Week in Review: A Solid Start

Last Week's Game Results:

Game 1 | CHC 4, MIL 0: Brewers Shut Out on Opening Day
Game 2 | MIL 3, CHC 1: Bats Come Through in a Pinch
Game 3 | MIL 9, CHC 5: Death By a Thousand Singles

Weekly Snapshot: Thur, 3/30 through Sun, 4/2
***
Record Last Week: 2-1 (Overall: 2-1)
Run Scored Last Week: 12
Runs Surrendered Last Week: 10
Standing: 1st place in NL Central (0 GA)

NEWS AND NOTES

The Brewers kicked off the season in Chicago with the major league debuts of Brice Turang and Gus Varland. The Brewers would go on to lose on opening day, and some bitter news would follow. Luis Urías would find himself headed to the injured list with a hamstring injury. 

With an extra roster spot, Joey Wiemer was called up before the game Saturday, where he’d be the third Brewer to make his major league debut in the young season.

Devin Williams was struck with a line drive during his first appearance of the season but would go on to finish the inning. There appeared to be no repercussions going forward. Williams recorded his first save of the season, with all three outs coming after he was struck with the line drive.

HIGHLIGHTS

Brandon Woodruff was looking to continue to build on his roaring finish to the previous season and was certainly able to do so this past Saturday. Woodruff was excellent in his first outing of the season, surrendering only one run and striking out eight through six innings of work. 

Jesse Winker and Christian Yelich recorded three hits over the short week, as both are looking to return to the peak of their offensive production this year. William Contreras was solid in his Brewer debut too, delivering a crucial hit in the win over the Cubs on Saturday.

It was quite the four days for the Brewers rookies. Brice Turang picked up his first big league hit on Thursday and followed up his debut with another start in Sunday's rubber match. In the 9-5 win, he picked up two more hits, drew two walks, and knocked in his first major league RBI. 

Fans only had to wait one game for Joey Wiemer's call-up, and he found a way to contribute to the offense, picking up multiple hits in his first two games as a major leaguer.  Wiemer's stay may be limited, but he's looking to contribute enough to make a case to hang around on the roster for the entire year.

Gus Varland also debuted on opening day, tossing a scoreless frame and picking up his first major league strikeout. He’d throw another scoreless inning in the win on Sunday too. Even Garrett Mitchell got in on the rookie-themed fun, notching two hits and a couple of RBIs over the course of the series. 

LOWLIGHTS

It was a tough start to the season for Rowdy Tellez. The first baseman earned a start in every game of the series but only managed one hit and struck out six times in 11 plate appearances. 

The aforementioned Luis Urías went 0-for-4 in his first game of the season and will spend the better part of the next two weeks nursing a hamstring injury. Not the kind of momentum Urías was looking to build after his performance in the WBC.

Possibly through little fault of their own, the pitching staff struggled to contain the Cubs' new star, Dansby Swanson. The former Atlanta shortstop tallied seven hits in his 12 at-bats and made more than one fantastic defensive play. If the Brewers consistently beat the Cubs for the next seven years, they’ll need to find ways to get Swanson out.

There is one blemish on the pitching staff's record to start the season, and it belongs to Javy Guerra. Guerra’s appearance on Sunday was a disaster, walking the first two batters he faced and giving up a single to the third. The following batter, Cubs catcher Yan Gomes narrowly missed a grand slam, and Guerra was lifted from the game in favor of Hoby Milner. 

LOOKING AHEAD

With a solid start, the Brewers will have to buckle down next week to face two teams featured in the playoffs last year. The six home games should work in their favor, but the Crew will still need to tighten up for the six games ahead.

MONDAY, 4/3: METS @ BREWERS - RHP Freddy Peralta vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco
TUESDAY, 4/4: METS @ BREWERS - LHP Wade Miley vs. RHP Max Scherzer
WEDNESDAY, 4/5: METS @ BREWERS - RHP Corbin Burnes vs. LHP David Peterson
FRIDAY, 4/7: CARDINALS @ BREWERS - RHP Jack Flaherty vs. TBD
SATURDAY,4/8: CARDINALS @ BREWERS - TBD vs. TBD
SUNDAY, 4/9: CARDINALS @ BREWERS - TBD vs. TBD