The Third 54 Report: All the Small Things

When the Brewers called upon their Nashville rotation to make a second consecutive start for the parent club on Thursday, it felt like the chances of winning that game were dim. This early in the season, it's unusual to play so many games without more time off, and giving an extra day between outings to the veterans in the team's rotation does fit with modern norms. Still, it was discouraging, because the team was going on the road against one of the acknowledged powerhouses of the National League, in the San Diego Padres. The change to the rotation actually makes the two sides more even throughout the series, as San Diego sent fourth starter Nick Martinez to the mound for the opener, but it felt certain that using journeyman Colin Rea would put the Crew at a disadvantage.

Instead, Rea positively shoved. That was the first way the game tipped toward the Brewers. Rowdy Tellez's first-inning homer and Mike Brosseau's fifth-inning shot gave the team a two-run cushion into the late innings, thanks to Rea's yeomanlike preservation work. He developed a new sweeping slider this winter, and it appears to be a huge development for him, even if it turns him into more an adequate fill-in starter than a true mid-rotation stud.

Excited for Colin Rea, who has developed a true swing and miss breaker.

Prior to this off-season... 0 career pitches that:

• Were thrown >83 MPH 🥶
• Had < 0 VB OR > 9" Sweep 🥗

Past Saturday @DrivelineBB Pro Day, he cooked up 🧑‍🍳

• 84-85 MPH 🔥
• ~-5" VB ⬇️
• 8 to 10"🧹 https://t.co/6Kmjxgg2YK pic.twitter.com/g8OjwbOMQk

— Chris Langin (@LanginTots13) January 28, 2023

The bullpen was the next key agent in the win, because despite the painful moment that was Trent Grisham's game-tying homer off of Matt Bush, they did an admirable job of holding the Padres at bay. A total of 14 outs and just two runs allowed, from a unit working through a pretty busy early schedule, counts as a win, given the explosiveness of the San Diego lineup. Devin Williams's ninth inning was particularly dominant, and stole back the momentum of the contest for the Brewers after the deflation of the homer in the bottom of the eighth.

Good morning, good afternoon, good night!

Devin Williams strikes out the side. 😤 pic.twitter.com/l6mvKDwRlV

— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2023

In the 10th inning, though, we realty saw the special way this team can win games. Willy Adames worked a very hard-earned walk to lead off the frame, and then Craig Counsell had the guts to put on a double-steal with Adames and automatic runner Christian Yelich. When Yelich slid in safely at third base, San Diego was in enormous trouble. They were lucky to escape with only one run allowed, but that doesn't mean the Brewers failed to execute. On the contrary, Tellez did very well, hammering a 2-1 pitch for the go-ahead sacrifice fly. That was no time to get into a two-strike count and risk striking out, and he knew he just needed something he could elevate. Despite the stereotypes some attach to him because of his name and his frame, Tellez has proved himself a smart and well-rounded hitter over the last couple of seasons (and in last month's World Baseball Classic), and that RBI was a reward for his situational awareness and approach.

The Padres still had a turn, though, and the Brewers' relief aces were used up. On came Joel Payamps, which might fairly have made Brewers fans nervous. Adames immediately allayed those fears.

Since last year, three ground balls have been hit to Willy Adames in extra innings with only the zombie runner on second. All three times, he’s gotten the runner out at third base. The Brewers have won each game by one run.

It’s the Willy Special. pic.twitter.com/H3gWpgOInh

— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) April 14, 2023

That's incredibly heads-up baseball. In that situation, it's almost always worth trying to cut down the lead runner. Adames had a couple of hiccups in his field awareness and internal clock calibration during the first week of the season, but he's now locked in again, and his aggressive style won the Brewers that game. It's not an overwhelmingly difficult play, physically, but it requires visualizing and preparing for the possibility of that play beforehand--without failing to be ready for all the other things a shortstop might need to do, if the ball is hit differently. 

The Brewers are, right now, a special team, playing an exceptional and impressive caliber of baseball. There's lurking fragility in places, but for now, they're humming along, and stealing this first game of a very tough series against a team with whom they might be directly competing for a playoff berth was another sign of their readiness for the long campaign ahead.

Third Bucket Record: 4-0