Jake McKibbin

Just brought up Wicks, though tactfully made sure he isn't in line to face the Brewers next week. Could be a real sink or swim move, starters have mostly taken some adjustment period this year when getting promoted

Avila has been a great opener/reliever this season, but has massively outperformed expected numbers with an xERA of 3.85 compared to his actual 1.17 ERA He's a fastball/change/curve guy, with really effective off speed offerings so far this year but also very hittable behind the fastball (either four seamer or sinker)

One other thing is the ABS system in the international league has resulted in a smaller strike zone apparently. For a player who you want to develop skills of strike zone discipline, AA would be a better place to do this. I saw his first AB last night and the raw power there is truly something to behold

Does this make it all the more remarkable how consistently the Brewers have excelled at this under Counsell?

I heard the MKE tailgate saying about how apparently having a lights out closer alone doesn't make you good in one run games

I think it's Darvish in first game!

He is lined up to start Saturday it seems!

This'll be interesting.. I did wonder if with all the off days the Brewers may have tried to line up Burnes, Woody and Freddy for the Cubs series but doesn't look like that's happening

When you've been that good at limiting hard contact and striking out so many, you earn that trust I think. Also the high fastball did Garcia so well

Santana was very unlucky not to have multiple extra base hits tonight, and this series to be honest, it just keeps going dow the right fielders throat This is exactly how frustrating that game is, an xBA .100 points better on the day. Dodgers were lucky as balls

Lynn has been lights out since his move too 😬

Might say it's between winker and rowdy but a hot stretch from Hiura could be hard to ignore Tellez has been hitting the ball hard despite poor stat line but the strikeouts are worrying

Currently on holiday in Romania, I can almost watch these games live at 5.10 am 😂

Freddy Peralta leads the rotation in strikeouts and as of late has been exceptional in every sense of the word. Over his last seven games he has a 2.83 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 41 1/3 innings with a 0.94 WHIP. He’s getting very close to being called a viable ace, the question is can he stay consistent? Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Freddy Peralta leads the rotation in strikeouts and as of late has been exceptional in every sense of the word. Over his last seven games he has a 2.83 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 41 1/3 innings with a 0.94 WHIP. He’s getting very close to being called a viable ace, the question is can he stay consistent? Peralta has always had the raw stuff to be a top of the rotation starter, generating a huge amount of swing and miss even when inside the strike zone, but his command of his off speed stuff, and in particular when he gets ahead of hitters, has lead to sub-par results this season. The Brewers pitching staff have discussed working on a mental approach to bring out his personality more on the mound, and perhaps creating a deeper level of comfort since the Atlanta Braves game. On top of that, his ability to execute when he gets ahead has markedly improved, even before that game, so let's take a closer look at the results. Less Waste When He Gets Ahead With the way his fastball allows him to attack hitters, he has all the stuff to be an elite top of the rotation arm. Looking at some of the issues from April and May, he seems to have taken sizable strides forwards which have brought about the recent run of form. Early in the year, a big issue Peralta faced was his waste pitches. When ahead in the count, many pitchers throw a waste pitch in the hope of a chase, but more to set up the next sequence of pitches. Peralta however did so in such a wild manner as to allow hitters to get back into counts, leading to him being forced back into the zone, or walking hitters in two strike counts, which invariably came back to bite him. The added downside was it was taking him a lot of pitches to get through innings, preventing him getting deep into games. In 0-2 counts, you almost never expect a pitch in the zone, but it’s the 1-2 and 2-2 counts where Peralta has really let the hitter get back into the at bat. Let’s have a look alterations in how he’s used his pitch mix, particularly the fastball: June July August In Zone % 1-2 Counts (FB) 22.6% 33.3% 40% In Zone % 2-2 Counts (FB) 40% 50% 75% In Zone % 2-2 Counts (CU/SL) 27.6% 41.2% 71.4% Due to how often hitters struggle to square up his fastball at the top of the zone, because of a combination of the velocity, extensions off the mound, and incredible spin rate resulting in extreme induced vertical break, he gets ahead quite regularly. Putting away hitters however was a troublesome task, with the array of uncompetitive pitches. As you can see above, he’s increased significantly the number of fastballs thrown in the zone when he’s ahead in the count, but the key for me is the use of breaking pitches in 2-2 counts. Prior to July, he was throwing about 30% of breaking balls in the strike zone in 2-2 counts. Now he’s challenging hitters to not just sit on the fastball, but to stay on it long enough to foul off or time up the breaking pitch. If you take it, there’s a solid chance of a called strike three. As a result of this he’s been able to put hitters away must more adeptly, usually with the fastball in 1-2 counts (where his in zone swing and miss increased to 50% from 25% in June) but the breaking pitches in two strike counts have a 75% swing and miss in the strike zone in July. In June that figure was down at 11.8%. It can’t be stressed enough how the improved command of his breaking pitches has changed the effectiveness of his fastball. In April and May, the whiff rates were down at 22.2% and 23.8% respectively, because hitters were just sitting on it and doing damage. By June, that figure was up to 32.3%, and in August’s small sample size so far, is up to 47.3%. On top of that, hitters are struggling so much that even when they do make contact, it’s a lot of weak fly balls with an average 25 degree launch angle, and an xWOBA so far this month of just .108. The great thing about this approach is he hasn’t changed much in the pitch usage, he’s simply making hitters respect his entire arsenal a whole lot more, and as a result if he can’t beat you with one weapon, he’ll beat you with the other. Mental Approach In July, Chris Hook mentioned a discussion with Peralta where they sat down and showed him clips of him when not pitching compared to when he is, noting the lack of enjoyment and personality he showed on the mound, almost replaced with a nervier version of himself. They worked on trying to bring that energy with him when he pitches, and it seems to have paid dividends. One thing Peralta was doing early in the season was giving up an inordinate number of big hits of the extra base variety with ducks on the pond, being bitten regularly by a big inning when exposed to powerful hitters. However, since the Atlanta Braves game when they had this discussion, he’s gone 25 innings in four starts, with 22 men getting on base, but only allowing the one solo home run over that span. Being able to find a mindset, in much the same way as Corbin Burnes did before his outstanding Cy Young season in 2021, is of the utmost importance to being able to pitch your way out of trouble. Confidence is paramount, and if Peralta has developed a mindset that allows him to execute in these situations, that ERA is going to continue dropping. Peralta's best season for the Brewers came in 2021, recording a 2.81 ERA with a .174 xBA and xSLG of just .289. He did have a tendency to walk hitters, but his confidence in his swing and miss stuff meant that he could get out of trouble, and he never seemed panicked. At times this season, with men on base especially. In 2021 he had a .646 OPS with men on base, in 2023 that figure is up to an .805 OPS, compared to a .627 OPS with the bases empty. Finding a way to reduce his stress in these moments is key to getting the best out of Peralta. Fastball Freddy still relies upon his fastball enormously, but the support he’s giving it from the rest of the arsenal is making it a pitch as elite as Corbin Burnes' cutter. If he can maintain this improved control for a stretch longer than one month, and remain comfortable when the inevitable baserunners do come around, Peralta will be deserving of recognition as a true ace of the Brewers staff. View full article

Jackson ChourioJeferson QueroSal FrelickJacob MisiorowskiTyler BlackRobert GasserAbner UribeCarlos F RodriguezBrock WilkenMike BoeveCooper PrattLogan HendersonEric Brown JrJosh KnothEric BitontiYophery RodriguezLuke AdamsLuis LaraDylan O'RaeDaniel Guilarte

One thing is he has been ripping balls, the loft will change everything fast but he's had a fair few balls over 105 mph. Winkers barely done that all year but they'll definitely be hoping one of them forces their hand

He does, he loves the versatility! They will have to be on the 40 man. Your point actually makes me remember something else that was mentioned, they may consider Garrett Mitchell purely as pinch runner in late September which could be interesting

They do like giving quality starters a cup of coffee historically as a reliever which I think makes it more viable They give them multi innings roles, and they can also use either Lauer or Gasser as starters and push Houser to the pen That being said the length this rotation can provide maybe makes the multi innings role less useful, especially with Wilson fulfilling that quite well so far this year

We already had a look at the hot bats that are pushing for a role in the expanded September squad. Now let's see if there are any pitchers demanding to be added. Image courtesy of © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. / USA TODAY NETWORK We already had a look at the hot bats that are pushing for a role in the expanded September squad. Now let's see if there are any pitchers demanding to be added. As previously mentioned, Craig Counsell will likely want to add one pitcher and one hitter to his roster for the 28-man roster, and he's known for the value he puts on versatility. The Brewers' pitching staff, as it stands, is one of the most dangerous in the major leagues, both the starting rotation and the potential of the bullpen. Can any of these players lay claim to improving this even further? Pitching Robert Gasser Looking at the history of Brewers call-ups this time of year, the ability to give length out of the bullpen is seen as a big plus. Gasser has been the premium starting pitcher at Nashville, especially of late. His overall 3.91 ERA doesn’t appear all that impressive, but since reining in his command and reducing his walks, he has been lights out. He tossed six innings and had ten strikeouts in his most recent start. Only five men reached base. He was muddled a little by an unusually high BABIP in July (.384) but has looked very much ready of late, if occasionally still losing his command a little. Not a high-velocity pitcher, his fastball is in the low-to-mid-90s range, but his command of an average-to-plus fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball has given him a lot of swing and miss potential. His best pitch is a wipeout slider that has been given a 60 grade by MLB and has proven effective against both left and right-handers. He is also a left-handed pitcher, giving the Brewers another lefty option in their pen to go with Andrew Chafin and Hoby Milner. He could also make spot starts or even full starts in place of Adrian Houser, should the Brewers decide to go in that direction. Again, his versatility brings with it a lot of bonuses for manager Craig Counsell. Eric Lauer Another name almost drifting from people’s minds due to his long, hitherto unexplained absence, Lauer has been much more of what we would come to expect since his return. He has allowed three hits and one earned run across seven innings of work, including 11 strikeouts. Again, a lefty pitcher with the ability to go multiple innings, he may be ahead of Gasser should he lengthen out with these results. In addition, he is a known commodity in the clubhouse who could take off. If an in-form Lauer is your fifth starting pitcher, you will have a great rotation through September. He's being stretched out currently, up to three innings in his last outing, and demonstrating the swing-and-miss stuff is back. Lauer is being built up slowly, with a lot of care taken, but he has the ability to generate an inordinate amount of swing and miss on his “zoom ball.” We shouldn’t forget just how dominant he was to start the 2022 season, recording a 1.93 ERA in April and a 2.96 ERA in May with 61 strikeouts. He struggled in June before excelling again in July and August last season. Lauer is a proven performer (albeit an up-and-down one) who can dominate an opposing pitching staff. If he’s stretched out and the Brewers consider him ready, he’ll be getting the call. Out-of-Left-Field Options Trevor Megill Another member of the current taxi squad, Megill, has a big fastball and slider that can get him outs. He also has the propensity to lose command and leave pitches in the middle of the zone, and when that is the case, he has been hit hard. That said, he’s the member of the taxi squad with the most big-league outs this season, and his high-profile stuff could make him an option for the Brewers, who may consider him a known quantity at this point. Clayton Andrews Another player with a few appearances so far on the roster this year, Andrews has come from nowhere in the early part of the season. He has utilized his devastating changeup to mow down hitters at all levels of the minor leagues. He did stumble during his first appearance in the big leagues, which is not unusual, but the struggles continued for a while in Triple-A after his demotion. He appears to be back on track, with 54 strikeouts in 41 innings of work on the year. He has a 2.63 ERA, but his 1.29 WHIP may cause concern. He issues a lot of walks (5.5 BB/9), but he has the stuff to get out of trouble if he can get comfortable at the major-league level. He had a batting average against of .133 in April, .143 in May, .152 in June, and .200 so far in August; this is a pitcher who can miss bats while also providing that lefty angle for Counsell to toy about with. Aaron Ashby Ashby hasn't started his rehab assignment just yet but is close to doing so. He has demonstrated the stuff to be elite in whatever role the Brewers need when healthy. The management team confirmed that he will be prepping for a bullpen role, if needed, rather than stretched out as a starter. He recorded a 2.79 ERA last season as a relief pitcher with a staggering abundance of ground balls producing a GO/AO of 3.57. He has the stuff. If he's healthy, expect him to play some role in this Brewers pen. Jacob Misiorowski With the best pure stuff in the Brewers system, the 2022 second-round pick may seem like a reasonable outside option to get a call-up. However, despite his wipeout pitches, his control has really let him down since his promotion to Double-A, with a seismic increase in wild pitches, hit batters, and walks accompanying the huge strikeout totals. He’s not ready yet, but the Brewers can dream of his stuff playing next year. So which pitcher would get the call if you were in charge, and why? Are there other pitchers that should be considered too? View full article

He may have saved a crucial run with his range last night, the 3-4-3 put out. A little lucky with the deflection but no other first base is getting a hand on that

Have to say Taylor's AB's of late have looked much more like Tyrone of last year, an Andover average OPS with limited OBP and can slug a little more gan average. I like this move

No you can continue to interchange them, so you'll likely see players being optioned and called up through September depending on form, fatigue etc

I'm guessing changing an approach is going to be much simpler than changing his whole swing, especially to a more aggressive version. Of course everyone gets fooled every now and then by a hanger but I've a feeling we'll know by this time next year if A) he can dominate when he gets ahead B) he can cover the outer third of the zone If he can, holy mother of jingle bells