Jake McKibbin

The question is on everyone’s lips: how serious is Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder injury? Will he return later in the playoffs? How big of a loss is he? I’ll try and answer all of these questions, as well as who might now find themselves on the postseason roster as a result. In the month of September, Adrian Houser had five starts and pitched to a 2.14 ERA, while Wade Miley recorded the best ERA of the starting pitchers with over 100 innings (3.14), with all the nous and experience to manipulate hitters into weakly contacted balls. Both could be used, in a piggyback role, to cover six or seven innings, with their ground-ball tendencies from the right and left side a tough matchup for opposing hitters. In all likelihood, Miley’s experience will win out, giving him the start in Game Three, should they need it. Before Woodruff went down, the plan would have been to use Miley and Hoby Milner as the left-handed relievers, with Miley also giving length (should it be needed) out of the bullpen. If Miley moves to start Game Three, Counsell may go one of two ways (look away now, Brewers fans): Bring in the dependable, solid Colin Rea to eat innings where required. Andrew Chafin Rea has pitched remarkably well this year, but his big issue has been the home run ball when under pressure with men on base. This could be exacerbated in a playoff situation, and his propensity to serve up meatballs under pressure could hold him back. Meanwhile, Chafin has led to some serious squirming for the Brewers since they acquired him from the Diamondbacks, with his slider not generating its usual movement and getting him into trouble. That being said, he’s held teams scoreless in his last five appearances, and Counsell loves his matchups, so make of that what you will. All in all, you cannot replace a player of Woodruff’s undeniable quality. In his absence, the Brewers will need their offense to get hot in a way that they maybe didn’t need before. Miley and Houser are more than capable of keeping you in a game, but would face a recently dominant Merrill Kelly if it came to that deciding game. The key to this will be Freddy Peralta. Matthew Trueblood wrote last week of how he’s become a genuine ace of the staff, and he’ll need to be the version of himself that dominated through August and September to carry the Brewers through the Wild Card Series. He has, at times, struggled in high-pressure games. In others, he’s risen to the task and been lights-out. The newfound consistency in recent months would suggest he’s more than capable of shutting down the Diamondbacks, along with Corbin Burnes, rendering a Game Three unnecessary. The series just got a whole lot tighter. Can the one-two punch of the Brewers’ remaining aces carry the weight of the entire state into the Division Series? View full article

Oh babbyyyyyyy... tension is mounting, Brewers almost cannot lose this game. Yeli bomb to lead off, settle the nerves, cruise to a 15-0 win

Also important to note how advantageous expensive lawyers are in these situations. As said above, that's his story and following many of these, I've realised just how believable someone is in a rape/sexual assault case until you hear the other side of things.

It's interesting with pitchers especially, and non contact oriented bats. Bats that make consistent contact seem far more reliable overall when it comes to this Biggest shock for me this year is how poor Realmuto has been behind the plate for the Phillies, especially given how good he was last year. One of the worst defenders in the league at catcher this season

He's been better (I've a preview coming out later so not gonna say too much) but I think the Brewers match up really well in terms of patience being critical to how you approach him. He could be taylormade for NOT grounding into double plays too, the Brewers definitely have the edge, but he's not the 6 ERA pitcher he seemed up until mid August

Yeah, the key is avoiding double plays too. It'll be very interesting just how aggressive the Brewers try to be in this series, as they have speed, but Yelich has the best baserunning nous and timing of anyone

Cant believe the regular baseball season is coming to an end... really enjoyed getting into some writing for you guys this year, best fandom around, and hopefully a long old postseason to celebrate!

Best case is the Marlins lose the first two, it'd be great to give them zero rest time for the playoffs and use up those starter arms. that's a heavily injured ball club already, and you can see how worn down the Cubs currently look. Cubs have a great shot given the Brewers starters in this series, but Marlins definitely have the advantage now

Bye Bye Jesse perhaps?

He did have some misfortune as well, he was timing up the ball better, but a little too often straight to the fielder. Nice to see his exit velos popping up again, but yeah more work to do this offseason. That being said, he was clearly changing his technique, and that's a nightmare to do in game, it'll take time to bed in and then he can focus more on just see ball, hit ball.

I could see that with a 12th player, he does also love pinch hitting, and having defensive players available to sub in after could allow him to pinch hit in more situations. also with eight relievers behind Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta, including Miley as an extra left handed reliever alongside Hoby Milner, I could see him maybe sticking to that, though it could be either or. I definitely can't see 13 pitchers for the WC round Regarding Mitchells' defense, I can't remember what the stat specifically was, but last offseason someone came up with a new defensive metric that's a blend of Outs above average and range factor, and Mitchell graded as the best center fielder in the league. He's faster than Frelick and Wiemer (which is saying something) and albeit something Frelick has hugely improved upon, his reads would be sharper, especially as someone who's played center field all his life. That being said, any combination of the above would be a vacuum in the outfield, and you couldn't quibble with any of it Edit: The stat was range defense added, it's a big fan of Willy Adames, who lead all shortstops in it last season. Garrett Mitchell was comfortably ahead in "Range out score". It's quite astonishing just how good he is out there For anyone over 100 inning sin CF, he still tops the list this year, on top of having 3 DRS in just 127 innings. That's quite the impressive coverage, so for that I'd rate him slightly above Frelick and Wiemer Interestingly, this season it has Blake Perkins 7th, Frelick 20th, and Wiemer 49th

The missing ingredient for a deeper playoff run from the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 was a sense of preparation and momentum. This time around, with a deeper roster and better health, Craig Counsell will try to ensure that those things are on his side entering the Wild Card Series. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp & Brewer Fanatic The Brewers sealed their third NL Central title in the last six years on Tuesday night, with the Cubs' sudden and ghastly loss against the rolling Atlanta Braves. It was all but sewn up, but that final nudge makes a huge difference in just how relaxed the Brewers can be over the final few days of this campaign. Let’s take a look at how that relaxed approach may unfold: Health and Rest Of prime importance is the fitness and form of the principal trio of the Brewers rotation. The hopes of the Brewers rest on the performance of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta, who have been arguably the best and most feared group of starters in baseball since August came around. Peralta came down with an illness that affected his last start, while Woodruff struggled to contain the Marlins the day after securing a place in the playoffs, something both will want to correct going into the playoffs. Burnes, meanwhile, has been mercurial, although his five shutout innings Friday night in Miami were nothing about which to complain. It would be expected that all three will go around 80-90 pitches (at most) in their final tune-up starts over the next few days, staying sharp but certainly not stressing themselves. It’s also likely the final starts of the season will involve a heavy dose of Colin Rea and Julio Teheran eating innings--something the Cubs may be grateful for given their current situation. The Fringe Players With the best-of-three format of the Wild Card Series, it’s likely the Brewers will only carry 11 pitchers, composed of eight relievers and three starters. That allows 15 position players, and some of these will be fighting for a position in the pecking order when the inevitable matchups come about. Some specific standouts are: Rowdy Tellez A bat with power that hasn’t shown much since hitting nine home runs in his first 28 games, he’s been hampered by injury and poor form, with too many ground balls sapping the effectiveness of his power. That being said, Tellez has always been a streaky hitter, if not quite this much, and one hot month from him is huge for a power-deprived offense. Expect to see him given three starts over these final four regular-season games, between first base and designated hitter, to find some timing at the plate. Garrett Mitchell Counsell said that Mitchell would play only a minor role in the postseason--if he makes it onto the roster, which would be a miracle in and of itself given the extent of his shoulder injury. That being said, Mitchell has shown himself to be an elite defensive center fielder (above even the solid Joey Wiemer and Sal Frelick), as well as elite wheels on the basepaths. An outfield of Wiemer, Mitchell and Frelick to finish a game is the stuff of legends. He’s also shown himself to be a man for the pressure moments, dominating when he arrived last September (albeit with a lot of BABIP luck) and some timely home runs to start this season, too. Expect to see him in center field sometime this weekend to show what he’s capable of, and to evaluate whether he has his timing at the plate back. He may not be the first pinch-hitter used, but he may push himself up the pecking order a little. Some Semblance of Form As mentioned, the 2021 Brewers limped into the playoffs after an excellent regular season where they threatened the 100-win mark, stumbling with injuries and cold streaks that carried over into the offensive performance against the Atlanta Braves. One issue to address is the tightness that Frelick admitted engulfed the team since Friday, leading to the bats going cold. "I don’t think we played as loose. Myself, personally, I wasn’t having as much fun," Frelick said after the clinch. "There was a lot of pressure. I just think it was such a good learning experience heading into the playoffs, when every game is going to be like that." It’s something they can’t afford going into the playoffs, although the veteran presence of Josh Donaldson, Christian Yelich, Mark Canha, Willy Adames, and Carlos Santana should hopefully be a big boost in keeping the tension light, and encouraging the rookies amongst the Brewers roster to stay loose and enjoy the moment rather than let it overwhelm them. There will be time this weekend to let that tension build, then relax. Come next week, it'll be all tension and no relaxation, until the Brewers either get eliminated or hoist a trophy that has eluded them for the entire history of the franchise. View full article

Looks like Mitchell is getting a run out tonight. This'll be intriguing

In his defense, he has nothing to gain by playing from now to the end of the season, but a lot to lose in terms of injury. Looking like a bad teammate may cost him offers from some places, but Mets, Yankees etc wouldn't care at all If he does pick up an injury, he could lose 20 million instantly off a contract, that's a ton of money

It'd be delicious watching one/both these teams lose their aces on final day, particularly given Marlins injuries and Cubs lack of depth how important those players are

@Tim Mumawould he have needed to be on the 40 man roster by September 1st?

Yeah it's just ridiculous Saw something this morning about Donaldson apparently forcing Rowdy to drink beers last night, and peer pressuring him (with an attached video of rowdy holding a can in each hand, chugging them). It's like people are looking to make him an asshat

Yeah I can't believe the quality in in it Cassie Caminero Chourio Black PCA Quero And those are just the names I recognise

The southern league team of the year is going to feature a ton of MLB players, so many great performances this year

He also seems to be someone who thrives on the big moments... he just finds a way to impact important games Also important to note that while Joey Wiemer is exceptional in Center Field, as is Blake Perkins... Mitchell is a step up again, he's Brenton Doyle levels of outfield coverage

When he's been healthy this year, Christian Yelich has found his way to being a dominant presence again. Is he truly healthy now? And how impactful can he be in the postseason? Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp & Brewer Fanatic Any successful October offense needs a leader--the man who delivers the big hit or just forces the opposing pitching staff into the stretch seemingly every time he comes up. The Brewers' highest-paid player is that kind of guy, when he's right. The question is whether he will be. What He Can Do During the months of June and July, the Brewers were treated to a taste--a timely reminder--of just what Christian Yelich can provide. He steadily improved throughout the spring, before taking off in the summer. Across his 228 plate appearances from June 1 through the end of July, Yelich hit nine home runs, 18 doubles, and a triple, and got on base at a .403 clip. More impressive was that he struck out just 13 times in all of July, abandoning his patience early in the count and instead looking to strike early in the count, a habit that has been sorely missing in recent seasons. One common denominator among Yelich’s more successful seasons has been how often he swings at the first pitch. This year's mark in that category is the highest it’s been since 2019 (26.5% in 2023, 21.7% in 2022). In June and July, this translated to a .559 slugging percentage, in other words Yelich wasn’t looking to walk, he went to the plate to do damage. As @Tim Muma wrote last week, the Brewers have an issue with the long ball and extra-base power, with many players capable of playing scrappy baseball and getting on base at effective clipsL Mark Canha (.388 OBP), Sal Frelick (.357), and William Contreras (.366 OBP). Even Willy Adames has a .367 on-base rate in September. In short, the Brewers can put men on base, but they’re missing that premium bat that can clear the bases with one blow. Yelich can provide that and more, a bat capable of producing a 1.000+ OPS in a hot month. He can carry this team on his shoulders. To demonstrate this, in his return on Friday night from a back ailment that may have been restricting him since early August, Yelich showed exactly what he could do, culminating in a 16-run explosion for the Brewers. He walked in his second plate appearance of the game, then smashed a two-run home run to left field, before a 106.4-mph double to left field and a 106.8-mph, 430-foot, three-run blast to center field. In total, over the weekend, he tallied six hits, two doubles, and two home runs. It was almost as if August never happened. Is He Truly Healthy? After his red-hot July, Yelich struggled mightily in August, slugging just .324 and posting an OPS of .676. As always, he adjusted and found his way on base at an above-average rate, but even so, he wasn’t the player of earlier in the season. In large part, this was due to the underlying back injury, which prompted him to change his setup at the plate to compensate. Yelich’s ground-ball tendencies do give him some room for BABIP fortune and misfortune, but one thing that has always stayed consistent with him is his ability to crush the ball, even if it is into the ground. In August, however, his average exit velocity dipped from 94.4 mph in July to 86.3 mph, and continued in early September. For reference, here’s his average exit velocity by month this season: It's important to note that the Baseball Savant page has its dates slightly mixed up, with the last two figures being August and September, but it’s a noticeable drop-off. The length of time he was afforded to get healthy again seems to have paid dividends, with Tyrone Taylor’s form allowing them the breathing room to get Yelich right. Here are his exit velocities from the weekend: 77.6 mph 103.6 mph 106.8 mph 106.4 mph 79.3 mph 61.3 mph 103 mph 70.6 mph 102.7 mph Five of his nine balls in pay were hit at over 102 miles per hour, and while he’ll still be refining his comfort and approach at the plate after a few weeks off, the fact that he’s crushing the ball again is a great sign for Yelich moving forward--particularly given that he’s been getting some air under the ball, too. For more evidence, Yelich's 1,500th hit involved him beating out a ground ball to first base, with a sprint speed of 30.1 feet per second. Elite speeds like that do not happen with a bad back. He’ll see more time against the Cardinals, and (hopefully) push the Brewers to another NL Central title in the process, but all eyes are on the postseason now. With the metronomic hitting machine that is William Contreras; the bat-to-ball skills of Canha and Frelick, and the potential power bats of Adames, Santana and Donaldson, this lineup has a playoff appearance to it when you add a fit and firing Yelich. Where to Play Him Although it may be tempting to have him migrate down the batting order to drive in runs (particularly given Sal Frelick’s level of success), having Yelich leading off brings a number of advantages. Having a power hitter at the top of the order means that the lower part of the order, such as the on-fire Donaldson and Taylor and the much less dangerous Brice Turang, will be getting more pitches to hit, with pitchers wary of having men on with the experienced Yelich coming up. Frelick, however, needs no such advantage, with an ability to get on base whether you pitch to him or not. The biggest advantage, however, might be that Yelich’s hard grounders can be ideal for double plays if he comes up with runners on base. It’s been a killer at times for the Brewers offense over the last two months, where they lead the league in twin killings. I’m not a big advocate for lineup construction mattering a whole lot, but in the playoffs, you want your best hitters taking as many at bats as possible (Yelich and Contreras), and the leadoff spot avoids at least one double play opportunity for him. He’s back to mashing the ball, and one month of the Yelich seen from July would make the Brewers a truly formidable offense, with eight effective hitters capable of causing problems, and several power hitters that can turn a game with one swing of the bat. He's recovered the upright stance that deserted him while compensating for his back injury. Yelich isn’t here to take part. He’s here to take over. Brewers fans should be getting incredibly excited for what’s to come. View full article

The Results didn't show it, but he did start massacring a few more balls at Nashville towards the end of his stint. More frequent hard contact