Jake McKibbin

Somehow with the schedule of difficulty in July featuring the high-flying Reds and six games against the Braves, the Brewers pitching has been quite incredible, particularly against the Reds offense with some big names standing up in both the rotation and in the bullpen. Who was the best among them all though? Somehow with the schedule of difficulty in July featuring the high-flying Reds and six games against the Braves, the Brewers pitching has been quite incredible, particularly against the Reds offense with some big names standing up in both the rotation and in the bullpen. Who was the best among them all though? It was a solid month for Brewers started despite the fact that there were still some injured pitchers and others just coming back. The schedule wasn't easy, by any means, but the Brewers put together a nice stretch of good baseball, and that starts on the mound. Find out which pitchers led the way. Before we get to the pitcher of the month, here are a few honorable mentions that certainly deserve to be recognized. Honorable Mentions Joel Payamps Payamps has been an undisputed gem since arriving alongside Contreras in the Esteury Ruiz trade, and was truly lights out again in July with a number of close games. In 12 appearances, he conceded just two runs, going scoreless throughout July until running into the home run-happy Atlanta Braves in the third game of the series. He had recorded two saves, and his slider heavy approach has led to a lot of success, but over June and July it’s actually his fastball that has been incredible, with over a 50% whiff rate and a 100% chase rate in July, to complement a 71.4% chase rate on his slider. Devin Williams The late game innings have been monstrous from the Brewers, with Williams only slip up this month coming as a result of some unfortunate batted balls sneaking through against the Cubs, going 10/11 in save opportunities, with two earned runs across 11 2/3 innings of work. He’s got whiff rates of 48.3% on his fastball, and 52.6% on the changeup, nibbling around the edge of the strike zone with almost 50% of his pitches, meaning his electric stuff can be nearly impossible to hit, even after tangling hitters up with the location. He’s been perhaps better than Josh Hader ever was for the Brewers, and with Abner Uribe coming through, the Brewers stock of elite late inning relievers looks in good order. Hoby Milner Another lights out reliever who was undone only by the quality of the Atlanta Braves offense (and Marcell Ozuna suddenly finding form), Milner retained a 1.64 ERA in July with 11 innings conceding just two earned runs and 13 strikeouts, Milner is pushing to take over the seventh inning role from Elvis Peguero who struggled a little more this month. He doesn’t have much spin, he doesn’t throw hard, but he’s been incredibly effective against both right and left handed hitters this season after a shaky start, and his four seamer has a .121 xBA against it, ridiculous numbers on a pitch averaging 88.9 mph. He had a WHIP of just 0.73 in July, an outstanding effort. Pitcher of the Month – Corbin Burnes Corbin Burnes has found a level that he’s been searching for all year, with hitters sitting on the cutter and spitting on everything else. He’s adjusted what he throws and when, throwing curveballs almost twice as much this month when he gets ahead compared to June, just slightly tweaking his percentages and it’s been massive, with a curveball that has conceded just one hit, a single, in the entire month of July with a 56.4% whiff rate, matched by the solo single given up on his changeup which has a 41.7% whiff rate this month, as well as an in zone whiff rate of 42.1%. He’s making a big effort to stay in the strike zone more often and get ahead of hitters early, which has resulted in less cutters (he uses this over 70% of the time when he falls behind in the count). First pitch is often a cutter, which is in the strike zone 55% of the time, up by 8% from his last two months. In 0-0 counts, he’s at 60% in zone % with his sinker, 56% with his cutter and 52% with his curveball, as hitters have been very patient to start with against him earlier, in the year, not swinging and trying to get ahead early then sit on the inevitable cutter coming their way. When he gets into an 0-1 count, he has a 75% chase rate on changeups, and 50% chase rate on curveballs this month. He didn’t previously use the curveball at all this year in an 0-1 count. The reason this is so crucial is because of these stats: Behind the Batter: .250/.453/.429 for an .881 OPS Ahead of the Batter: .157/.174/.203 for a .377 OPS He is an incredible pitcher when he gets ahead, but a slight tweak to his 0-1 arsenal, and staying in the zone more often on his first pitch allows him to get ahead and stay ahead where his stuff can really play up to its full potential. As a result, in July he has a WHIP of 0.64, a .102 batting average, 42 strikeouts in 33 innings and a 1.64 ERA, truly elite stuff, and has brought a confidence to the rotation that even with regression to Julio Teheran likely, and Colin Rea too, the big boys are coming around to hold their own and carry the Brewers onwards. Was there a pitcher you enjoyed watching this month who I’ve missed? Was Burnes your pitcher of the month? View full article

Last night hurt, a lot of good contact too that just didn't fall, but it happens. Gray has been great so far this year, but he does have a 1.41 WHIP and an xERA of 4.5, so maybe he's overperformed quite a large amount He's got a six pitch mix (with a 1% occasional changeup for seven if you'd count that) with a slider, four seam, cutter, sinker, curveball and a sweeper Slider, four seamer and cutter are the pitches that have seen damage done against them, his three most used pitches, but in general all his pitches have been hit with regularity if not all for power His ground ball rate has risen from 34% last season to 41.7% this year which has been a big factor in limiting damage, key tonight is those hits with men on base. Hopefully can get good Freddy tonight to break this losing stretch and build a little momentum back

Boeve was supposed to have limited power due to a lot of ground balls right? Surprised he homered so early in his pro career, but great to see for both! More worrying for Wilken is the strikeouts, but hoping that it's not huge gin his swing and they can give him better zone contact with some work he winter, because that power is nuts

The Brewers have lengthened their lineup and increased their offensive floor considerably over the last two days. What else do they need for the final push? Image courtesy of © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers have lengthened their lineup and increased their offensive floor considerably over the last two days. What else do they need for the final push? Through acquisitions of outfielder Mark Canha and first baseman Carlos Santana, the Brewers have been making moves to address their issues in preparation for a postseason run. If they abandon their premium on defense, Canha could see more time in the outfield, but is likely cycling through reps at first and as the designated hitter, along with Santana, addressing a substantial need. However, to really solidify this team, there is more that could be done. The Bullpen Of late, the Brewers' primary seventh-inning man, Elvis Peguero, has shown signs of wear and tear, leading to a 6.39 ERA in July, with nine earned runs across 12.2 innings. Obviously, that culminated in his getting touched up in Monday night's loss to the Nationals. Hoby Milner’s form may push him into that higher-leverage spot, but the bullpen has been so crucial to their recent success that upgrades may be needed. One thing that could be added is an arm or two for the taxi squad--someone who can get outs at the big-league level, but also has options remaining. Peter Strzelecki may fit this mold, if he can show some of the form of last season. He has given up seven earned runs over his last eight innings with the Nashville Sounds, but did make four straight solid performances before being recalled. With relievers who have a track record of success, even a good stretch that brief can indicate that a guy is fixed. They also have to factor in the ability for Aaron Ashby to return in a bullpen role, but relying on an arm that’s been out for most of the season can be problematic (see: Justin Wilson). The Brewers have bullpen arms that could get major-league outs in Nashville at the moment, with Clayton Andrews performing well; the potential to do the Brewers-y thing and ease Robert Gasser in with a long relief role; and Thyago Vieira teasing his potential, being so close at times and so far away at others. In essence, the taxi squad role should be filled by these players, should they be needed, meaning an upgrade in the relief corps should be just that, an upgrade. Some options are: Keynan Middleton Middleton has produced a 3.96 ERA this season, with a 1.35 WHIP and 47 strikeouts through 36 innings. His most common pitch is the changeup, with only 27 percent of his offerings being fastballs this season, but the change in approach has worked well for him. On top of making his fastball dramatically more effective, he’s getting exit velocities of just 86 mph and 84.1 mph on his changeup and slider, respectively. With a 95th-percentile whiff rate, 89th-percentile strikeout rate and 71st-percentile hard-hit rate, this is the type of reliever who would do very well in the Brewers' ranks, if he can avoid barrels. He’s throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes, though he does walk hitters a little too often at times. A potentially valuable arm who’s more under the radar than some names being bandied about. He’s a free agent at year's end, so he shouldn’t come at a daunting cost, although that's also because he's more middle reliever than backend monster. Adam Ottavino A bigger name with a better track record and a bigger salary ($2.5 million left at the deadline), Ottavino has a 3.35 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP so far this season. A master at avoiding the barrel of the bat, his expected batting average (xBA) is 88th-percentile, and his expected slugging average (xSLG) is 92nd-percentile. Much of that is thanks to a wipeout sweeper that plays off his sinker beautifully to garner a ton of outs. You know the quality you’ll be getting: a player with a big-game temperament with a contract expiring at the end of the year with the Mets, who are in fire sale mode. He could do with shelving his cutter, which has been marmalized this year, but outside of that, you’ve got a late-inning reliever who can handle big games down the stretch. The Brewers are very well-known to make a reliever acquisition most seasons, and may look to do so now in light of Wilson’s injury, depending on his prognosis for the strain. Outside of this, the Brewers haven’t got many options to improve, with minimal up-the-middle help that won’t be overpriced, such as Tim Anderson. Jeimer Candelario is off the market to the Cubs as a third basemen, and they’re unlikely to make a big addition to the outfield, in view of the quality of the defensive options they already have combined with their desire to keep true to the run prevention strategy. They’re unlikely to be able to keep an additional starting pitcher on the roster for long, unless they have an option, with Wade Miley returning tomorrow and Brandon Woodruff potentially next week. They could have Colin Rea and Julio Teheran fighting for a spot, with Gasser lurking in the wings at Triple A. In short, the Brewers have a big boost coming to their rotation, but they are already above-average in the bullpen and average offensively in most positions, meaning an upgrade would have to be a big one, and could cost a lot of prospect capital they’re unlikely to want to part with. If the Brewers made one more acquisition before the trade deadline, who would you want it to be? View full article

Without seeming to do a whole lot in July, the Brewers have taken a big step forward, and look more primed than ever for a postseason effort, despite a challenging schedule in the month of July. What has changed since June? Image courtesy of © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Without seeming to do a whole lot in July, the Brewers have taken a big step forward, and look more primed than ever for a postseason effort, despite a challenging schedule in the month of July. What has changed since June? At the end of June, the Brewers were one game back of a surging Cincinnati Reds club who had caught fire following the promotions of a few rookies, with some remarkable offensive production covering a struggling rotation. Milwaukee was just four games above a .500 record, and it felt like they had barely earned that. They were the worst in the league in production from the right field, first base and designated hitter spots, as well as getting poor production from second base, while Willy Adames was struggling at the plate, and Brian Anderson proved very streaky at third. The division looks incredibly close as it stands, but the Brewers should have a lot more optimism moving forward, as their roster begins to bulge with talent. The First Base/Designated Hitter While making it clear the Brewers haven’t given up on Rowdy Tellez coming back and performing at a high level some time in mid-August, they had two slots here ideal for bat-first talent. Between Tellez’s injury and Owen Miller’s struggles at the plate since the month of May ended (while Keston Hiura struggles to get truly locked in at Nashville), the front office looked elsewhere. Insert Carlos Santana, a man reputed to have a big clubhouse effect and a premier defensive first baseman, two things that fit the DNA of the club. He provides a real consistency in the lineup, being a switch-hitter with extreme patience at the plate, as illustrated by his 17.4% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. He essentially lengthens the order, given how William Contreras and Christian Yelich have almost singlehandedly carried the offense in July. We haven’t seen Miller's bat since the trade, which can only be a good thing, and Santana popped his first homer against the Braves. Santana has been hot since the All-Star break, with a .963 OPS. Between him and Rowdy, the Brewers have home run power that can make a difference. Starting Pitching Wade Miley, Julio Teheran and Colin Rea were almost holding the rotation together coming into June, with subpar performances from the likes of Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta really struggling to find their best form, and more crucially, their strikeouts. Peralta had a blow-up outing against the Atlanta Braves, whose offense is otherworldly, but sandwiched that with two starts against the Reds where he almost had a no-hitter in one, then struck out 13 across six innings in the other. The Brewers coaching staff talked about trying to get him to enjoy himself more on the mound and let his personality out, and little mental adjustments can make a world of difference. Overall, he struck out 34 in 22 1/3 innings for a 3.63 ERA in the month of June. Burnes has been, quite simply, lights out, especially since the break, embracing changing up his pitch mix and tapping into some real form while he does so. His only loss since the break came as a result of some awful batted-ball luck and a poor offensive showing. Coming into the month, he had fewer strikeouts than innings pitched, but has come out the other side with 42 Ks in July across 33 innings, and one more start to come against the Nationals tonight. There was a thought that, given the way the rotation was going (especially the two aces of the staff while Woodruff was down), reaching the playoffs would be almost pointless. Burnes and Peralta just couldn’t pitch with any authority in the postseason in their April and May iterations. Not so now, and on top of that, the Brewers are maybe just a week or two away from adding Woodruff back in and being a truly elite rotation again. Right Field Being regularly manned by Blake Perkins, whose quality defense is offset by his relatively poor performance with the bat, as well as Tyrone Taylor’s scuffles earlier in the season, this was another area where even an average bat could make a massive difference for the Brewers. Enter Sal Frelick, whose incredible range has seen him make a number of remarkable catches since his debut, but it’s the bat that has changed things. He has a regular, big cut at the ball until he gets to two strikes, and then becomes a brick wall, shortening his swing and using his hands to simply direct the ball into gaps, without a care in the world for exit velocity. He’s shown he can hit them out of the park when the pitch is in his wheelhouse, but it’s the 11.1% strikeout rate and .438 OBP that really stand out so far. Frelick gets on base, and has again lengthened the Brewers lineup through his ability to do so. He’s a pesky hitter, like Santana, and interestingly, he hasn’t swung at a first pitch yet this season. He's running a 96.4% contact rate in the strike zone, which is absurd. An average offense is all this rotation needs to get the job done over the final two months of the season, and Frelick brings the Brewers one step closer to that. Third Base Andruw Monasterio was not a name on many fans' lips at the start of the season, but he has provided consistency since Brian Anderson’s injury that had been sorely lacking beforehand. Not likely to hit for much home run power, but with the ability to walk (11.8% walk rate) and strong bat-to-ball skills while regularly keeping the ball off the ground (just a 37.5% ground ball rate), he provides a quality at-bat and has been really sound defensively at the hot corner, with more range (but less arm) than Anderson. He is due for some regression, but that's fine. He can regress and still have value as a role player. Most crucial is what he’s brought against left handers, hitting for a .970 OPS against southpaws and being a big part in righting the ship against them for a team that really struggled against them early on. In July alone, upon getting more regular playing time, he has hit .333/.397/.424, for an OPS of .821. Again, this is a small sample, and the underlying metrics suggest that the results are less than perfectly sustainable, but he has shown he has a developing bat at each level of the minor leagues, and he could keep improving with more time at the major-league level, too. Second Base Brice Turang’s smoothness at second base, and his range, are amazing to watch, and they're a big reason for the Brewers' success this season, with the sheer volume of ground-ball pitchers they possess. That being said, his first stint in the majors didn’t go well, with a plummeting OPS and a strikeout rate that just didn’t work with his lack of power. Since returning however, Turang has improved his floor considerably, most notably with an improved walk rate that gave him a .333 OBP in July. He’s not hitting consistently or for power yet, but he’s shown an ability to learn and adapt at every step up in his career, and this can only come through exposure to the top level of pitching. Getting an on base percentage like that from the bottom of your lineup, with Christian Yelich coming up immediately afterward, can only be a good thing, while the defensive premium of having both Turang and Adames up the middle is huge for the strategy of run prevention. Realistically, the Brewers need Adames and Tellez to start performing more to their capabilities in order to become an above-average offense, and the lack of power has hurt them a little in July. Yelich and Contreras have been almost the only places from which extra-base hits have come, but they have found the starting pitching that can dominate in October and noticeably improved their offensive floor with the acquisition of Santana, the promotion of Frelick, and the improved performance of Monasterio and (to a lesser extent) Turang. One more big bat could make all the difference, particularly if it allowed an average contribution offensively from second base or center field (altough Joey Wiemer looks to have developed a two-strike approach that’s borne recent fruits), but simply by passing the baton more, they can get the runs they need to get into the postseason and beyond. They fully deserved their 16-10 record in July. Keep this up, especially with a weaker schedule incoming, and they’ll be feeling very good about their chances in the postseason. View full article

Also if you get current form of Burnes, and the early season form of Woodruff, they can shutout anyone with this back end bullpen too. So get in the playoffs and let's see what they can do This offense certainly should have more consistency than last seasons, particularly with Yelich and Contreras and if you can get bang average production in other places Plus Tellez could catch fire Lots of ifs and buts there but it is a scenario where the streaky hitters get hot, and the pitchers do their thing

Ronald Acuna Jr and his contract That is all

He has a 1.59 WHIP in 2023, with 2nd percentile xBA and 1st percentile xSlg His xERA is 7.45 We have a resurgent Burnes on the mound Please dear Lord let us rack up a ton of runs The only one of five pitches he throws that hasn't completely sucked is the curveball

It was a borderline pitch but also surprised it wasn't called as the framing was absolutely spot on too

Also fair to say the offense has looked quite good, but god have we not had the BABiP luck

Good god.. they're homering literally every time. Is that all 5 runner on base have scored?

God don't play Hiura at second base It's almost like we're terrified of the lead, Riley and Ozuna have run riot. Acuna is on base almost every time

The timing of this is far too coincidental, it's so blatant. They want Teheran in case Miley goes down again, and/or woodruff

Literally this... Might get in with Freddy and Burnes given the strikeouts but he's average to below average in the field, so with how defense has won games this year and Turang being better at the plate he deserves to start

Braves twitter suggests a start time in 10 minutes or so

I think the forearm was a legitimate reason for his bat speed being slightly below where it normally is He was still hitting the ball hard, and he's for my money closer to an .800 OPS than he will be to a sub .500 OPS Definitely not a given that he pulls it off of course, but if you want a power 1B/DH to take a swing on, he's a better hope than CJ Cron

First delayed start in a while! Has there been one this year?

His stats were really good to start the season no? Like elevating the ball well, hitting for a ton of power and a big part of the big brewers offensive production in April! What made you think he wasn't great at this point? I think if fit and healthy, he's a great middle of the order bat to have for an average offense needing power, and his stats declined to an extent not seen previously in his career through June, making it very likely they were injury related results, and counsell did say he'd been managing them for a month! And actually I'm a big fan of Hiuras, and don't want the organisation to throw him aside and get just a week or two of him before failing to option him this time round. When he was on fire earlier in the season, with his timing on point having removed the toe tap altogether, and catching up to high heat I was really impressed, but I don't think promoting someone when they're finding themselves at the plate out of hope and desperation isn't the right ploy. I can see a scenario where he stays in triple A this season and fights for a DH slot next year actually. I'd love him to find his timing and really get locked in in a way he hasn't since the injury (it's a shame it came when it did) and if he does, get him up. If he doesn't, just keep working with him, the talents there and I think he'll have one last chance to make an impact at some point this season or next, hopefully with real confidence in his own swing and faith from the manager when his chance comes around

Absolutely Also it's important to remember the stolen base threat he added to his game last season to go with the power efforts Wiemer has power but he's far more inconsistent with it, Tellez is a more reliable bat in terms of getting the ball in play, and has bat to ball skills Wiemer lacks. Tellez hit 35 home runs last year and 12 in the first six weeks of this season. Joey might at some point do that with some swing changes, but he's certainly not there yet

He might do a rehab assignment, I think it all depends on how he's looking I think during the rehab after the stitches are out! His injury was maybe going on long enough he could do with one, but as soon as he's even close to ready he'll be back with the Brewers

I'm not judging by his stat lines so much as what I saw watching the AB's if that helps

The Alexander move/Megill option from the 40 man appears to have been in preparation for Justin Wilson's activation tonight, meaning another player may lose their roster spot soon. Be interesting to see who. Wilson has been with the club since Monday, but activation was delayed due to consecutive appearances with Nashville Saturday & Sunday