DuWayne Steurer

awesome to see Beauchamp providing a spark this soon. also.... Carter with 36 points??!! who saw that coming? wow.

Easy win tonight while giving Giannis a rest on the tail end of a back to back. Nice to see some other guys pick up the scoring slack.

While the Brewers fell short of the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, there were still noteworthy performances on the diamond to talk about. Congratulations to the Brewer Fanatic Most Improved Player for 2022, Hoby Milner! The Brewers came into 2022 with high hopes, riding the wave of four consecutive playoff appearances. However, by the end of the year, despite tallying 86 wins, the Crew fell just short of the Phillies for the final wild-card spot. Amid injuries, and at times inconsistent offense, and a pitching staff that just didn't perform up to the very high standards that were set for them in 2021, the team just wasn't able to put together long stretches of wins after a 32-18 start that was the best fifty game season opening in franchise history. Despite the failure to reach the playoffs, there's still more than a handful of positives to take from an eighty-six-win team and in this article, we're going to look at the most improved players on the 2022 Brewers. 3rd place SP Eric Lauer On the surface, Lauer's statistics look pretty similar from 2021 to 2022. He posted a 3.69 ERA and a 4.50 FIP in 2022, compared to a 3.19 ERA and a 4.04 FIP in 2021. His WHIP, walk, and K rates are almost all the same from season to season. His home run rate took a slight bump up, unfortunately. Lauer did stay on the field for the '22 Brewers, making 29 starts and throwing 158 2/3 innings. Lauer had stretches in 2022 where he looked close to becoming the "fourth ace" for the Brewers, joining Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta at the top of the rotation. He carried an ERA in the low twos until mid-June when he got blown up for eight earned runs in a single start. Lauer's last start of the season he pitched six hitless innings and was removed for pitch count. More so for those stretches where he flashed "ace" material and not necessarily the raw numbers, and coming into his age twenty-eight season, Lauer earned a few "most improved" votes from the panel. 2nd place DH/UTIL Keston Hiura For the time that Hiura was in the lineup in 2022, he didn't return to his rookie form, but definitely added some punch to the lineup, with a .765 OPS and fourteen home runs in 266 plate appearances. After his disastrous 2021 campaign, getting any kind of offensive production out of Hiura had to be looked at as a bonus for the Crew. Hiura's reverse splits (.866 ops vs RHP, .619 OPS vs LHP) were a hindering factor, as he saw 109 of his 266 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. While it's heartening to see him providing offense, he'll probably have to continue to work on his reverse splits and cut down the strikeout rate (41.7% in 2022) for him to find a full-time job in 2023. 1st place RP Hoby Milner Hoby Milner entered 2022 with a total of 77 1/3 innings pitched for four teams over five seasons, and they had been best described as "bad" at best, and that could be considered generous. Over his previous two seasons, Milner had surrendered a ghastly thirteen home runs over just 35 innings. Coming into 2022, it's hard to know what the Brewers expected from Milner. A sidearm lefty who barely hits ninety, who's historically been really bad against righties, who will now have to face a minimum of three batters? That sounded like a recipe for disaster. I'm not here to tell you Hoby Milner is suddenly a Cy Young candidate, or reliever of the year candidate, or even that he's going to be great next year. Relievers, by nature, are pretty volatile from year to year. But in 2022 Milner caught proverbial lightning in a bottle and had a solid season from the front to the back. Throwing 64 2/3 innings, Milner posted a respectable 3.76 ERA/3.16 FIP, while lowering his home runs allowed to just five over those 64 2/3 innings. On top of that, Milner's splits were much better than they had been historical allowing just a .704 OPS against right-handers, against a .655 OPS vs. left-handed batters. With the Brewers bullpen going from a strength in 2021 to a sudden (and inexplicable) weakness in 2022, having Milner become a reliable middle-inning option was one of the few things that seemed to go right for the Brewers pen this year. Certainly, the role of the LOOGY has changed, and it appeared that there wouldn't be a place in the game for soft-tossing left-handers that struggle to get out right-handed batters. Milner certainly adjusted last year, and if he finds his way onto the Brewers in 2023, we'll hope he continues having success. Congratulations to Hoby Milner. Now let us know who you think was the Most Improved Brewers player in 2022? View full article

The Brewers took on the Pirates in another critical three game series starting Monday. Despite a series win over the rival Cubs in the weekend set, a disappointing loss in Friday night's tilt left the Brewers still chasing the Padres for the final wild card spot, down a game and a half after the weekend. Game 1 -- Brewers 7, Pirates 5 Box Score Brewers ace Corbin Burnes took the hill for the first game of the series. The Brewers struck first, getting an RBI single from Willy Adames in the third, and an RBI double from hot hitting Hunter Renfroe later in the same frame. Staked to a three-run lead, Burnes pitched four scoreless innings, working around trouble until the fifth. An RBI single, and a three-run homerun by notorious Brewers killer Oneil Cruz gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead. The Pirates tagged Burnes for one more run in the sixth, and carried a 5-3 lead into the eighth inning. With two outs in the eights, and still down 5-3, Omar Narvaez drew a walk, prompting the Pirates to bring in reliever Wil Crowe. Freshly minted Brewers callup Garrett Mitchell greeted Crowe with his first career big league blast to tie the game. Devin Williams pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the Brewers and Keston Hiura sent 'em home happy two batters into the bottom of the frame. Williams got the win for the Brewers on the walk-off, and his record improves to 5-3 on the year. Game 2 -- Pirates 4, Brewers 2 Box Score Jason Alexander took the hill for the Brewers tonight looking to stretch the Crew's modest win streak to four games. Alexander pitched well tonight and set a career high in strikeouts before the end of the third inning, with six punchouts. The Brewers staked Alexander to a 2-1 lead, on a Kolten Wong two-run homerun in the fourth inning. Alexander was pulled at the end of the fifth inning, having thrown just 59 pitches and allowing just three hits and one run. An argument could be made for sending Alexander back out to work another inning, but the top of the order was also due back up, and Alexander has an 1.112 OPS against when he faces the opposing order a third time through. That has to play in the decision making. Hoby Milner relieved Alexander and pitched a scoreless sixth. Matt Bush took the seventh, and gave up a run on a solo home run to Michael Chavis. Brad Boxberger and Peter Strzelecki each gave up a run in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, as the bullpen collectively failed to back up Alexander tonight. The Brewers had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, with men on first and third and only one out, but Luis Urias grounded into a game ending double play to end the threat. Boxberger took the loss, dropping to 3-3 on the season. Game 3 -- Brewers 6, Pirates 1 Box Score Freddy Peralta took the hill for the series win.. Peralta pitched five solid innings, giving up just one run, on a solo home run to former Brewer (and noted Brewer killer) Ben Gamel, who has a higher OPS against the Brewers than any other team aside from the Tigers and Mariners, who he has only 8 plate appearances against. Aside from the dinger to Gamel, Peralta went five innings and struck out three batters, gave up just two hits, and threw just seventy four pitches. The Brewers tied the game in the fifth, on a Adames RBI double, and took the lead on an Narvaez groundout in the sixth. The Crew tacked on four runs in the seventh, and never looked back. Hiura and Urias RBI singles, followed by a pair of bases loaded walks around a pair of Pirates defensive miscues gave the Brewers a 6-1 lead. Adrian Houser returned and pitched two scoreless innings in relief today to mop up the game and secure the victory for Taylor Rogers, moving him to 3-6 on the year, and giving another series win to the Brewers as they get a day off on Thursday before heading to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks. View full article

I'm excited about the OF talent at the top of the system. We'll see how it all plays out of course but it's nice to have a logjam at the top levels.

I'm excited about the OF talent at the top of the system. We'll see how it all plays out of course but it's nice to have a logjam at the top levels.

My all time favorite Brewer. And player. Dude was my absolute hero when I was a wee lad and why I still have a soft spot for big swingin', home run hittin', strikeout machines today. I literally cried when they traded him in 83, and I didn't care that he was having an awful, awful season. Him not being a Brewer couldn't even register to my 9 year old brain. Very nice write up. Thanks for this!

My all time favorite Brewer. And player. Dude was my absolute hero when I was a wee lad and why I still have a soft spot for big swingin', home run hittin', strikeout machines today. I literally cried when they traded him in 83, and I didn't care that he was having an awful, awful season. Him not being a Brewer couldn't even register to my 9 year old brain. Very nice write up. Thanks for this!

The Brewers take on the National League top dog Dodgers in a four game series at American Family Field in a mid week series. With the Cardinals now having jumped the Brewers into first place in the NL Central, this series is critical for the Crew if they hope to have any chance at regaining the lead in the division. Game 1 -- Dodgers 4, Brewers 0 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL202208150.shtml Freddy Peralta worked game one for the Brewers, against (one of) the Dodgers aces, Julio Urias. Peralta struggled with his command, walking four and throwing 92 pitches in just four innings. Freddy only allowed one run on a solo home run in the first inning to Freddie Freeman, but with the Brewers scuffling offense, tonight that proved to be enough. There just wasn't much going on for the Brewers offensively tonight. Four hits, a pair of walks by Christian Yelich. Their best opportunity to score was the bottom of the first when Yelich leadoff with a walk and Willy Adames singled, but a strikeout and two fly ball outs ended the scoring chance. Hunter Renfroe lead off the bottom of the third with a double, but again, didn't move off of second base. On the night, the Brewers went 0-9 with men in scoring position. The team didn't have a lot of baserunners, but in those opportunities, they absolutely failed to cash in. If you're the type that's looking for a bright spot, Jason Alexander came in late and put up three scoreless innings of solid relief work. Freddy Peralta's record drops to 4-3 on the season with the loss. Game 2 -- Brewers 5, Dodgers 4 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL202208160.shtml The Brewers sent Brandon Woodruff against Ryan Pepiot in game two. The Brewers offense ended the scoreless streak right away with Christian Yelich taking a leadoff walk and Willy Adames banging a two run homerun to left. Woodruff cruised along for the Crew until the fifth, when he gave up a pair of solo homeruns to Mookie Betts and Joey Gallo. With his pitch count in the 90's, that signalled the end of the night for Woody. In the bottom of the fifth, the Brewers got a power boost from an unexpected source. The Brewers held the 3-2 lead until the seventh inning when the Dodgers Chris Taylor hit a solo home run off of Matt Bush. The score stayed knotted all the way until the 11th, when the Dodgers scored their ghost runner off of Brent Suter with a single, but Suter limited the Dodgers to just the one run. In the bottom of the frame, with Andrew McCutchen stationed at second base to start the inning, and closer Craig Kimbrel on the mound, slugger Hunter Renfroe shocked probably everyone watching when he laid a bunt single down the third base line. With runners at the corners, Kolten Wong struck out, Luis Urias walked, and the Brewers faced the prospect of a double play ball ending the rally. Victor Caratini delivered. It's not shown in this clip, but Hunter Renfroe had to get a great read on this ball right off the bat to score on this little bloop. With only one out, he had to be sure that was dropping. Great baseball in the 11th inning from Hunter Renfroe. Brent Suter gets the win, and moves to 4-3 on the season. Game 3 -- Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL202208170.shtml Eric Lauer pitched seven strong innings for the Crew tonight, giving up just two runs on solo homers to Austin Barnes and Max Muncy, but his Dodgers counterpart Tony Gonsolin was even better, shutting down the Brewers for seven innings on just two hits and a walk. Lauer went pitch for pitch with the Cy Young candidate Gonsolin for the first five innings, putting zeros on the board until the sixth, when Barnes got him for a solo homerun, and Muncy followed the next inning with a solo dinger of his own. On the night, Lauer allowed just four hits and three walks while striking out seven against the tough Dodgers lineup. The Brewers got one back in the eighth inning when Christian Yelich singled home a run. Willy Adames had a chance to do some damage, but lined out to short to end the threat. With another chance against closer Craig Kimbrel, the Brewers put men on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, but Luis Urias grounded out weakly to third to end the threat. Down a run, the Brewers had the tying run in scoring position in each of the last two innings, but couldn't push it across. Lauer takes the unfortunate loss and drops to 8-5 on the season. Game 4 -- Brewers 5, Dodgers 3 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL202208180.shtml With the Brewers needing a win to earn the split, Corbin Burnes takes the mound against Dodgers lefty Andrew Heaney. Andrew McCutchen started things off with a bang in the first inning, launching his twelfth homerun of the season. In the bottom of the third, with the game still 1-0 Crew, he did it again. The Crew added another two-spot in the fifth with a two run homer from Hunter Renfroe, his 21st of the season. The Brewers needed the offense today, as Burnes ran out of gas in the sixth. The Dodgers roughed him up a bit, pushing three runs across the plate before Brad Boxberger relieved him with two outs and got out of the inning. Taylor Rogers, Matt Bush, and Devin Williams handled the last three innings allowing just one walk from Bush, and Williams closed the door in the ninth, striking out the side. Burnes got the win to move to 9-5 on the season, and the Brewers got the much needed split with the very tough Dodgers squad. With the Brewers now hanging three games back of the Cardinals, the team heads to Chicago to take on the Cubs in a three game series. View full article

While Laureano isn't a defensive whiz, we'd still have Davis as a late inning replacement. Laureano isn't having a great season at the plate, but he's got a recent history of having some pretty good offensive numbers, and a history of being better than Taylor. If he can be had for a price that doesn't include any top 7 - 10 prospects, I'd be willing to roll the dice.

While Laureano isn't a defensive whiz, we'd still have Davis as a late inning replacement. Laureano isn't having a great season at the plate, but he's got a recent history of having some pretty good offensive numbers, and a history of being better than Taylor. If he can be had for a price that doesn't include any top 7 - 10 prospects, I'd be willing to roll the dice.

The Brewers came back from the break looking to hold on to first in the NL Central with a four game series against the Colorado Rockies. With a 1 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals and the trade deadline looming, the Crew had to make this home stand count. Game 1 -- Brewers 6, Rockies 5 (13) It took a while, but they got it done. All-Star starter Corbin Burnes wasn't sharp, using 108 pitches to get through five innings. He gave up only a pair of runs, but just didn't seem to have his command. He struck out five and gave up a two-run dinger to Charlie Blackmon in the third. The Brewers offense gave Burnes the lead back quickly in the bottom of the frame, with Willy Adames hitting his 20th home run of the season, and Andrew McCutchen hitting a two run shot with Rowdy Tellez aboard. Burnes left the game with the lead but Trevor Gott got into two-out trouble with a walk and a double and the Rockies tied the game in the sixth. The score stayed 3-3 until the 10th when the Rockies scored two with the Manfred man and a sacrifice fly. With two outs in the bottom of the tenth, it looked like the Rockies were about to put the game away when Hunter Renfroe tied it back up. Both offenses were held in check until the bottom of the 13th, when Luis Urias sent the few remaining faithful fans home happy with a little flare basehit to score Jonathan Davis from second base for the walkoff winner. With his two innings of scoreless work, Brent Suter vultures his way to 2-3 on the season and the Brewers open up after the break with a win. Game 2 -- Brewers 9, Rockies 4 Box Score The Rockies tagged starter Brandon Woodruff with a run in the first, and after that he continued his recent run of excellent work, pitching six, striking out eight, and giving up just that one run. On the other side of the ledger, the Brewers gave Woody all the run support he needed and then some, tallying three times in the fourth, and then putting up a five spot in the sixth inning to basically cement the game away. The three runs in the fourth came courtesy of another tater off the bat of Renfroe. Renfroe has been exactly as advertised, and just what the Brewers need in the middle of the order. Hopefully he stays a little more healthy in the second half, because his big bat was clutch in this series. The Brewers knocked around former teammates Jose Urena for five runs, and then hit another former Brewer, Jhoulys Chacin , for a pair in the sixth to run the score to 8-1. The Rockies scored three in the ninth off of Connor Sadzeck , who has since been moved down to Nashville, but never got close enough to threaten. Woodruff moved his record to 8-3 with the victory. Game 3 -- Brewers 10, Rockies 9 Box Score What didn't happen? Lead changes, late rallies, pinch-hit homers, you name it. Anyone that turned this one off early missed out. The Crew hopped out to a 5-2 lead after four innings, with Urias hitting a two-run double in the first, and Renfroe hitting his third homerun in three days. Eric Lauer wasn't exactly cruising, but had worked through four, and had a comfortable lead. With one out in the fourth, he walked a man, gave up a two-run homerun to Kris Bryant, and walked another. Jandel Gustave came in to relieve and got out of the inning with the 5-4 lead intact. The Rockies struck again in the sixth, getting a pair of runs off of Gustave before manager Craig Counsell replace him with Hoby Milner who worked out of the jam. The Brewers came right back in the bottom of the frame when Tyrone Taylor pinch hit a solo homerun and tied the game back up at six. The tie was short lived as the Rockies Elias Diaz slapped a two-run single off of Brewers reliever Brad Boxberger to push the lead back to 8-6. In the bottom of the 7th, Mike Brosseau double home McCutchen to pull within a run, and then the big inning came for the Crew. Victor Caratini and Taylor started the 8th inning with ground outs. WIth two outs and no one on base, Christian Yelich drew a walk. Adames followed up with a single. Tellez singled to score Yelich and pull the Crew once again back within a run. This all brought McCutchen to the plate. It's entirely arguable that ball could have been caught, but it certainly was scorched. Rockies centerfielder Yonathan Daza got a bad read on it, broke in, and realized right away he was burned. With a better read, maybe he catches that ball and we have a completely different outcome, but that's baseball. It's possible he didn't realize how hard the ball was smoked right off the bat. Either way, it was a huge moment and the Brewers headed to the ninth with a two run lead for closer Josh Hader . Hader gave up a triple and a single, but struck out two and got the save. He's clearly still working through some issues, but had enough going today to get the job done. Suter gets yet another win in relief, and moves to 3-3 and Hader gets save 28. Game 4 -- Rockies 2, Brewers 0 Box Score The offense just shut it down Monday. But we can talk about newly signed Aaron Ashby pitching what was probably the best start of his MLB career to date. He went seven strong innings, struck out nine, gave up five hits and one walk, and just two runs. This is what the Brewers thought they were getting when they committed five years (and a few team option years) to him, and this is hopefully a glimpse of the future for Ashby if he can reign in his talent and become more consistent with location. Unfortunately for Ashby, Rockies starter Kyle Freeland was just as good and then some, completely shutting down the Brewers on four hits through seven innings. The Crew mounted a late rally, getting a pair of runners in the ninth, but Rockies closer Daniel Bard shut the door and the Brewers weren't able to complete the four game sweep. View full article

Benintendi has a career .352 OBP, so if he does regress, it's not likely to be much. He hasn't been good in CF, but he's been serviceable when he plays there. We're talking 50 - 60 games at this point, so the run diff between him and an average CF (Taylor) would be 3-4 runs maybe. Taylor's carrying a .275 OBP. Just not good enough to be playing every day for this team that's struggling to score runs. Benintendi fits the profile perfectly (Like JFS says above) of what the offense needs..... literally just a guy to not make outs. Get on base, move the order to the next guy, and move runners around.

We've played McCutchen in CF in a pinch, and Benintendi's a good defensive LF. Let's not pretend that Benintendi's defense won't be passable for 60-ish games to get that .400-ish OBP in the lineup. We've been playing Jon Davis and his .250 slg percentage out there for the last 3 weeks after having Cain and his .450 OPS out there for the majority of the first 2 months. Benintendi would have to be a near butcher in CF to not make the upgrade to the offense worth the risk at this point.

The Brewers close out the first half of the season with a four game set at the Giants. After dropping a series to the Pirates and splitting a pair with the Twins, the Crew look to head into the break on a high note and hang on to first place in the National League central division. Game 1 -- Brewers 3, Giants 2 (10) https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN202207140.shtml Corbin Burnes took the hill for the Brewers and threw 7 1/3 innings, throwing a season high 115 pitches, and topping 100 pitches for the sixth time in the last seven games. Burnes wasn't super sharp tonight, walking three, but minimized the damage, allowing only four hits and two runs in the third inning. One of the runs was unearned, resulting from an earlier Victor Caratini passed ball. Run support was at a minimum for Burnes again tonight, as the Brewers offense struggled to scratch across runs. The Brewers loaded the bases in the fourth with one out, but managed just one run on an Andrew McCutchen sacrifice fly. WIth the Giants holding on to a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, Willy Adames roped an RBI single to knot the game at two. With two men on and only one out, again the Brewers could muster no further offense the rest of the inning. The game stayed 2-2 until the tenth inning, when Jonathan Davis came up with Christian Yelich stationed at third base and tapped a slow roller down the third base line that died on the grass and drove in Yelich. In the bottom of the frame, Devin Williams protected the lead with a three up three down inning and leaving the Giants ghost runner stranded at third. Trevor Gott struck out two batters in the ninth to pick up the win and get to 2-2, and Williams gets the save, his sixth on the year. Game 2 -- Giants 8, Brewers 5 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN202207150.shtml Brandon Woodruff started and really worked to get through 5 2/3 innings tonight. Woodruff threw 112 pitches in less than six innings, and at times it looked like four innings was all manager Craig Counsell was going to be able to tease out of his starter. This was the first start since Woodruff has come back from the IL that he's really showed command issues, but he battled through and gave the team almost six innings of two run baseball. The Brewers trailed by two until the fifth, when a defensive blunder by LaMonte Wade Jr with two outs extended the inning. Two batters later, a bases clearing double by Andrew McCutchen gave the Brewers their first lead of the game. A bases loaded walk to Luis Urias ended the scoring and the Brewers were up 5-2. The Brewers entered the ninth inning up by that same score and closer Josh Hader coming in. Seven batters, three home runs, and six runs later, the Giants were walking off an 8-5 win, and the Brewers and their fans are left wondering what's going on with the all star closer who was all but unhittable for the first 2 1/2 months of the season. Hader's E.R.A. has risen to an unsightly 4.50, and he's surrendering home runs at an alarming rate. The Brewers and Hader will have to figure it out, and hopefully soon, as the team's dwindling playoff odds definitely hinge to a degree on their massively successful closer. Hader's loss drops him to 0-4. Game 3 -- Giants 2, Brewers 1 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN202207160.shtml The Balk Game. That's what this game is going to be known as from now on. If the Brewers turn things around and win the division walking away, this one probably just recedes into nothing, and gets forgotten. If the Brewers lose the division by a game, it could be one of those "that was a pivotal turning point" games that gets talked about (along with the walk off grand slam from the day before) for at least a few years to come. Brewers starter Eric Lauer and Giants hurler Alex Cobb treated fans to a magnificent pitchers duel for seven-plus innings, with Lauer giving up two hits and one run on a solo homerun, and Cobb surrendering just one run on a double and a sacrifice fly. Lauer went seven innings, and Cobb went 7 1/3, and then the game was turned over to the respective bullpens. The Brewers had an opportunity in the eighth inning to do more but with Jonathan Davis on second base and one out, the inning ended with a strikeout-throw out double play as Davis was caught stealing third base by plenty. In the bottom of the eighth, Brewers skipper Craig Counsell turned to Brent Suter to hold down the Giants, due to the majority of the Giants bench bats being left handed. With two outs and two on, Counsell handed the ball to Jandel Gustave, who hit Evan Longoria to load the bases. WIth Mike Yastremski up, the home plate umpire called a balk as Gustave appeared to step off to get a new sign, and give the Giants the lead run in what had been a 1-1 game. Decide for yourself. The Brewers got a runner to second base with nobody out in the ninth, but couldn't bring him around, and lose 2-1. Brent Suter gets saddled with the unfortunate loss and is 1-3 on the season. Game 4 -- Giants 9, Brewers 5 https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401355608 The final score presented here is one of those "it wasn't that close" scores. The Giants got a run off of opener Aaron Ashby in the first, a run off of him in the second, and then knocked around Jason Alexander for seven runs in five innings, building up a 9-1 lead. The Brewers opened the scoring today with a Willy Adames homerun in the first, his 19th, but that was, unfortunately, not a portent of things to come, as the Giants scored nine unanswered runs before the Brewers tallied two in the seventh and two in the eighth. The slumping Rowdy Tellez was able to sock his 18th homerun late in the game, and the Brewers have to hope that can be a jump start for his offense after the break. Tellez has put up just a .429 OPS the last two weeks, and for the last month is hitting just .157, with most of his .705 OPS coming from the streak of ten straight extra base hits he strung together recently. Connor Sadzeck made his season debut for the Crew, throwing two scoreless innings at the tail end of the game. Sadzeck pitched well for the Nashville squad this season, and appears in the majors for the first time since 2019. Aaron Ashby takes the loss for his one inning of work, and his record drops to 2-7. The Brewers head into the All Star Break at 50-43, holding on to a slim 1/2 game margin on the St. Louis Cardinals in the central division. View full article

With the Crew coming off a lackluster home stand, they looked to rebound against their cross border American League rival Minnesota Twins. The lineup was bolstered with the return of Hunter Renfroe from the IL after a second extended stay for hamstring issues. Game 1 -- Brewers 6, Twins 3 Box Score Game one of the series was only occasionally stalled by rain, thunder, and lightning, as the Brewers and Twins waited at times for the ground crew to pull the tarp out only to immediately take it back off the field. Three separate weather delays held the game up, but ultimately the game was able to be completed in its entirety. The Brewers jumped out to a quick lead on a two-run, opposite-field poke from Andrew McCutchen. With his early season struggles well behind him, McCutchen has put up a .941 OPS with five home runs over the last 28 days. With so many injuries to the outfield, McCutchen has been forced into action in the field more than the Brewers had likely planned, and his -.4 dWAR undoes some of his offensive value, but he's been one of the offensive anchors for the past six to eight weeks. Brewers starter Jason Alexander gave up single tallies in the second and fourth innings, while the Brewers offense was held in check by Twins starter Josh Winder through the fourth after the McCutchen home run. In the fifth inning, light-hitting Jonathan Davis slapped a single to center to score Hunter Renfroe and restore the Brewers lead at 3-2. With two outs and Davis on base, Willy Adames hit a towering home run to left that either the cameraman lost, or hasn't come down yet. Given the rain delay between his last inning, and possibly other factors, manager Craig Counsell pulled Alexander in favor of reliever Jandel Gustave who pitched a scoreless fifth inning. The Brewers stretched the lead to 6-2 on a Jace Peterson RBI single in the sixth inning. The Twins struck back for one off of recently-struggling reliever Brad Boxberger. The Brewers will have to have Boxberger get things figured out quickly with Josh Hader also running into some trouble closing games out as of late as well. With no further drama (or rain delays) on the night, the Brewers brought Hader in, and he emphatically slammed the door, striking out the side in the ninth. Gustave gets the win to bump his record to 2-0 on the season and Hader records save number 27. Game 2 -- Twins 4, Brewers 1 Box Score The Brewers offense went dormant again, providing just one run on a solo home run by Peterson. Starter Aaron Ashby went just 4 1/3 innings, with his pitch count ballooning over 100. He allowed six hits and three walks but allowed just one run in his short stint. Despite Ashby's short start and the Brewers lack of offense, the bullpen locked things down for the bulk of the afternoon, as Trevor Gott, Boxberger, and Devin Williams held the Twins in check until the ninth inning. The Brewers offense was held punchless as well, offering up just the noted solo homerun by Peterson against Twins starter Joe Ryan in the third inning. The Crew managed just four hits on the day, went 0-6 with men in scoring position, and left six men on base all told. Going into the bottom of the ninth, each of the first two Twins reached base against Brewers all-star closer Hader, and the third batter of the inning, Jose Miranda, ended it all with a monstrous three-run second deck shot. The loss drops Hader to 0-3 on the season as the Brewers left Minnesota with a split in the short two-game set. View full article

I'm not in favor of trading Tellez for Bell, but this idea that Tellez is a decent defensive first baseman is something I think people are just gauging on the ol' eye test. Both fangraphs and BR have him as pretty much near the bottom of the NL as far as defensive first basemen go, and the whole "I watch the games" just isn't as good as the data that breaks down the information that we have. On top of that, he's our guy, and we're biased to a large degree. He's not good at defense, even though he may make a nifty play from time to time, and that certainly colors our perceptions of his value on defense. He's a .4 WAR 1st baseman past the halfway point, and if a clear upgrade could be found (honestly, there probably isn't) that doesn't include top tier prospects or cost certainty (which Rowdy is, over Bell) for the next few years, the Brewers have to at least explore it.

Jerry Augustine is, happily, still with us.

fortunate to get one in this series and unlucky that we didnt get two. that's baseball.