Kyle & Brust

ESPN Wisconsin
ESPN Wisconsin
  • 4.7 (91)
  • Football
  • Updated Daily

All Pack. All Nonsense. 2023 WBA Young Professional of the Year Kyle Wallace and Former Badger and Radio Ink 30 Under 30 awardee Ben Brust team up.

  1. 13h ago

    2PM: Brewers Miss Their Chance to END IT & Now Game 4 Changes Everything

    The 2PM hour of Kyle & Brust reacts to the Brewers’ 4-3 Game 3 loss in San Diego, and while Kyle remains confident, Ben can’t shake the feeling that Milwaukee let a golden opportunity slip away. The Brewers finished with 11 hits and repeatedly fought back, but went just 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position for the series. Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell and Brice Turang have especially struggled, combining to go 2-for-24 with 13 strikeouts over the last two games. Kyle still sees plenty of reasons for optimism. San Diego emptied the tank to stay alive, using high-leverage arms aggressively, and still barely escaped with a one-run victory. Milwaukee continued battling until the final out, and Kyle believes that resilience is exactly why there’s no reason to panic with Robert Gasser starting Game 4. But both guys agree the pressure changes if the Padres force the series back to Milwaukee for a winner-take-all Game 5. The guys also tackle Milwaukee’s ugly streak of 12 consecutive road playoff losses. Ben argues Tuesday actually gave him more confidence the streak can end because the Brewers produced 11 hits and remained within one swing of changing the game. And even if things go sideways again in San Diego, Milwaukee has the ultimate insurance policy waiting at home: Jacob Misiorowski in Game 5. Plus, Matt Lepay joins the show to explain why postseason baseball might be the most mentally exhausting sport to follow, with fans suddenly living pitch to pitch after a 162-game season. Lepay predicts the Brewers-Padres series ultimately reaches Game 5 before shifting to the Badgers, where he identifies Wisconsin’s aggressive, rapidly improving defense as the emerging identity of Luke Fickell’s team.

  2. 13h ago

    3PM: Packers Are on LIFE SUPPORT & Kyle Somehow Believes Again

    The 3PM hour of Kyle & Brust starts with a wild Brewers debate: should Jacob Misiorowski be available out of the bullpen to close out Game 4? Kyle would consider unleashing Miz with a multi-run lead to finish San Diego for good, while Will wants absolutely no part of risking Milwaukee’s Game 5 ace. With Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, Aaron Ashby and the rest of the bullpen available, Will argues Miz shouldn’t even put his cleats on unless the Brewers need him Friday. That turns into a larger argument about Kyle’s undying faith in Pat Murphy. Even after Dustin May showed signs of losing his command in Game 3, Kyle refuses to second-guess Milwaukee’s manager and proudly embraces being a “Murph sheep.” Ben and Will push back, arguing that a decision working out doesn’t automatically make it the correct decision. Kyle’s response is simple: after back-to-back franchise-record seasons, Murphy has earned the benefit of every doubt. Then somehow, Kyle’s Packers optimism begins regenerating. He calls Sunday against Chicago the “life support game” and believes a loss to a Bears team starting Tyson Bagent would leave Green Bay essentially flatlined. But after seeing the offensive line finally become functional against Tampa Bay, Kyle believes Jordan Love could be on the verge of operating a real offense again. Ben and Will remain skeptical, especially with Chicago bringing one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks against a Packers defense missing Edgerrin Cooper. And why doesn’t Packers-Bears feel like Packers-Bears this week? Kyle says it’s not because Wisconsin is distracted by the Brewers. It’s because the Packers have been bad enough that fans finally don’t have the confidence to talk trash. The Brewers have become Wisconsin sports fans’ safe haven from four weeks of frustrating Packers football, even as Kyle begins convincing himself that Green Bay can climb out of the garbage and save its season Sunday.

  3. 14h ago

    4PM: Brewers Need Their Stars to WAKE UP & Is This Still a World Series Team?

    The 4PM hour of Kyle & Brust asks whether Milwaukee’s offensive struggles against San Diego have changed how confident anyone should be about a potential World Series run. The Brewers are up 2-1 despite scoring just three, four and three runs through the first three games and leaving plenty of opportunities stranded. Ben sees reasons for optimism after Milwaukee produced 11 hits in Game 3, but Kyle worries the same problem that haunted previous Brewers playoff teams, the bats disappearing in October, is beginning to creep back into the picture. That puts the spotlight squarely on Brice Turang and Jake Bauers. Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and Christian Yelich have delivered important moments, but Kyle says Milwaukee cannot reach its ultimate goal without getting more from the hitters who helped carry the offense during the regular season. Turang especially needs a breakthrough after his postseason struggles, and the guys believe the Brewers could be one big Turang performance away from the NLCS. Then Willingly Useless finally provides something useful: the Packers are beginning to bring some real heat to Bears week. Karl Brooks says the teams simply don’t like each other, Tucker Kraft says he’ll let his pads do the talking and Evan Williams delivers the strongest message, dismissing Chicago’s talking and warning that none of it will stop anyone from “getting hit in the mouth” Sunday. Kyle loves seeing Williams embrace a bigger leadership role with Edgerrin Cooper gone and believes Green Bay desperately needs more players carrying that edge. Plus, Homer joins the show and refuses to lose an ounce of faith in Milwaukee after three incredibly tight games. He believes the Brewers will simply “find a way” to win a third game, whether it happens tonight or in Game 5. Homer also sees encouraging signs from Yelich and Turang and argues Milwaukee shouldn’t change the approach that produced 103 wins just because a few hard-hit balls found Padres gloves Tuesday night.

  4. 1d ago

    2PM: Packers-Bears HATE Is Back & Kyle Has ZERO Confidence in Green Bay

    The 2PM hour of Kyle & Brust turns its attention to Packers-Bears, and something feels very different this time around. Green Bay is a home underdog against Chicago for the first time in roughly two decades despite Tyson Bagent starting at quarterback. While Matt LaFleur insists Bears week is about the players, Chicago is openly embracing the hatred, with Luther Burden saying the Bears want to “beat them real bad and make them quit.” Ben wonders why Green Bay doesn’t publicly match that energy. Then Kyle does something almost unthinkable: he pleads the fifth when asked whether it’s more likely the Packers blow out Chicago or Chicago blows out Green Bay. After watching the Packers struggle through every game this season, Kyle admits his confidence has cratered. That sparks a full K&B Fam debate over whether LaFleur needs to inject more emotion into the rivalry or whether the players already understand exactly what Bears week means. Packers Hall of Famer Mark Tauscher joins the argument and sides with Ben on one important point: he prefers Ben Johnson’s approach because the “intensity gap was huge” last season. Tausch doesn’t need LaFleur or Jordan Love publicly talking trash, but he wants Green Bay’s locker room to carry some genuine anger after Chicago took the division and knocked the Packers out of the playoffs. For the first time in years, the Bears enter this rivalry emboldened, and Tausch says Green Bay needs to match that juice. But Tausch is much more optimistic about the actual football. He believes the Packers can beat Chicago and thinks the season’s ugly start has overshadowed some legitimate reasons for hope. Green Bay is still 2-2 after playing three road games, the offensive line is beginning to stabilize and Micah Parsons should eventually return. Tausch remains concerned about the run game and protection, but says he’s not worried about Jordan Love or Green Bay’s skill players and expects the team to improve as the season progresses.

  5. 1d ago

    3PM: Packers Fans DON’T Expect to Beat the Bears & Is Green Bay’s Season Already Cracking?

    The 3PM hour of Kyle & Brust starts with Are You Smarter Than Ben Brust?, where Ben survives a rough performance from returning contestant Kevin despite producing some spectacular answers of his own, including briefly identifying Minnesota and Wisconsin as countries. But once the trivia chaos ends, the show asks a question that would have seemed absurd for most of the last two decades: do Packers fans actually expect Green Bay to beat Chicago at Lambeau? Kyle’s answer is no. He believes Chicago has shown a legitimate offensive identity and the ability to win with backup quarterbacks, while Green Bay is still searching for answers everywhere. The Packers continue dealing with penalties, drops, late-game collapses and now the loss of Edgerrin Cooper. Kyle admits it feels bizarre to enter Packers-Bears without expecting Green Bay to win, especially with the game at Lambeau and Tyson Bagent starting for Chicago. The K&B Fam largely shares the pessimism. Callers question whether Green Bay can stop Chicago’s physical rushing attack, and the guys debate whether the Packers are glass half full or half empty at 2-2. Ben and Kyle land firmly on the pessimistic side after watching Green Bay repeatedly let inferior opponents hang around. The Packers rank near the bottom of the league against the run, and now they face a Bears offense averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game without Cooper available to provide the physicality Green Bay desperately needs. Plus, attention turns toward Brewers-Padres Game 3 and the mystery surrounding Dustin May. The guys debate whether Pat Murphy should hope for two innings, three innings or anything beyond that before turning things over to the bullpen. And Ben finally receives his punishment for abandoning Game 1 early: during the ESPN Milwaukee watchalong, he’ll be blindfolded whenever the Brewers are hitting. October justice has arrived.

  6. 1d ago

    4PM: Brewers Can END IT Tonight & Why Game 3 Sets Up PERFECTLY for Milwaukee

    The 4PM hour of Kyle & Brust goes all-in on Brewers-Padres Game 3 with Milwaukee one win away from returning to the NLCS. Ben dives into Dustin May’s surprising dominance against San Diego this season: across three starts, May has allowed just three earned runs over 22 innings with a 1.23 ERA and 0.59 WHIP. Kyle still wonders whether Robert Gasser would have been the better choice, but May’s history against the Padres and previous postseason experience provide plenty of reason to believe Pat Murphy knows exactly what he’s doing. And the matchup on the other side gives the guys even more confidence. Christian Yelich is 7-for-18 with two homers against Nick Pivetta, while Pivetta has struggled historically against Milwaukee and can lose the strike zone when things go wrong. Ben believes the Brewers’ patient approach can force him into another high-walk outing, while Kyle predicts Milwaukee’s offense is finally due to break through after scraping together enough runs to win the first two games. The confidence level gets borderline dangerous as Ben declares this could be the Jake Bauers game, Kyle predicts an offensive explosion and both refuse to let the suddenly 6-2 “Magic Phone” pick the game out of fear it could choose San Diego and poison the vibes. Plus, they debate whether Sal Frelick should get the start and what Murphy’s bullpen plan could look like if May only provides two or three innings. Willingly Useless brings some playoff gamesmanship as the Padres retaliate against Milwaukee by playing intentionally boring music during Brewers batting practice. The guys also discuss whether Jackson Chourio has even reached his ceiling yet, why an Atlanta upset of Los Angeles would dramatically improve Milwaukee’s World Series path and whether the Brewers have played their best postseason game yet. Spoiler: they don’t think they have.

  7. 2d ago

    2PM: Brewers REFUSE to Die & Packers Somehow Make a Win Feel Miserable

    The 2PM hour of Kyle & Brust celebrates a nearly perfect Wisconsin sports weekend, but there’s only one place to start: Jackson Chourio and the Brewers taking a 2-0 NLDS lead over San Diego. Milwaukee survived Jacob Misiorowski lasting only four innings Saturday and three errors Sunday, yet found a way to win both games. Kyle and Ben explain why this team’s resilience, bullpen and unwavering confidence under Pat Murphy have them believing the Brewers can legitimately win the World Series. And then there’s Chourio. The 22-year-old delivers another massive October moment, driving home the walk-off winner against Mason Miller and continuing to build his reputation as Milwaukee’s postseason star. The guys debate whether Chourio has become one of the new faces of Wisconsin sports and hear from fans about where Sunday’s finish ranks among their greatest Brewers memories. Unfortunately, Ben has some explaining to do. After spending months destroying Kyle for leaving a regular-season Brewers game early, Ben admits he left Game 1 of the NLDS in the eighth inning because he was hungover. Kyle immediately declares him the biggest Brewers fraud in Wisconsin, the K&B Fam suggests punishments and Ben desperately tries to reclaim whatever remains of his seamhead credibility. Then the Packers somehow turn a 17-14 victory in Tampa Bay into another reason for concern. Edgerrin Cooper is lost for the season, Green Bay again fails to close out a game and Kyle says the Packers now look like the worst team in the NFC North. With the Bears coming to Lambeau, even Kyle admits his faith in Matt LaFleur is disappearing. The contrast couldn’t be sharper: the Brewers enter crunch time believing they’ll find a way to win, while the Packers seem to enter the fourth quarter waiting for something to go wrong.

  8. 2d ago

    3PM: Brewers Have That TEAM OF DESTINY Feel & Jason Wilde on a Costly Packers Win

    The 3PM hour of Kyle & Brust stays locked into Brewers fever after Jackson Chourio’s latest October heroics. The K&B Fam wonders whether Milwaukee has officially become a team of destiny after winning two completely different games to take a 2-0 series lead. Even when Jacob Misiorowski was forced out early and Logan Henderson fell behind, the bullpen and lineup kept finding answers. Kyle and Ben also dive into the Mason Miller pitch-tipping conversation and explain why recognizing a pitcher’s tendencies is simply part of baseball. Brewers legend Nyjer Morgan joins the show and says Chourio’s walk-off was one of the most magical moments in franchise history. T-Plush explains why Chourio is operating on a different level at just 22 years old, why Milwaukee’s belief in one another separates this team and how Pat Murphy has created complete buy-in throughout the clubhouse. And Morgan is officially aboard the championship float, predicting the Brewers will be “raising a trophy.” Then Jason Wilde joins the show to make sense of a Packers victory that somehow felt like a loss. Edgerrin Cooper is out for the season, leaving Green Bay without one of its most dynamic defensive players after he recorded nine tackles, a sack and a huge interception against Tampa Bay. Wilde explains why Cooper’s absence could fundamentally change the defense and why Isaiah McDuffie simply cannot replace his field-tilting ability. There was at least one encouraging development: the offensive line finally looked better. Wilde praises Laken Tomlinson and Travis Glover, but cautions that Tampa Bay blitzed on only 17% of snaps after entering the game at 44%. So was Green Bay’s improvement real, or did Todd Bowles make life considerably easier for Jordan Love and the revamped line?

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All Pack. All Nonsense. 2023 WBA Young Professional of the Year Kyle Wallace and Former Badger and Radio Ink 30 Under 30 awardee Ben Brust team up.

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