It Took Almost Two Full Innings for the 2026 Brewers to Announce Themselves

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Chase Meidroth did his level best to assert the seriousness of the 2026 White Sox's improvement. He took Jacob Misiorowski deep to lead off the game Thursday, putting Chicago ahead 1-0, and Shane Smith pitched out of trouble in the bottom of the first to keep the score that way. Even as that was all happening, though, you could feel it coming. Once Meidroth's homer woke him up, Misiorowski went about mowing the visitors down ruthlessly. In the bottom of the second inning, though, the Crew really reminded the baseball world who they are.

It started innocuously. Smith struck out Jake Bauers to begin the second, and got ahead of Sal Frelick 0-2. Then, Frelick simply refused to help him get to the end of the at-bat. He took four straight pitches outside the zone and trotted to first base. Smith was ahead of David Hamilton, too, but the new third baseman fouled off two two-strike pitches and then reached via catcher interference. It was typical Brewers scrappiness, and it didn't have to lead anywhere, really, but inevitably, it did. Smith wobbled, walking Garrett Mitchell in a non-competitive at-bat, and suddenly, the home team had the bases loaded and the crowd buzzing.

Catcher Edgar Quero did everything he could to thwart the Brewers and their relentlessly patient approach. He challenged a first-pitch call of a ball low and away, and got his second overturn in as many innings. Smith then came up and in on Ortiz, though, and Ortiz—with the same inside-out swing he used to hit many similar balls last year—poked a flare over the slightly drawn-in infield and into shallow right, for a game-tying single. Smith recovered admirably, then, as he and Quero found the edge of the plate to which his command was stronger (the first-base side) and conspired to strike out Brice Turang. Because Turang worked the at-bat well, though, it took another six pitches to get that out.

Up came William Contreras, with the bases still loaded and two outs. Smith had a bit of confidence and control back, but he was also tiring out there. Even in the middle of the season, an inning in which a hurler throws 30-plus pitches is rare and troublesome. Smith was already at 30 pitches for the frame when Contreras stepped into the box. On a 1-1 pitch, Quero earned what looked like another huge, pivotal strike, with another astute challenge on a pitch that nipped the outside corner. Contreras stayed in the fight, though, and ended up in a 2-2 count, waiting on Smith's 36th offering of the inning.

Smith and Quero had the right idea. They went to a right-on-right changeup, one of the few reliable ways to get Contreras out in such a situation. That pitch has to be well-executed to work, though, and with the workload piling up too fast for a game in late March, Smith made a mistake. Contreras was all over it, lining the left-up change into the left-field corner for a bases-clearing double that virtually settled the game, then and there. Smith's day was over, and the rout was on. Milwaukee went on to win 14-2.

This is what the Brewers do. They force mistakes, and then capitalize on them. No team in baseball is more opportunistic, even though (or, perhaps, because) no team in baseball is more patient. Smith threw a pitch it would have been a crime not to smash, but hitters miss their pitch all the time. Contreras didn't. For that matter, Smith didn't throw that pitch simply out of incompetence. The Brewers had worn him down over the course of the inning. They earned their moment, then seized it. In just the fourth half-inning of the season, it was a lovely microcosm of what has made them great for years, now. It also served as a declaration to the rest of the league: there will be no reprieve in 2026.

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[csbysam]

Team has me hot and bothered.

[BarremlensTSSC]

Lots of fun today!

[Snoebird]

"One of these pitches will decide the game," I said to myself when Contreras started working the count. That was such a Brewers rally. 

[Jake McKibbin]

The catchers interference is so Brewers. Stolen base attempt in a pressure situation, rookie catcher overreaching. Just building pressure and creating tension amongst the defense

[SF70]

Watching this team play games that count has me convinced this roster is better than last year’s roster and in every way. I know it’s only one game, and it’s against one of the worst teams in baseball, but —

• having a lineup of mostly 3rd to 5th year players reaching their prime-aged performance years is the biggest reason this will be an improved team. Experience matters, development matters and this team has it now.

• starting pitching depth is the best in team history. Organizationally it’s absurd. Upper-minors is loaded. Yes it’s inexperienced outside of Woodruff, but they have the numbers to protect from the inevitable injuries ahead and those numbers should also allow them to settle on a good starting 5-6.

• what team in this game has a deeper or stronger bullpen?

• what team has a better FO, Manager or coaching staff?

• what team has a deeper and or better farm system that can fix weaknesses that pop up throughout the season?

With average health, this team is one of the best teams in baseball and can absolutely win a WS championship THIS year.

[Snoebird]

4 hours ago, SF70 said:

Watching this team play games that count has me convinced this roster is better than last year’s roster and in every way. I know it’s only one game, and it’s against one of the worst teams in baseball, but —

• having a lineup of mostly 3rd to 5th year players reaching their prime-aged performance years is the biggest reason this will be an improved team. Experience matters, development matters and this team has it now.

• starting pitching depth is the best in team history. Organizationally it’s absurd. Upper-minors is loaded. Yes it’s inexperienced outside of Woodruff, but they have the numbers to protect from the inevitable injuries ahead and those numbers should also allow them to settle on a good starting 5-6.

• what team in this game has a deeper or stronger bullpen?

• what team has a better FO, Manager or coaching staff?

• what team has a deeper and or better farm system that can fix weaknesses that pop up throughout the season?

With average health, this team is one of the best teams in baseball and can absolutely win a WS championship THIS year.

The Brewers weren't in a position last year to pull up budding talent from the minors late in the season. But that has changed dramatically. Teams usually feel uncomfortable facing a pitcher for the first time. Given what the Brewers will have in Nashville and the balanced MLB schedule, they could be springing a lot of new faces on their opponents. Mark Attanasio said in a Q&A that 28 is the age curve the team works around. And as long as the developmental staff is doing its job, we can enjoy young athletes doing their jobs meticulously.