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Offense far and away. The team's OPS is back to April/May territory. And a guy like Chourio is ice cold right now. And Contreras (is it both hands that are injured??). Turang and Frelick are back to their norms which is fine, but not quite back to their July/August splits. If there is a key moment in a game, I'm not sure who I want up to bat, maybe Yeli. The starters without Woody can be OK but not elite, and the bullpen is dependent on Megill's health (to have a set 4-some of Megill, Uribe, Koenig, Ashby at the back end) and possibly the return of a pitcher like Hall and/or Miz's role to give you some solid middle inning relief. So unless the team starts hitting, I can't worry about the pitchers right now.

Sorry I was going with the other theme- 3 wins and 4 Wins gets to the WS. Should have put it in blue. I was trying to be cute.

So the real magic number is 7.

Nice win by the Sounds, as they made ... ready for it? ... a lot of noise late in the game. 😁 But Cornielle had a solid start 6K, and only 2 ER, but 95 pitches for 4.1 IP is what has been his problem. I still see reliever in him as pitch count isn't as important. Craig Yoho - since August 10th he has allowed just 4 walks and 1 ER (2 BB and 1ER in one game in late August), so he has been pretty good. Would love to see him get that control and force his way on to the roster next year, as the club needs some solid relievers. Finally, a huge shout out to @Ro Mueller @Jim Goulart @Joseph Zarr and @Ben Lepak for the minor league Link Reports!! And the daily minor league game threads as well. Amazing job (again!) and so much fun. I patterned myself after most of the clubs and was here a lot early, and then mid-season but faded late, but it has been so much fun, and definitely saw several players who could be future Brewers (with health and continued progress) who had some great seasons. Pitching was interesting as no one really took the mantle as a pitcher to watch (last year Yoho and Hunt were those guys), but a lot of depth (particularly in the lower ranks, and a possible logjam in the upper levels if no trades and if all healthy), and the '23-'24-'25 HS pitching classes will be interesting to watch and hopefully a few (like Letson) can distinguish themselves as core prospects. I know there will be the AFL, but this marks the end of the true milb season. So I will be resting up to get back in shape for next April. Thanks to those who help set this up and to a lot of the posters in the daily game threads who I won't list specifically since I'll forget someone, but you all know who you are. But I will highlight one poster in @MudcatsfaninBrunsCO who will hopefully still enjoy the game with us now that the Mudcats will officially start their new history as the Wilson Warbirds.

It's a mutual option and if he is really bad, Brewers won't pick it up, and if he wants to pitch he will turn it down and go someone (hey I hear the Dodgers are looking for another pitcher🙄). So Woodruff's Brewer career is over, while overall MLB career is likely in doubt but still salvageable in the future. What will be most disappointing for me as a fan is that his last playoff appearance was in game 4 against the Braves where he pitched to keep it tied, and then Hader gave up the game- and series-winning HR to end that season. Still wild to think that was 4 years ago and that's the last appearance he will ever have a Brewer in the post-season.

If Quintana is healthy, plus he had been pitching poorly prior to his injury stint. Miz is too volatile to start in my opinion. But we will see. Just sucks to lose a quality pitcher like Woody again. Twice in 3 years to have him go down when the team is entering the playoffs just sucks. His last playoff pitch for this team will have been in 2021. Just crazy to think that.

Woody missing the playoffs will feel like that gut punch in ‘23 and the team really didn’t bounce back from it. The offense is ok but lost a lot of mojo the past month. Without dominant pitching I’m not sure what to expect. Peralta and priester followed by ? and ? is no way to match up in LDS and I would imagine Philly would be looking forward to that since they lost their ace.

For Vaughn I wonder if you took his 2024bWAR and his Chicago WAR this season (negative maybe?) and compared to his WAR with the brewers and what that improvement looked like, I’m sure pretty good bump.

Thanks for the update ARobs. EMJ signed as a minor league free agent to return with the club last year if I remember correctly. And would therefore me a free agent again at season's end, with Burke, Adams, Boeve and even Bitonti all fighting for 1B/DH roles in the minors and A. Vaughn still arbitration eligible, I have to think this will be the end of EMJ's time with the Brew Crew, and if so (I may be wrong on some of my assumptions), he should latch on to a team needing a left handed bat with some power potential who can handle 1st with first rate splits ability.

Yay Nashville offense. Biloxi - what a season. I mean in early April I thought this team was heading toward a repeat of their 2024 season with no offense, who squeezed their way into the playoffs with some amazing pitching in the second half. But late April this offense came alive after Garret Spain's arrival (technically a demotion from AAA), and while his numbers never popped he was a guy in the center of a lot of success (key HR, key catch or throw, etc). The offense was led by Wilken, Adams, Pratt and Lara and supported by Warren, Murray and R. Rodriguez, and looked like a runaway team in the Southern League. But injuries, man, the big what-if's for that club. It was Rodriguez who went down first, and while not a prospect he was a good veteran catcher with solid offense as an over-age player (26 years old, but his OPS was .941). Then it was Adams in that awkward collision at the plate. And as the team cruised to a first half title, Wilken suffers his second freak injury in as many years. There were so many nights of a single man bench. The team got his second legs late in the year with Matt Wood and later Blake Burke who both hit really well in the Southern League (Burke especially) which is no small feat. Luis Lara had an exceptional year, I mean an OPS .712 with 44 SB and gold glove defense as a 20 year. Cooper Pratt put himself as a clear top3-5 prospect, but whether it was nagging injuries or something his month-by-month splits showed good-bad-good-bad-good, so consistency was a challenge for him. They got Adams and Wilken back at the very end but neither really looked like the late April - early June versions of themselves. Boeve was never fully recovered this year I don't think. Made had a cup of coffee and showed he belonged. But that offense never clicked like they did in May, or even in late July or August. Pitching was very solid for most of the year, and that original Cornielle, Hunt, Kuehner, Mendoza and later Wichrowski rotation, that was later augmented with Coleman Crow. And when he was promoted, then it was Tyson Hardin, who then was shut down for a while until the end of season. The bullpen was solid with Yeager, Childers, Bowman, Bryant and Manfredi. But injury to Bryant in late July, promotions to Yeager and Childers really hit that bullpen. Overall a team that a ton of prospects, but man injuries (and a few promotions which is a good thing) really depleted the squad. I think they would have had a chance to truly compete for the Southern League title, but they felt like they limped along at the end and ran into a buzzsaw team in Montgomery who won what 8 straight against the Shuckers. This minor league season has been so fun, but I feel like a lot of the clubs in the organization, I kind of just limped along to the finish. I couldn't even get myself to watch the game last night just nervously looking at the scoreboard from time to time, and the 8th inning collapse just crushed my night. The good news is a lot of the names I typed here will be back and likely in AAA, or back in AA, and several will find their way on to the big league roster someday as there is a lot of talent here. While Nashville still has their season to wrap up this is not the end of affiliate ball, but it is right around the corner with the 3 games this weekend to play.

So you're saying there's a chance ?? 😉

I have to wonder what the plans will be. He will be a minor league FA, and he has the tools, and while I doubt he will be an MLB starter (as much as I pull for him, but his inconsistency, pitch counts will limit him) I think he can be a valuable arm as a bullpen piece. But he may not want to join the very crowded field of pitching prospects at the upper levels (Wich, Kuehner, Rodriguez, Crow, Letson, Hardin etc) to compete for innings and ultimately 40 man spots. But trades, injuries will ultimately sort this out. But Cornielle may want to try to sign with an organization that has less pitching depth to give himself a shot at making the bigs. I will be watching his offseason for sure.

missed that. I was pausing and fast forwarding, and multi-tasking as well 🙄 Bummer. Hopefully he is OK.

Adams got absolutely plunked on the helmet. I mean he is a HBP machine, but this was scary. But he pops up right away. He stays in the game. So Shuckers with 3H (Lara, Wood, Spain) and 2 BB (Wilken and Adams), and now 2 HBP (Adams x2). SO Adams on base all three times without getting a ball in play. The rest of the team not very much.

Letson is in for the 5th, after the offense gets only 1 hit. Letson gets a K, then a single, and a fly out, and a beautiful 94 on the corner and that's the inning. Very nice work by Bishop Letson. Looks ready for AA full time next year (assuming he stays healthy)

First pitch to Homer Bush, and it's 5-0 now. And putting insult to injury they score the error by Burke a "single". I mean helps Burke out, but that is an error sadly. Should be batting here. Instead just trying to avoid the hole getting too deep. And Areinamo flies out to LF.

Manfredi gets a key out. Then gets a ground to the right of the infield and Burke just butchers it. He goes in hard and can't field it with it bouncing off his glove. A run scores, 4-0 and Manfredi is now out. Just a brutal inning, came in down 2-0 and within striking range, now it's 4-0, new reliever in runners at the corners.

And then he walks Gregory Barrios with a few non-competitive pitches. Boy, not good. Gotta hope Manfredi can get himself out of this jam and get some innings tonight. Don't want to use the whole bullpen in game 1.

Manfredi grooved one and Simpson just crushed it to deep left. Then a fly out, now walks the next batter. OK feeling really hard to get back into this one with how the Biscuits pitching has been.

And Will Simpson greets him with a HR. 3-0 Biscuits. Yikes.

Top of 4: Wilken K 😔, the Adams HBP (I mean of course), but Wood & Warren both K. Manfredi in for the 4th inning.

Lara single, Made line out and Burke GIDP Followed by 1-2-3 inning by Wich. 2-0 still

Man vintage Joseph play-by-play tonight 😀

I guess this is where we may disagree and thus the differing view on Miz. But I see your point. As far as depth, we may have it better than others, but I don't see the depth as great. There is Uribe, Koenig. And assuming Megill is healthy. Then Ashby. Solid, But after that? DL Hall is injured, Rob Z has been fine, Anderson was injured and was loosing effectiveness prior to that, ditto for Mears, and then S. Miller is out. So a guy with Miz's stuff who can actually be lights out, that is a great weapon. And to clarify, I don't know that 2/3 is exactly what I was saying, but rather like most starters you go good in most starts (but not every start obviously). In relief you can mask that more - give a guy three batters if isn't going great, and let him ride for 1-2 IP if he is going great. I was using the 1/3 and 2/3 just as an example since I would imagine a reliever pitches 2-3 times in a 5 game series, and 3-4 times in a 7 game series. Anyway, I've overexplained that to death.

No, my concerns exactly. But in a short stint (1-2IP every 2-3 days) it is easier to "hide" these things as he can be a 5th/6th inning guy that can focus on getting his 3-6 outs. With his pure stuff he should be able to execute that, and that can get you some bulk innings over a couple of games which could even out the inconsistencies - as if he is bad in his 1 start it's a problem, but if 2 of 3 appearances are good and one is off, you can have a short leash on the bad outing and leverage him for the other outings. Just my thoughts, and I am no manager, and have been wrong a lot in baseball over the years...