The Brewers Are Still Competing Full-Throttle Down the Stretch. Can That Last Through October?

Last week at Wrigley Field, Pat Murphy made a rare admission to the media: in a close game, he made a decision that didn't maximize the Brewers' chances of winning. After hitting Andrew Vaughn for David Hamilton last Sunday against the Rangers, Murphy kept him in the game as the third baseman. That was a hit to the infield defense with Milwaukee trailing by three runs, but Murphy was thinking ahead to their first September series against the Cubs.

"I wanted to get him two at-bats, because I knew coming into the series he was going to get some at-bats," Murphy said. "Do I do that if I'm ruthless about winning every single game? Probably not. But I have to think of those things."

Murphy has to think ahead as a manager, but it's one of his least favorite parts of the job to discuss. Having cut his teeth as a coach in the uncertain and chaotic environment of college baseball, he believes you can't control much about the future. The best thing you can do is try your best to win the game in front of you. One of Murphy's most repeated mantras is "Win Tonight."

That means Murphy puts his chips on the table when he sniffs a potential win. He wants his best players on the field whenever possible. He doesn't push players to the point of immediate injury risk, but Murphy will wade into the gray area on workloads to win tonight.

The standings aren't changing his view—at least not yet. Milwaukee entered their final regular-season series against the Cubs with a seven-game lead over Chicago in the NL Central. According to FanGraphs, they had a 98.6% chance of winning the division. Still, Murphy has insisted repeatedly over the last several weeks that the Brewers cannot start thinking ahead about October ("We're not in the postseason yet," he cautioned before the Wrigley series). In fairness, there is still something to play for; securing baseball's best record would guarantee home-field advantage through the postseason.

On Monday, Murphy pitched Abner Uribe in a back-to-back outing while trailing by one run in the eighth inning, saying afterward that he considered it a high-leverage situation. On Tuesday, he kept Uribe off-limits and gave Jake Bauers a second straight maintenance day as he deals with shin splints. However, he also pitched Aaron Ashby for the sixth time in eight days and pinch-hit for Bauers in the fifth inning, so he played the second half of the game at first base.

As they often have, Murphy's more aggressive decisions paid off, at least in the short term. The Brewers notched comeback wins in both games, including Tuesday's particularly dramatic walk-off win. Even though neither meant much for the divisional standings – particularly after the Brewers secured the season series and postseason tiebreaker over the Cubs on Monday – both had a playoff-like atmosphere.

"Playing here and being close to Chicago and playing in Wrigley, it's always pretty crazy," DL Hall said. "But I think we just look at it like any other game, and we just play our game, no matter who's across the field in the other dugout."

For the Brewers, that means leaving everything on the field and refusing to quit. Redemption was the story of the night, as the key contributors behind the late-inning comeback were having unproductive nights, made mistakes earlier in the game, or both.

"We made some junior mistakes before that, but hung in there and [were] resilient," Murphy said of the eventual walk-off victory. "That's just kind of what you'd love to be part of, trusting your team and believing they'll keep coming back."

After Trevor Megill allowed two runs in the top of the ninth, the Brewers were down to their final strike. Christian Yelich battled back from an 0-2 count for a pinch-hit single, giving Jackson Chourio a crack at Cubs closer Jacob Webb.

The Brewers may have taken a lead to the ninth had Chourio not cost them a run on the bases an hour earlier. Trying to score from second on William Contreras's two-out single in the fifth, Chourio awkwardly slid feet first into the plate, trying to swipe home plate with his left hand. He jammed his thumb and was tagged out on a tag he should have beaten, even if it was a great throw by Seiya Suzuki.

"He's got a lane to slide in. You hope he's safe there," Murphy said. "Feet first at the plate, I just don't like it."

He made up for it in the ninth. After fouling off a first-pitch changeup over the inner third of the plate, Chourio turned on the next one he saw and launched a game-tying home run to left. After his go-ahead single in the eighth the day before, it was the latest addition to his growing resume of coming through in the biggest moments.

"You got to get 27 outs, right? There's not another person I probably want up in that situation." Garrett Mitchell said. "He just does less and demolishes baseballs."

Mitchell was having a rough night at the plate himself, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, but he set up the walk-off with his defense in extra innings. When Alex Bregman led off the top of the tenth with a fly ball to center field, Mitchell positioned himself, stepped into the catch (with Chourio alerting him that the placed runner Suzuki was preparing to tag up), and fired to third. David Hamilton held the tag as Suzuki slid past the base to complete the double play.

"It's baseball. You can have a really good day and a really crappy day," Mitchell said. "I think I've talked about this a lot. There's not a lot you can control on the offensive end when things aren't going well, but if there's one thing I take pride in, it's playing good defense, and you don't take your offense to defense."

Luis Lara was also 0-for-4 when he stepped up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth. In the sixth, he emotionally challenged a third strike that was fully in the zone, exhausting the Brewers' final ABS challenge. That proved consequential in the ninth, as what should have been a Michael Conforto strikeout became a one-out walk when ball four clipped the zone and William Contreras could not challenge. Lara also struck out with runners on second and third in the eighth to end a potential rally.

Before Lara stepped into the box, Murphy approached him in the on-deck circle with a message of encouragement.

"He asked me if I was ready, and he told me that he believed in me 100 percent," Lara said through translator Daniel de Mondesert.

"I was just trying to get him to take the emotions out of it and just have kind of a clear head," Murphy said. "'It's not about you, it's about the ballclub right here. The ballclub needs you to stay level-headed.' I don't think that had any difference in the at-bat."

On the first pitch, Lara drove a walk-off single down the left-field line.

"I think the only thing that was repeating in my head over and over again was, 'Wow, wow, wow,'" Lara said. "It was just unbelievable."

"He just cares," Murphy said. "When you come into the environment here, you care about the team. That's the deal."

On one hand, resiliency should serve the Brewers well in October. Regular-season baseball already punches you in the mouth repeatedly, and it hits even harder in do-or-die playoff environments. The Cubs could again be Milwaukee's NLDS opponent, and in recent games, the Brewers have embodied the traits of a successful postseason team. They've bounced back from bad losses, pitched well against a formidable lineup, played great defense, and gotten enough big swings from hitters like Chourio to flip the scoreboard when it matters most.

On the other hand, last year's NLCS sweep showed what happens when the tank runs dry too soon. The offense looked like a shell of itself after grinding out every plate appearance for six months and playing through injuries. With diminished command and velocity, respectively, Ashby and Uribe looked to be running on fumes.

The Brewers didn't back off that September. With that context, it's fair to wonder whether Monday and Tuesday's high-effort wins would look different after a playoff exit. Are a few extra regular-season wins worth it if they send a club to an earlier October burnout? Every team has wear and tear by the postseason, but unlike most teams, the Brewers played so well that they earned the luxury of pacing themselves down the stretch. Is continuing to go full-throttle with the best playoff odds in baseball the best use of the next three weeks?

That's the balance Murphy and the Brewers must strike, particularly after they clinch a postseason spot and the division in the coming days. They should still make a push for the top seed, but at that point, there are more important considerations than winning the game in front of you. The last two wins can be an October preview, but not the premature peak of Milwaukee's season.

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