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This is interesting and throws a little wrench into the projecting. I think Gustave is still the easy option to AAA. Then maybe they are forced to move on a position player before the second pitcher. Keston has been better lately, but he could still benefit from more regular time. Will be interesting to see how it plays out. Jace also remains completely unimpressive, but would require a DFA. I don’t like abandoning him quite yet.

This is interesting and throws a little wrench into the projecting. I think Gustave is still the easy option to AAA. Then maybe they are forced to move on a position player before the second pitcher. Keston has been better lately, but he could still benefit from more regular time. Will be interesting to see how it plays out. Jace also remains completely unimpressive, but would require a DFA. I don’t like abandoning him quite yet.

This is interesting and throws a little wrench into the projecting. I think Gustave is still the easy option to AAA. Then maybe they are forced to move on a position player before the second pitcher. Keston has been better lately, but he could still benefit from more regular time. Will be interesting to see how it plays out. Jace also remains completely unimpressive, but would require a DFA. I don’t like abandoning him quite yet.

I mean if any of the 26 man players go on the IL, a player does not need wait the full 10/15 days.

I mean if any of the 26 man players go on the IL, a player does not need wait the full 10/15 days.

I mean if any of the 26 man players go on the IL, a player does not need wait the full 10/15 days.

I mean if any of the 26 man players go on the IL, a player does not need wait the full 10/15 days.

This is a good point, and could also be applied to Cousins. Fun thought, I do think Devin could use it. I am not sure they will do it, but it would not be the most surprising move the team has made. On the flip side, it just takes an injury to avoid the 10/15 altogether.

This is a good point, and could also be applied to Cousins. Fun thought, I do think Devin could use it. I am not sure they will do it, but it would not be the most surprising move the team has made. On the flip side, it just takes an injury to avoid the 10/15 altogether.

This is a good point, and could also be applied to Cousins. Fun thought, I do think Devin could use it. I am not sure they will do it, but it would not be the most surprising move the team has made. On the flip side, it just takes an injury to avoid the 10/15 altogether.

This is a good point, and could also be applied to Cousins. Fun thought, I do think Devin could use it. I am not sure they will do it, but it would not be the most surprising move the team has made. On the flip side, it just takes an injury to avoid the 10/15 altogether.

May 2 is fast approaching, with it coming roster decisions for the front office and manager, Craig Counsell. Due to the shortened Spring Training, the MLB Players Association and the owners group agreed to expand rosters to 28 through May 1, then to drop to the originally planned 26-man roster on May 2. Adding to the fun, Luis Urías is set to come back from the IL around the same timeframe. The agreed upon roster limitations include a maximum of 13 pitchers on the active roster, with the Brewers currently at 15 - they are using both extra roster spots for pitching staff. Below is a breakdown of the roster, as currently constructed. Any player marked with an asterisk (*) has available options. Rotation Bullpen Infield Outfield Catchers IL Aaron Ashby* Brad Boxberger Keston Hiura* Andrew McCutchen Victor Caratini* Luis Urîas* Corbin Burnes* Jake Cousins* Rowdy Tellez Tyrone Taylor Omar Narvaez* Adrian Houser Trevor Gott Mike Brosseau* Christian Yelich Eric Lauer* Jandel Gustave* Jace Peterson Lorenzo Cain Freddy Peralta* Josh Hader* Kolten Wong Hunter Renfroe* Brandon Woodruff* Hoby Milner* Willy Adames* Brent Suter* José Ureña Devin Williams* Pitching Cuts First things first, which two pitchers will no longer be on the MLB roster? The rotation is set, leaving us the bullpen to cull. Even if they go back to using Ashby out of the bullpen, he isn’t on the shortlist for Nashville. The Brewers could choose to keep all the players that have remaining options, but it would require them to designate another player for assignment (DFA). For now, I don’t see the Brewers moving on from any of the players that would require a DFA, as they’ve earned their keep - for the here and now. That can change quickly. The two players that fall into the safe from DFA category are Trevor Gott and José Ureña. I see three likely candidates to be optioned, two will head to Nashville and the other is sure to be shuttled at some point this year: Jake Cousins, Jandel Gustave, and Hoby Milner. Jake Cousins Cousins is electric, but he suffers because of it. His slider bites so hard that it often ends up at the backstop as a past ball. In 2022 he has worked to a 3.60 ERA over seven innings, allowing five hits, one walk, one hit by pitch, racked up four wild pitches, and accrued seven strike outs. He may get bumped to AAA to get more regular work, where he can pitch in high leverage situations with regularity and get his work in. Even if he is optioned to AAA, expect to see him back at the MLB level this year - he is simply too electric to keep out of the bullpen. Jandel Gustave Gustave has gotten regular work for Counsell this year, racking up 5 2/3 innings in the first 13 games. He has pitched in both a mop-up role as well as with a lead. Gustave throws a sinker that acts as more of a fastball along with a slider with nice shape to it. In his 5 2/3 innings, he has pitched to a 4.76 ERA, allowing five hits (one for a home run), three walks, and four strikeouts. While he is holding his own to a degree, he isn’t lights out and doesn’t feature pitches likely to be highlighted by Pitching Ninja. What we are seeing is what we can expect from him, low-leverage innings chosen for him by Counsell. Gustave is not the type of guy you want to roll into the postseason relying on. Hoby Milner Milner picked up his first decision, a win, this year and is looking sharp. He is a pitch to contact guy with a weird arm slot, which rewards him with weak contact. He has appeared in five games and picked up 4 2/3 innings. In that time, he has posted a 0.00 ERA, allowing three hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. Milner has looked reliable so far this year but maybe loses a little value as he plays a similar role to Brent Suter on the roster. If optioned, he will appear on the MLB roster again later this year. I see Jandel Gustave as the sure bet to head to Nashville, joined by Hoby Milner. Cousins pitched very well in Milwaukee in 2021 and is likely to be rewarded for his contributions. He may benefit from the regular innings, but has a much higher ceiling than Milner. I expect Milner will be the first call up to supplement the bullpen when the need arises. Urías to return from the IL Luis Urías is set to begin his rehab assignment with AA Biloxi on Saturday. With Milwaukee’s offense sputtering with occasional signs of life, getting back the 2021 home run leader can’t come soon enough. With his return, the Crew will have to send one of the bench infielders packing for Nashville as well. This time, the options are Keston Hiura and Mike Brosseau. Jace Peterson feels safe as he is a left-handed hitter and doesn’t have any options left. Keston Hiura Hiura is looking to bounce back after a really rough 2021 campaign, during which he hit .168/.256/.301. This was good for an OPS+ of 49, which means he was 51% worse than your average MLB hitter. Hiura has appeared in seven games in 2022, totaling 17 plate appearances - hardly an exhaustive data set. During those 17 PA, he is hitting .222/.333/.453. On Wednesday he did drive a ball out to deep right field, picking up three RBI and cementing the Brewers win. Keston has limited opportunities to prove his way back into the everyday lineup, blocked by Rowdy Tellez, Kolten Wong, Andrew McCutchen, and Christian Yelich. Part of the trouble is that Hiura has reverse splits, where he bats significantly better against right-handed pitching than he does lefties. The lineup may opt to keep a bench bat with a better platoon advantage. Mike Brosseau Brosseau doesn’t have a shining resume on the year either, sporting a measly .154/.214/.385. He has 14 plate appearances in seven games for 2022, the highlight of which was the home run in Chicago. Brosseau has not appeared in a game for Counsell at all during the Pirates series, although they featured all right-handed starting pitchers. Historically, against southpaws, Brosseau has an OPS+ of 127, making him a valuable piece off the bench or for a spot start against LHP. He is also more versatile and can play any of the infield positions, as opposed to Keston’s limitation of first base, second base, or left field. I think they’ll both get more opportunities before the decision is made, and if either player is hot they’ll stick around. If nothing changes, I do see Hiura heading to AAA for regular at-bats where he can continue his development. Brosseau carries a lot of value in his defensive versatility and is more valuable off the bench against LHP. This is by no means a clear-cut decision, and the coming week may play a major role in the coming decision. One other caveat: should Urías return to the MLB roster prior to May 2, I think Jandel Gustave will be optioned before a decision will have to be made on either Hiura or Brosseau. Milwaukee will want to delay the infield move longer than losing one of their bullpen group. Which relievers do you think will no longer be on the big league roster come May 2? Do you think Hiura or Brosseau get to hang around, for now? Let us know what you think in the comments! View full article

Let that b zoom. Lauer has been an incredible pickup for the team. Glad he got it figured out, and glad he seemingly has a better head on his shoulders than when he showed up. I remember about losing it when he blamed Omar for his early struggles. That could have been a miscommunication as well, but glad it's well behind him. It is crazy to think about the Milwaukee rotation. There was a day, not that long ago, we (collective fan base) would have killed for any one of the six guys currently in the rotation.

Let that b zoom. Lauer has been an incredible pickup for the team. Glad he got it figured out, and glad he seemingly has a better head on his shoulders than when he showed up. I remember about losing it when he blamed Omar for his early struggles. That could have been a miscommunication as well, but glad it's well behind him. It is crazy to think about the Milwaukee rotation. There was a day, not that long ago, we (collective fan base) would have killed for any one of the six guys currently in the rotation.

Let that b zoom. Lauer has been an incredible pickup for the team. Glad he got it figured out, and glad he seemingly has a better head on his shoulders than when he showed up. I remember about losing it when he blamed Omar for his early struggles. That could have been a miscommunication as well, but glad it's well behind him. It is crazy to think about the Milwaukee rotation. There was a day, not that long ago, we (collective fan base) would have killed for any one of the six guys currently in the rotation.

Let that b zoom. Lauer has been an incredible pickup for the team. Glad he got it figured out, and glad he seemingly has a better head on his shoulders than when he showed up. I remember about losing it when he blamed Omar for his early struggles. That could have been a miscommunication as well, but glad it's well behind him. It is crazy to think about the Milwaukee rotation. There was a day, not that long ago, we (collective fan base) would have killed for any one of the six guys currently in the rotation.

Slow starts happen. It’s a part of baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers dropped a series to the Chicago Cubs to start the year off, then lost to an 0-3 Baltimore Orioles team on Monday. The offense looks lackluster. The pitchers aren't executing. What exactly does the team have going for it right now? Good teams can start slow. It’s why they play 162 games in a season and don’t crown a first-half winner. A quick run down memory lane, both in Brewers history as well as other recent teams with slow starts. To quote Hunter Renfroe, “It’s game four.” Brewers historical early results and how the season turned out The most successful Brewers team in its history, the 1982 squad, started the season at 3-6. They ended with 95 regular-season wins en-route to the World Series before the Cardinals' devil magic prevented Milwaukee from coming home World Champions. In 1987, the Crew opened with a scorching 13 game win streak, only to lose 12 straight in May. That team won 91 games, but it was only good for third in the division (there were only four divisions, but the point remains). Most recently, the 2021 Milwaukee Brewers opened the season at 1-3 against the Twins and Cubs, neither of which impressed as the season wore on. Milwaukee, on the other hand, went on to handily win the NL Central with 95 wins - even after the wheels fell off and they finished 6-12 to end the regular season, due to injuries and resting players for the postseason. Okay, so the Brewers have seen this before, but what about other teams? Teams that have gone on to win something bigger, more important than a postseason birth? Glad you asked. How have other teams fared? In 2019, the Washington Nationals started their season with a 1-3 record and went on to a whopping 24-33 through May. Without intentionally salting our collective wounds as a fanbase, we had a front-row seat to the start of their World Championship postseason run. The Nationals rode their pitching staff straight through the postseason and World Series, something Milwaukee is equipped to replicate. That’s just one you say? What about (again, sorry about the salt) the 2021 Atlanta Braves, who started their season 0-4 before climbing to 4-8. After that, they rose to a 38-41 record through May before ascending to a wholly unimpressive 52-53 to close July. They rode an impressive pitching staff and a streaky offense to the World Series, picking up their most recent World Championship. It's going to be okay With that quick reminder that it’s a long season and the first handful of games mean very little, what is actually happening on the field? The Brewers are all around playing sloppy baseball and not executing. It’s really simple to break it down, and it’s actually a good thing. If the team was losing games while players were performing at expected levels, that doesn't leave room for improvement. As it is, they've nowhere to go but up. World-class pitching is missing their spots, failing to execute in key moments. We saw it with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, and Adrian Houser in their starts. Aaron Ashby and Jake Cousins out of the pen have shown both their potential and their hazards. Flashes of upside mixed with poor execution. Even on defense, they are botching plays we’ve come to expect them to make. Willy Adames has fumbled a few balls at shortstop, Kolten Wong missed a backhand up the middle (most 2B won’t make this play, but he usually does), Tyrone Taylor got a bad jump and a ball fell in front of him, and Mike Brosseau bobbled a slow roller before throwing it away. The same is true of the offense. Christian Yelich is looking much better, albeit not to his MVP form. He's hitting and getting on base, it's great to see. Let’s be honest, we’ll all be thrilled if Yelich hits .375/.538/.500 with an OPS of 1.038 all year. He won’t, of course, but he is showing good signs. The double against the Cubs was particularly promising, as his approach to go with that pitch and take what was given is a major increase over his approach during his draught. The offense is currently ranked 14th in the league by OBP, but just 2-for-22 with Runners in Scoring Position. There have been a lot of guys drawing walks, taking good swings, working counts the right way, and there have been a few loud outs to end innings. They will get better. As fans, we need to be patient and let the team come around. P.S. It looks as if these guys, the Brewers, in particular, could have used another few weeks in Spring Training. Give them time to round out. The Brewers organization, based on everything we know, is all for one and one for all. This team needs to just keep playing and working hard. Success is coming, it's still spring. Hope springs eternal, and tomorrow is another day. Get your grills ready, the home opener is approaching. View full article

@Tim Muma I said the exact same thing when he put his mask down. @Brock Beauchamp I think he knows very well what he is doing. He plays victim as a strategy (and maybe a little bit because he’s just a whiner). He gets frustrated because the Crew continue to pitch him in, where he really struggles. By crowding the plate he thinks he is forcing the pitcher to pitch away.

@Tim Muma I said the exact same thing when he put his mask down. @Brock Beauchamp I think he knows very well what he is doing. He plays victim as a strategy (and maybe a little bit because he’s just a whiner). He gets frustrated because the Crew continue to pitch him in, where he really struggles. By crowding the plate he thinks he is forcing the pitcher to pitch away.

@Tim Muma I said the exact same thing when he put his mask down. @Brock Beauchamp I think he knows very well what he is doing. He plays victim as a strategy (and maybe a little bit because he’s just a whiner). He gets frustrated because the Crew continue to pitch him in, where he really struggles. By crowding the plate he thinks he is forcing the pitcher to pitch away.

@Tim Muma I said the exact same thing when he put his mask down. @Brock Beauchamp I think he knows very well what he is doing. He plays victim as a strategy (and maybe a little bit because he’s just a whiner). He gets frustrated because the Crew continue to pitch him in, where he really struggles. By crowding the plate he thinks he is forcing the pitcher to pitch away.

The only one he can complain about is the one he took to the helmet, which was clearly a case of the ball getting away. That one is frustrating for the hitter though. All the others have been pretty good inside pitches. He is a doofus. Great word for him

The only one he can complain about is the one he took to the helmet, which was clearly a case of the ball getting away. That one is frustrating for the hitter though. All the others have been pretty good inside pitches. He is a doofus. Great word for him