First place feels good.
The unofficial first half of the season is over and your Milwaukee Brewers are in first place! They are 59-39 and 4 games up on the Reds with a 74.4% to make the postseason and a 4.3% to win World Series. 4.3% seems small, but is better than nothing!
This first half has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. The Brewers have had stretches of good baseball, bad baseball, and downright terrible baseball. They started off hot going 16-10 in April. They had some big wins against playoff teams, including a sweep of the Padres and taking 2 of 3 from the reigning world champs. Life was good for Brewer fans.
Then the month of May happened. May was brutal for the Crew. They went 13-15 and were swept by the Phillies and Royals. This rough stretch prompted the front office to make a shocking trade. They sent two reliable arms to Tampa for a young shortstop and reliever. Willy Adames was the shot in the arm the team needed. He immediately fit in with the team and has quickly become a fan favorite and team leader.
The results of the trade were evident when the Brewers turned the season around and went 19-8 in June. Just for fun, they threw in an 11 game win streak to give them the division lead and more!
This team is not perfect in any way. They have some areas that definitely need improving on if they plan for a deep postseason push. In the upcoming days, I will highlight some areas that need to be improved. For now, I want to enjoy the All-Star break and reflect on some positives about this team.
This team can pitch!
It is no secret that the Brewers have one of the more dominant rotations in baseball. I wrote yesterday about the big 3 we have at the top of the rotation. If you have not checked that out yet, please take a minute to read that.
The Brewers have the fourth-best rotation ERA and the sixth-best overall ERA in baseball. Their pitching has been the main reason they are in the first place. The Brewers starters have the second-highest WAR among starting staffs. That is higher than the Dodgers, Mets, and the Giants.
Craig Counsell has been great at finding ways to give his starters extra days of rest, often utilizing a six-man rotation. Keeping these arms rested will benefit them once it comes time for the playoffs.
We give the top of the rotation a lot of love, and deservedly so. However, we also need to appreciate what we get from Anderson, Lauer, and Houser. They have each pitched well enough to give Counsell confidence in starting them.
Houser has started 16 games for the Brewers and he is 5-5 with a 3.74 ERA. His ERA is only slightly worse than that of the Dodgers number 3 starter, Julio Urias. Granted, ERA is not the only stat to measure the success of a pitcher. When it comes to throwing his sinker, he is able to record the 4th most outs with it. That is why we see him throwing that pitch almost 52% of the time. That is up significantly from last season. In 2020, he threw his sinker only 43.7 % of the time. This chart from Baseball savant shows how he has changed his pitch usage over the past few seasons.
Eric Lauer is also having a decent season, especially against the NL West! The Brewers have been able to use him out of the bullpen and as a starter. He has pitched in 12 games and started in 9 of them. On the season, he is 3-4 and has a 3.83 ERA.
As Brewer fans, we are spoiled. We see the greatness of Woodruff, Burnes, and Peralta every five or six days. They are obviously on a different level than the rest of the rotation, but this rotation as a whole is so good, and consistently keeps us in games. Now if only our offense could score a few runs, that would be great! But, let's remain positive!
The Front office is willing to make trades.
The Brewers got a jump on the trade market early in the season. They traded for Adames and Richards. This move alone possibly saved the season for the club. They were scuffling and losing in all sorts of ways.
This team looked lost and it was discouraging. The front office knew how special this team could be in the postseason. We have the arms to make a run. They just needed to get there. Instead of just sitting back and hoping for the season to work itself out, they took the initiative and made a deal with the Rays. Yes, they gave up two relievers that meant a lot to this team. That is the cost of doing business, especially so early in the season.
I say all that because this team is a good bat away from being dangerous. I am not talking about another project player, along the lines of a Rowdy, or a Vogelbach, and nothing against those guys. I want them to pick up a hitter who knows how to make contact.
Of course, they could use another reliever. Every team in playoff contention could always use extra arms. Especially after a short season last year. Fatigue will eventually kick it.
Of course, they could use another reliever. Every team in playoff contention could always use extra arms. Especially after a short season last year. Fatigue will eventually kick it.
I know this front office will make moves. That is what they do. They are not afraid to make a trade and then make another one if that doesn’t work out. We saw that with the Arcia trade and the Adames trade. The front office knows they have a window to compete, and I expect them to fully take advantage of it.
Enjoy the All-Star game!
The Home Run Derby was absolutely phenomenal. Those involved put on an absolute show. The game is full of young talent, and that is great for the sport. I am excited to watch the All-Star games and see our players represent our amazing team!
Forget about first place, wild cards, and all the stress that will come in the next few months. Do yourself a favor. Pause and take time for a mental break. Enjoy the beautiful sport that is baseball. I know that is what I plan on doing. Enjoy, and always, Go Brewers!