Yelich, Hiura NL’s hottest duo since All-Star break

Christian Yelich and rookie Keston Hiura have been the hottest duo in the National League since the All-Star break.

The Milwaukee Brewers teammates have a combined 49 hits since the break, four more than any other tandem in the NL.

Yelich is in the middle of another MVP-caliber season and has been hitting .377/.441/.705 with a 1.146 OPS and five home runs in 15 games since the break.

Hiura, however, has taken things to another level since rejoining the Brewers.

He’s hitting .441/.507/.864 with a 1.372 OPS and four home runs since the break and leads the NL with 26 hits and nine doubles over that span.

But while Yelich and Hiura have had a huge month at the plate, Oakland A’s center fielder Ramon Laureano has been right there with them.

Laureano ranks second in the majors with a 1.281 OPS in July, while Yelich ranks fourth with a 1.185 OPS and Hiura ranks fifth at 1.176.

MLB – Highest OPS since July 1

Yelich and third baseman Mike Moustakas have thrived early in games this season.

Moustakas has the third-highest slugging percentage in the majors during innings 1-3 at .727, while Yelich ranks sixth at .662.

They could struggle to keep that trend going against A’s starter Chris Bassit. The right-hander has allowed three home runs in his last two starts on the road, but has been much sharper in Oakland.

Bassit has allowed just three home runs in seven starts at home, facing 173 batters over that span, for a home run percentage of just 1.7%, fourth in the American League this season.

Other notes:

— Strikeouts have been hard to come by for both pitching staffs since the break. The A’s are averaging a combined 6.43 strikeouts per nine innings over that span, the fewest in the majors, while the Brewers are just behind at 7.46 K/9.

— Brewers right-hander Adrian Houser is starting for the first time since July 15, when he allowed eight hits and four runs in six innings against Atlanta. He’s been much better as a reliever, with a 1.47 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and a .180 opponent batting average in 17 appearances.

— The A’s have hit 86 home runs at home and allowed just 52, the largest such differential in the majors this season at plus-34.

— The Brewers have scored three or more runs in each of their last 12 games, the second-longest streak in the majors.

— Oakland and Milwaukee haven’t met since 2016. The A’s have shined in interleague play over the past two seasons, going 17-11 (.607), the fourth-best record in MLB since 2018.

Statistics via Sportradar