BrewersRaptor Brewers Recap: Wins Are Bigger Against Texas

Let’s start with one of the most random things to happen this week for the Brewers. Someone on Facebook kind of called Milwaukee getting Dallas Keuchel. On Sunday afternoon, there was a post in a Brewers Facebook group (the 7^th circle of Hell, in most cases) saying that the Brewers should go get Keuchel from the Mariners.

The only issue? His idea of who the Crew would send back to the Mariners.

It was a great call, but the overall trade proposal was hilariously bad. In that way, it was a perfect encapsulation of sports fandom on Facebook. Instead of their starting shortstop and an impending $150-million man, Keuchel cost the Brewers cash considerations. As much as people give Adames a hard time for his cold streaks, he always produces. Does he lead all National League shortstops in RBIs since he’s joined the Brewers? Of course he does. Adames is the lifeforce that keeps this team together. And as much as it will stink that the team will lose him to free agency, it’s also ok to enjoy the time that we have with a special player. He's not going anywhere.

But back to Keuchel. He was able to be traded, join the team, meet with the media and then start the Wednesday day game against the Texas Rangers. It definitely wasn’t anything pretty, but it was a solid starting point for him with the team. He went four innings with eight hits, one walk and five earned runs. He did have five strikeouts, and even a shutdown first inning. It was not a great start, but the Brewers need starting pitchers, and beggars can’t be choosers.

He isn’t in his prime, but Keuchel has 264 MLB games under his belt, with a 103-92 record, 1,243 strikeouts and a career ERA of 4.02. Basically, think of him as this year’s Julio Teherán. He doesn’t have to be perfect; he just needs to improve a little bit. Being a fifth or sixth starter should come with normal expectations.

Robert Gasser and Joe Ross both hit the 60-day injured list. Jakob Junis is back, but right now only doing long relief. Freddy Peralta (thankfully) is getting past his string of bad starts, and Colin Rea is bae, lending the team a bit of stability. There is plenty of time before the trade deadline to grab an arm or two, and that’s what makes this next month so great: an All-Star Game followed by three weeks of trade rumors and fun in the middle of summer. But the starting rotation does need to be upgraded. I am sure the front office is well aware that a rotation of Peralta, Rea, Tobias Myers, Bryse Wilson and Keuchel would probably lead to another early playoff exit. We’ve had enough of those, right?

Highlights From Rangers Series
It was a busy week for the Brewers. Trading for Keuchel was a huge part of it, but let’s not forget the other great things that happened.

Christian Yelich stole his 200^th base. This comes weeks after hitting his 200^th home run. What a season he is having. He’s probably going to be an All-Star once again, and I love every second of it. Seeing Yelich back at this level, after having to deal with fans hating on him, demanding a trade or DFA, and even witnessing fans yell threatening words at him, makes me very happy. Those two-and-a-half seasons must have been torture for him. When Christian Yelich is good, the Milwaukee Brewers are usually good, too.

Jackson Chourio now has two Little-League home runs in eight days. Only one of them counted as an inside-the-park homer, but what an amazing feat for him.

Over his last 20 games, Chourio is hitting .312, has an OPS of .866, and is hitting the ball really hard. It’s almost like we needed to give a 20-year-old rookie more than two months in the big leagues to start figuring it out. I would like to thank Cubs fans for going so hard after him that he magically started to improve, while they have gone 13-27 since May 13.

The Brewers have also had three grand slams in five days. Are they still struggling a lot with runners on base or in scoring position? Yes, and it still needs to be worked on. But they are getting lots of men on base, which is a very good thing. Milwaukee fans have been so used to a below-average offense and an elite pitching squad that it truly is jarring sometimes that it’s now the opposite, just one season later. When some players dip, others pick up and help the offense. Have you noticed that Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelick are heating up? Well, you should.

The Injury Bug Striking Again?
The only huge concern right now for the team is how many more injures they can sustain until something breaks. It seems like William Contreras is still not 100% after taking that hit last Sunday. He had some solid moments during the Rangers series, but is still batting only .154 the past seven games. Hopefully, a monster Cubs series will change that.

Garrett Mitchell might have suffered another setback in Nashville yesterday. He left the game after grabbing his left hamstring. A few folks mentioned that his diabetes might be the reason he can’t stay healthy. I was a little offended by those comments, but then actually did some research and indeed, it's a thing that can happen. It does take a little longer to heal from injuries. Mitchell has had a string of bad-luck injuries, and I really hope he can re-join the team this year, sooner rather than later.

Joey Ortiz also left the game with a stiff neck yesterday. Pat Murphy said he’s been dealing with it since the Angels series and that it shouldn’t be anything serious. He also took quite a hit against the tarp on the third-base line yesterday. The only good thing to come of it? Andruw Monasterio replaced him and ended up bringing in the winning run in the 10^th inning on Wednesday afternoon. It was quite a moment for him and something I am sure he needed as well after a very slow start to 2024.

And now it’s time to keep the momentum going. Craig Counsell and his struggling Cubs return to Milwaukee again, and the Brewers need to keep their foot on the gas pedal. Their offensive output is helping their average rotation, and it’s been a blast to watch baseball this year. Another sweep would be perfect.

Be good people, and Go Brewers!