Jason Wang

Unable to face the pressure of 40,000 fans munching on Dodger Dogs, the Brewers seemed to roll over against the Dodgers Wednesday night. If the real game is the friends we met along the way, though, then at least they bumped into an old one. Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Wade Miley - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 82 pitches, 54 strikes (65.9%) Home Runs: Mark Canha (7) Top 3 WPA: Mark Canha (.073), Andruw Monasterio (.049), William Contreras (.046) Bottom 3 WPA: Wade Miley (-.230), Sal Frelick (-.135), Carlos Santana (-.122) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Miley Gets Hit Around, Contreras Keeps Interfering In his first start at Dodger Stadium since game 5 of the 2018 NLCS, Wade Miley made it through five innings while taking a little bit of damage on the way. In the first inning, after a walk and a single, a catcher interference call on Contreras loaded the bases with just one out. A groundout by Amed Rosario was enough to put the Dodgers on the board, but Miley was able to get Max Muncy to ground out for the third out. In the second inning, he gave up a solo home run to Miguel Rojas, and Los Angeles scored again after yet another instance of catcher’s interference in a bases-loaded situation brought the score to 3-1. The final run we conceded came by way of a Will Smith sacrifice fly in the fourth. Despite taking the loss, Miley’s outing was satisfactory, and he continues to be remarkably consistent given his relatively old age and low velocity. He’s currently at a 3.05 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over 82 ⅔ innings pitched this season. Mark Mashes a Homer But Not Much Else Like the first game in the series, things started off pretty well for Milwaukee. To lead off the second inning, Mark Canha hammered a home run into left field to tie the game at 1-1. It was his first homer since joining the Brewers, and a pleasant surprise, given his relative lack of power throughout this season. Also like the first game of the series, there wasn’t much else that the Brewers could muster. Totaling just three hits and three walks in nine innings, the offense simply couldn’t get started. The Return Of Gus Varland One interesting thing that did happen in this game was the lineup facing off against Gus Varland for two innings. After making the Brewers' Opening Day roster this season, Varland performed well in his first seven appearances, totaling eight innings and posting a cumulative 2.25 ERA. After an outing on May 15 against the St. Louis Cardinals that saw him give up nine earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning, his ERA inflated to 11.42, leading to him being designated for assignment the next day. After clearing waivers, he returned to the Dodgers organization, where he has spent most of the season in Triple A. This game was his first major-league appearance for them, and he pitched two innings, giving up just one walk and striking out three of his old teammates. What’s Next? In the final game of the series, Corbin Burnes will face off against Lance Lynn. The Brewers have struggled to pose a significant threat to the Dodgers throughout this whole series, but they might have a chance against Lynn. He’s currently got the second-worst ERA of all qualified pitchers (5.88). Milwaukee is 2.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds for the lead in the NL Central. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Milner 17 0 0 22 0 39 Chafin 0 15 0 0 22 37 Uribe 0 10 0 0 20 30 B Wilson 0 0 0 29 0 29 Megill 0 0 0 0 17 17 Williams 15 0 0 0 0 15 Peguero 4 0 0 0 0 4 Payamps 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

Like a retired MMA fighter now relegated to YouTube boxing, the Brewers put up an anemic offensive performance to kick off their three-game series against the surging Los Angeles Dodgers. Image courtesy of © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 75 pitches, 57 strikes (76.0%) Home Runs: Carlos Santana (16) Top 3 WPA: William Contreras (.024), Brian Anderson (-.007), Bryse Wilson (-.009) Bottom 3 WPA: Hoby Milner (-.128), Adrian Houser (-.117), Tyrone Taylor (-.058) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Houser Just Can’t Get Through Six One Thing Adrian Houser has struggled to do this season is make quality starts. It hasn’t been an issue of giving up too many runs in his outings but rather one of not pitching enough to be eligible for the accolade. Of his 15 starts this season, only five have lasted six or more innings. Tuesday was no different. After retiring the Dodgers lineup in order the first time through, he finally allowed his first two baserunners in the fourth inning before sitting down the heart of the order in Will Smith, Max Muncy, and J.D. Martinez. He gave up a single and a double in the fifth inning, with a weak groundout finally plating the first Dodger, but heading into the sixth inning, his pitch count was reasonable. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t keep it up. With Houser facing the heart of the order for the third time, Smith reached on an error, Muncy hit a single, and Martinez hit a run-scoring double. With the game still close, Craig Counsell pulled Houser and replaced him with Hoby Milner. O Bullpen, Where Art Thou? Following Houser’s departure, the Brewers needed two more outs, and Milner was tasked with facing the bottom of the order. Alas, an Enrique Hernandez single scored another two runs, and two more singles by James Outman and Miguel Rojas scored Hernandez. Having given up three hits and three runs while recording just a single out, Milner was replaced by Bryse Wilson who inherited runners on first and second. He gave up a single to Mookie Betts, but kept the Dodgers from scoring in the seventh and eighth innings, taking on a lengthier relief appearance to spare the rest of the bullpen. Bobby Outduels The Brew Crew Milwaukee got off to a strong start, with a Christian Yelich single and a William Contreras walk putting the leadoff man in scoring position. A flyout by Carlos Santana and a groundout by Sal Frelick allowed Yelich to score the team’s first run, but it was all downhill after that. In a monumental performance, Dodgers starter Bobby Miller retired the next 18 batters in a row. While he only struck out four, the Brewers lineup couldn’t manage more than weak grounders and shallow flyouts. In the final three innings, Ryan Yarbrough was brought in to close out the game after the Dodgers had taken a commanding 6-1 lead. Carlos Santana did his best to close the gap by hitting a leadoff home run in the seventh, but even this 442-foot solo shot wasn’t nearly enough to make up for lost time. It would be the second and final Brewers’ hit. What’s Next? Trusty lefty Wade Miley will toe the slab opposite familiar foe Clayton Kershaw. When it comes to facing lefties, the Dodgers and the Brewers are worlds apart. While LA has posted an .807 OPS against left-handed pitching this season (third in MLB), the Brewers have a .694 OPS (23rd in MLB). While this is an improvement from earlier in the season (when they were even closer to the bottom), it’s still a ways away from being enough to beat one of the best lefties of this generation. Despite the loss, the Brewers are still 3.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds for the lead in the NL Central. FanGraphs reports the team as having a 69.5% chance to win the division and an 83.5% chance to make the playoffs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Milner 0 17 0 0 22 39 Mejia 0 0 30 0 0 30 Williams 14 15 0 0 0 29 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 29 29 Peguero 21 4 0 0 0 25 Uribe 10 0 10 0 0 20 Payamps 18 0 0 0 0 18 Chafin 0 0 15 0 0 15 Tweet Highlight View full article

What about Albert Pujols? The most recent recipient of the NL award was just plain lackluster for several years before having a monstrous 2022 and a wonderful sendoff.

they obviously sold their souls to the same guy

For the past four years, Brewers fans have been awaiting the return of their king, Christian Yelich. After what has seemed like an eternity, the numbers seem to point to a potential re-attainment of glory for the face of the franchise. Image courtesy of © Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports The Dark Ages After posting an OPS over 1.000 for the second season in a row in 2019, something tragic happened. Yes, there was some sort of pandemic that swept through the world, but more importantly, it seemed that Christian Yelich forgot what had made him great. Over 247 plate appearances in 2020, he slashed just .205/.356/.430 for a measly OPS of .786, only slightly above league average. Perhaps this was due to the shortened season or jitters over the public health emergency, but the scary scenes continued through the following two seasons. His hitting slipped even further in 2021 and 2022, posting consistent yet disappointing OPS figures of .736 and .738. His ability to hit cutters and breaking balls seemed to be lost in time, and since his defense wasn’t nearly good enough to justify his $215 million contract, it was an unfortunate time to be a Brewers fan. Counterpoint: Why Cody Bellinger is the Comeback Player of the Year The beginning of this season was shaping up to be more of the same, with Yelich posting a somewhat dismal .656 OPS through April. Then he had a great May, posting a .842 OPS. Then he had an even better June, posting a .912 OPS. Then he fully turned back the clock in July, slashing .333/.389/.626 for an OPS of 1.015. It was too late to be an all-star but timely enough to keep the Brewers’ playoffs alive in a tight division race. So what changed? Adjustments to his Approach One of the primary culprits for his regression was the devastating knee injury he suffered in September 2019. After fouling a slider straight into his knee, it was revealed that Yelich had fully fractured his kneecap and would miss the remainder of the season. Despite returning to competition the following season, it was clear his approach had changed. While subtle, he seemed to take a slightly longer windup, loading more into his back leg. Prior to the injury, Yelich had a relatively neutral load, whereas his most recent load is more intense, akin to Bryce Harper's approach. 4A04F430-D2A1-4926-BABA-697017018A14 (1).mp4 Parker Hageman (@HagemanParker), cofounder of Twins Daily and overall pretty smart guy, helped me break down why this new swing could have had such negative effects. The two main downsides are a more delayed reaction and a potential reduction in vision as he rotates his center line further away from the pitching mound. Both could be to blame for his increase in swinging strikes and decline in pull rate as a result of being late to pitches more often. The more general numbers back up this hypothesis, as he never saw a significant decrease in exit velocity, and balls that he did hit were some of the hardest hit in the league. From 2019 to 2021, he took the biggest steps back in xISO (97th percentile in 2019, 27th percentile in 2021), Barrel % (97th percentile in 2019, 42nd percentile in 2021), and Strikeout % (60th percentile in 2019, 32nd percentile in 2021). This year, those figures are above league average, with his xISO moving to the 61st percentile, his Barrel % to the 57th percentile, and his Strikeout % to the 56th percentile. This year, he seems to be starting his load earlier to compensate for the more drastic coil, allowing him to generate positive run value on all pitches except the sweeper. The Other Man Unfortunately for Yelich, there’s some stiff competition for this award. One name, in particular, is a familiar foe who happened to beat out Yelich for the NL MVP award in 2019: Cody Bellinger. While Yelich regressed to post average hitting statistics, Bellinger skidded below replacement level in 2021, slashing .165/.240/.302 for an OPS of .542. Two years after his monstrous 2019 season, this saw him post a 1.035 OPS while leading the National League in total bases. 2022 saw a slight recovery, but Bellinger was still at a .654 OPS, a far cry from his peak. Hoping a change of scenery would revitalize his career, he took his talents to the Chicago Cubs and has found his groove again, slashing .331/.380/.561 and serving as the team’s best-qualified hitter. Unfortunately, he’s still suffering from injuries and missed a month of action due to a left knee contusion. Furthermore, he missed a few days for the birth of his second child, proving his lack of commitment to the team and the sport. His devotion to his family can only have a detrimental effect on his baseball career in the medium to long term. While Yelich has a slightly lower OPS, this can be explained by his more pitcher-friendly home ballpark and a larger sample size of ABs. As he is currently childless, his lack of engagements off the field will also allow him to focus purely on baseball and may make a more compelling case for this comeback being more permanent. Future Outlook His current slash line of .290/.374/.469 doesn’t present the most outstanding figures in the National League, and his August is off to a relatively slow start (.714 OPS over 38 ABs). Still, his red-hot June and July and his overall positive trajectory lead me to think that Yelich might have one of the most compelling quantitative and qualitative cases for being the NL Comeback Player of the Year. He's competing against his old friend Bellinger to make things even more interesting. Could we ask for a more perfect comeback storyline? View full article

A productive offense and a scoreless quality start by Freddy Peralta allowed the Brewers to do something that they hadn't accomplished in 37 years. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 103 pitches, 65 strikes (63.1%) Home Runs: Carlos Santana (15) Top 3 WPA: Freddy Peralta (.366), Willy Adames (.122), Abner Uribe (.080) Bottom 3 WPA: Tyrone Taylor (-.090), William Contreras (-.083), Brice Turang (-.076) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Peralta Pitches Six Shutout Innings In another quality start, Freddy Peralta gave up a total of seven baserunners but no runs, as he blew the ball past the White Sox lineup. He earned 18 swings and misses, 10 of which were from his four-seam fastball and seven of which were from his slider. He was utilizing the high fastball particularly well. Perhaps more impressive, he was never truly in trouble. The only innings in which he allowed more than one baserunner were the fourth and fifth. Through intelligent pitching and a display of his brilliant stuff, Peralta prevented the White Sox from having any sort of offensive rally through six frames. Crew Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Hitting The Brewers were able to bring home runners in four separate innings. Mark Canha broke the seal in the second inning with a sacrifice fly, after back-to-back singles by Sal Frelick and Willy Adames. In the fifth, Andruw Monasterio slapped an RBI double to left field to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. While Milwaukee maintained a 2-0 lead heading into the eighth inning, they tacked on three insurance runs thanks to a massive home run by Carlos Santana to center field to widen the lead to a comfortable 5-0. Finally, Christian Yelich hit a totally unnecessary (but still very impressive) two-run single in the ninth inning to crush any remaining comeback hopes for the White Sox. Mejia (Almost) Mucks It Up After another routine day for one of the best bullpens in baseball, J.C. Mejia dusted off his glove and entered the game for the first time since August 6. With a 7-0 lead and just three outs left to secure a series sweep, Mejia took the mound. A single by Andrew Vaughn and a subsequent wild pitch put a runner in scoring position right away. Mejia got two quick outs, but a double by Carlos Perez brought Vaughn home to score the first White Sox run. Zach Remillard then hit a single to place runners on the corners, and advanced to second base on defensive indifference. After a two-run single by Elvis Andrus, things seemed to be falling apart at the seams. Luckily, Andrew Benintendi lined out to end the game, allowing the Brewers to sweep the White Sox for the first time since April of 1986. What’s Next? The Brewers will have a day off, before facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers behind enemy lines. To kick things off, we’ll see a pitching matchup of Adrian Houser against Bobby Miller. With this win, the Brewers extended their division lead to 3.5 games over the Chicago Cubs and 4.0 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Williams 9 0 14 15 0 38 Payamps 18 0 18 0 0 36 Milner 18 0 0 17 0 35 Mejia 0 0 0 0 30 30 Uribe 8 0 10 0 10 28 Peguero 0 0 21 4 0 25 Chafin 0 0 0 0 15 15 B Wilson 14 0 0 0 0 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

In another close game, the Brewers break out in the seventh inning to score just enough runs to steal the win away from the White Sox in the penultimate game of the series. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Brandon Woodruff - 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 86 pitches, 53 strikes (61.6%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Hoby Milner (.221), William Contreras (.206), Devin Williams (.198) Bottom 3 WPA: Carlos Santana (-.184), Brice Turang (-.107), Christian Yelich (-.069) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Woodruff Pitches An Efficient Six In his second start since his IL stint, Brandon Woodruff was able to put up a quality start. While the Brewers have been vocal about being careful while ramping him up back to a big league workload, his efficient pitching allowed him to cruise through six innings in under 90 pitches. In comparison, he threw one fewer pitch in his last start against the Pirates but went just five innings. His first earned run came in the third inning after conceding a double, a single, and then a groundout. His second earned run came by way of a Yoan Moncada home run to center field. In the sixth inning, he struck out Yasmani Grandal and walked Gavin Sheets before finally being pulled. His four-seam fastball peaked at 97.0 mph in the fifth inning and he garnered 11 swings and misses. His work was enough to earn his first win since April 7th. Several Runs Come In The Seventh After being held scoreless for the first six innings of the game by White Sox starter Jesse Scholtens, the Brewers seemed to wake up in the seventh as they started to string together a nice offensive rally. It started off with a walk by Mark Canha and a single by Andruw Monasterio. Following a quick flyout by Brice Turang, Tyrone Taylor’s 2-RBI double tied the game at 2-2 and led the White Sox to make a call to their bullpen. With Taylor in scoring position, William Contreras officially took the lead with an RBI single. Relievers Stay Unhittable Following Woodruff’s extended effort, Hoby Milner followed things up with 1.1 innings of work, allowing no baserunners and striking out one. Elvis Peguero was brought into to deal with Eloy Jimenez and Devin Williams handled the ninth inning, recording his 28th save of the season. His changeup reached almost 3,000 rpm and warped space time, as per usual. What’s Next? Freddy Peralta will face off against Dylan Cease in the final game of the series before the Brewers travel to Los Angeles to start a series against the Dodgers on Tuesday. While the Brewers are still leading the NL Central by 2.5 games, the Chicago Cubs have officially surpassed the Reds for second place as Cincinnati is now behind by 3.0 games. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Williams 15 9 0 14 15 53 Payamps 9 18 0 18 0 45 Peguero 18 0 0 21 4 43 Uribe 20 8 0 10 0 38 Milner 0 18 0 0 17 35 B Wilson 0 14 0 0 0 14 Chafin 11 0 0 0 0 11 Mejia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tweet Highlight View full article

In a back-and-forth game against a competitive Chicago White Sox squad, the Brewers ultimately earn the last laugh with a turbo sinker and a timely double. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 107 pitches, 62 strikes (57.9%) Home Runs: Victor Caratini (6) Top 3 WPA: Abner Uribe (.441), Mark Canha (.281), William Contreras (.179) Bottom 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (-.251), Brice Turang (-.194), Andruw Monasterio (-.186) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Tosses A Wild One Prior to this game, Burnes had been having a spectacular second half, posting a 1.69 ERA over 32.0 innings pitched. It seemed like he had finally gotten over his early season struggles and managed to find his old self. The White Sox derailed the hype train a little bit, scoring runs in three of his 5.2 innings pitched. Things started to get out of hand almost immediately with Burnes conceding a walk, three consecutive singles, and a sacrifice fly to give the White Sox two early runs. A subsequent wild pitch moved two more runners into scoring position but he was able to strike out Trayce Thompson to escape the inning. The damage continued in the third inning where a 2-RBI home run by Eloy Jimenez gave Chicago a 4-2 lead. After a single by Andrew Vaughn, Burnes had yet another wild pitch and walked Yasmani Grandal before getting a much needed double play to end the third. His final earned run would come by way of an RBI single by Tim Anderson in the fourth inning. Burnes clearly had some control issues, failing to find his spots in the strike zone and allowing runners to advance on poorly placed pitches. Have No Fear, The Offense Is Here Despite a rough pitching start, Milwaukee was able to fight back with some strong offense of their own. The Brewers actually struck first off of an RBI single by William Contreras that scored Christian Yelich. Heading into the second inning with a 2-1 deficit, Victor Caratini led off with a home run to center field to tie the game. In the fifth inning, the Brewers hit three consecutive singles to score their third and fourth runs of the game and knocked out White Sox starter Michael Kopech. Still down 5-4 in the sixth inning, the Brewers strung together another four consecutive singles to score two runs and take a 6-5 lead. There was also a little help from a bad throw by pitcher Aaron Bummer. While there weren’t many extra base hits, the Brewers were able to string together a total of 11 hits and seven walks, a significant improvement over their usually lackadaisical offense. Bullpen Takes It To Extras Elvis Peguero was the first name out of the bullpen, taking on 1.1 innings of relief. He would allow the White Sox to tie the game at 6-6 following a groundout by Andrew Vaughn that allowed Eloy Jimenez to score from third. Joel Payamps and Devin Williams would lock down the eighth and ninth innings without allowing any runs. Payamps would walk two batters and notch just one strikeout but he’d get some fielding help from Sal Frelick who made this outstanding play in foul territory. Williams was dominant as per usual, striking out all three of his batters faced. In the tenth inning, the Brewers needed just one hit off the bat of Mark Canha, an RBI double, to take a one-run lead. It was his only plate appearance of the game as he was pinch-hitting for Joey Wiemer. To close the show, Abner Uribe recorded his first career save, getting a flyout and two groundouts to seal the deal for Milwaukee. What’s Next? The Brewers continue their series against the White Sox with Brandon Woodruff facing off against righty Jesse Scholtens. The Brewers currently maintain a divisional lead of 2.5 games over the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Uribe 0 20 8 0 10 38 Peguero 10 18 0 0 21 49 Payamps 0 9 18 0 18 45 Mejia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Williams 0 15 9 0 14 38 Milner 0 0 18 0 0 18 Chafin 11 11 0 0 0 22 B Wilson 0 0 14 0 0 14 Tweet Highlight View full article

The Brewers rode their rotation to October in previous years and they hope to do it again in 2023. With more than enough starting pitchers to go around, who has been standing out and who will get to keep their spot in the rotation? Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The One-Two Punch After an inconsistent first half that saw him finish with an uncharacteristically high 3.94 ERA across 107.1 innings pitched, Corbin Burnes’ second half has been exceptional thus far, posting a 1.69 ERA over 32.0 innings pitched. July was his best month, making six starts and showing off the Burnes we all know and love by notching 10.8 K/9 and a 0.718 WHIP. Whatever struggles he faced before the All-Star break are hopefully behind him now. We may see a resurgence in ability just in time for October baseball. While the jury is still out on Brandon Woodruff, who’s pitched just 16.1 innings this season following a lengthy stint on the 60-day IL, the data in his major league return start painted a positive picture. Velocity and spin rates were consistent with recent career numbers, and other than him needing to rebuild his stamina to his former levels; there hasn’t been any cause for concern just yet. The Middle of the Pack Freddy Peralta and Wade Miley have been backing up the third and fourth spots of the rotation but could not have more different styles. Other than Miley being the only lefty starter on the Brewers, he’s earned his 2.90 ERA through crafty pitching and soft contact, logging a measly K% of 17.5% (14th percentile). His primary pitch, the cutter, averages just 87.2 mph, and his four-seam fastball is a blazing 90.3 mph. In comparison, Freddy Peralta has a K% of 29.7% (88th percentile) and has an average four-seam fastball velocity of 94.6 mph. His ERA of 4.28 isn’t quite as appealing as Miley’s, but he’s got a much higher ceiling and is nine years younger. The Fifth Spot As of now, Adrian Houser occupies the final spot of the rotation. After missing the first month of the season, he’s hovered around his current 4.19 ERA without much deviation up or down. He’s exactly what one might think of as a great back-of-the-rotation guy. He’s solid, consistent, and doesn’t fall painfully short in any particular area, but he likely won’t be winning any Cy Young votes any time soon. Assuming he returns to the roster fully healthy, Julio Teheran proves an interesting competitor for Houser’s spot. Originally brought on to be an innings-eater, he had an outstanding first two months with the team, posting a 2.85 ERA over 41.0 innings pitched through the end of June. However, after a disastrous July that saw him concede 20 earned runs in 21.2 innings, his stats began to regress to more realistic expectations. His strong suits are his elite command (4.3% BB%, 96th percentile) and his curveball, which has an xwOBA of .179. Because his skid was so sharp and sudden without a real chance at retribution, we’ve yet to see if he can return to his first-half form. His somewhat poor/average peripherals would suggest that he likely won’t, but there is the possibility he can recover enough to be a serviceable fifth starter. What About A Six Man Rotation? With more and more pitchers getting injured every year, discussion surrounding the implementation of a six-man starting rotation has been suggested as a possible solution, providing more rest for each starter. One common criticism of the six-man rotation is that it’s hard to find six good starting pitchers, but the Brewers do indeed have seven serviceable starters (assuming Teheran recovers). Colin Rea would likely be left out either way since instead of keeping him, he was optioned in exchange for Clayton Andrews (who was then promptly optioned to create room for Brandon Woodruff), leaving six on the current depth chart. Ultimately, it depends on how Teheran will be treated on his return from the IL, but a six-man rotation could be a novel way to utilize the Brewers' pitching wealth to its fullest. In the worst-case scenario, the rotation is kept as is. It’s the tenth-best rotation in MLB by ERA (4.14) and definitely not as much of a problem as the team’s continued offensive struggles. View full article

Hi all, Can someone point me to the Rockies fanbase? Have a package for them to sign.

What do you get when you combine a career-best performance by Freddy Peralta with 13 Brewers hits ? A 12-1 Brewers blowout. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta - 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 13 K, 94 pitches, 63 strikes (67.0%) Home Runs: Brice Turang (6), Tyrone Taylor (4), Sal Frelick (3) Top 3 WPA: Brice Turang (.280), Freddy Peralta (.186), William Contreras (.091) Bottom 3 WPA: Mark Canha (-.080), Andruw Monasterio (-.072), Carlos Santana (-.054) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Freddy Really Loves Pitching Against the Rockies, Huh? It’s long been known that Freddy Peralta has exceptional performances against the Rockies. In his 2018 major league debut, Peralta recorded 13 strikeouts and 19 swings and misses in 5.2 innings while maintaining a no-hitter until the sixth inning. On May 2nd of this year, he struck out ten and got 25 swings and misses. In this game, he struck out 13 batters, gave up no walks, and got an unbelievable 31 swings and misses. It’s performances like these that show us just how exceptional Peralta’s ceiling really is. While he struggles with giving up hard contact from time to time (34th percentile barrel %), his stuff at its best is undeniably on par with some of the best strikeout pitchers in the game. Brice Gets The Party Started, Contreras and Frelick Keep It Going After the Rockies took a 1-0 lead from an Ezequiel Tovar solo home run, the Brewers broke out in the fourth inning and never looked back. Brice Turang hit a 2-RBI home run to right center field to score himself and Sal Frelick in the fourth inning, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead. It ignited an explosion of Brewers offense with four consecutive hits to follow, one of which was a triple by Brian Anderson. By the time the dust cleared, the Brewers had brought the lead to a comfortable 5-1. Contreras and Frelick would both have RBI doubles in the seventh, followed by an RBI single by Andruw Monasterio. Finally, just to seal the deal, Tyrone Taylor and Sal Frelick hit home runs in the eighth to score the last few runs of the 12-run outburst. Bullpen Not Required, But Nice To Have It’s hard to blow an 11-run lead (even if you’re the Milwaukee Brewers), especially after seven innings of one-run baseball, so it's not like the bullpen needed to perform any miracles. Nonetheless, Elvis Peguero and Andrew Chafin combined for three strikeouts and no baserunners in their respective innings of relief. The Rockies struck out 16 times, with the sole hit being Tovar’s home run in the first inning. And we thought the Brewers' offense was bad! What’s Next? Wade Miley and Kyle Freeland will face off in a lefty duel as the Brewers aim to keep up the strong offensive momentum while the Rockies hope to redeem themselves in front of the home crowd. With this win, the Brewers are 1.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and 2.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central standings. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Mejia 28 0 0 40 0 68 Chafin 13 0 22 0 11 46 B Wilson 0 39 0 0 0 39 Uribe 0 17 0 15 0 32 Peguero 0 0 9 0 10 19 Milner 0 7 0 8 0 15 Williams 0 0 14 0 0 14 Payamps 0 0 12 0 0 12 Tweet Highlight View full article

Brandon Woodruff made his first major-league start since April 7th. How did he do after 121 days away from the mound? Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Brandon Woodruff has been such a key contributor to the Milwaukee Brewers starting staff and team, in general. Yes, Corbin Burnes has been healthy, and so has Freddy Peralta, but for the team to not only make the playoffs but feel confident that they can compete, having Woodruff available will be a huge key. On Sunday, he returned to the mound for the first time since early April. How did he do, but more important, how did his stuff look and are there reasons for optimism? Velocity And Spin Rate Remain Consistent Throughout his handful of minor-league rehab starts, Woodruff demonstrated that he had avoided any loss of velocity, an imperative feature for someone who uses the four-seam fastball approximately 40% of the time. Since 2019, Woodruff’s four-seam fastball has averaged about 96 mph. He has also maintained a spin rate around 2,350 rpm for the past two years. In Sunday’s game, he averaged a velocity of 95.7 mph and a spin rate of 2,424 rpm across 42 pitches. These numbers are certainly within his recent norms. He also topped out at 97.2 mph as late as the fifth inning of his start. Overall his fastball was good. He recorded nine swinging strikes, five called strikes, and thirteen foul balls. The one major slip-up he had came in the third inning when an inside fastball was hit by Endy Rodriguez for a home run to right field. Here’s how his other pitches fared in this game compared to his 2022 averages. Even with relatively small sample sizes, especially for the curveball, the data paints an optimist picture that Woodruff is indeed back. # of Pitches Avg. Velocity (08/06/23) Avg. Velocity (2022) Avg. Spin Rate (08/06/23) Avg. Spin Rate (2022) Sinker 18 94.5 mph 95.8 mph 2,358 2,286 Slider 11 89.0 mph 88.0 mph 2,469 2.408 Changeup 11 85.5 mph 86.1 mph 2,068 2,008 Curveball 3 81.3 mph 84.0 mph 2.571 2,530 Stamina Will Come Back Slowly But Surely Like getting over a recent breakup, some things just take time. Woodruff’s stamina was a key asset to the Brewers as he averaged about 5 2/3 innings pitched per start for 2021 and 2022. Having your #2 pitcher getting quality starts consistently without having to make early calls to the bullpen is a key characteristic, especially with starters like Wade Miley and Colin Rea averaging closer to five innings pitched per start. In Sunday's game, he completed five innings. He threw 85 pitches, 61 of them strikes (71.8% strikes). Aside from the home run to Rodriguez, he also conceded a home run to Connor Joe in the fourth inning. It came on a hanging slider. It didn’t seem like his pitch quality deteriorated too much, especially since his velocity didn’t decrease much in the later innings. He faced just three batters in the fifth inning. The Brewers have been smart with his return, taking a conservative approach to his Injury List stint and rehab assignments. It makes sense that they’ll continue working him up to his old workload gradually. Hopefully, all goes to plan and we will continue to see Woodruff make great starts all the way through to the postseason. Please share your thoughts and observations from Woodruff's return on Sunday. View full article

After struggling to string together runs, some timely hitting in the ninth and tenth innings by the Brewers gave Blake Perkins the opportunity to notch his first career walkoff hit. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 107 pitches, 66 strikes (61.7%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Blake Perkins (.473), Sal Frelick (.246), Devin Williams (.138) Bottom 3 WPA: Andruw Monasterio (-.225), William Contreras (-.156), Christian Yelich (-.119) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Struggles With Walks, Gives Up Two Runs While he did ultimately manage another quality start, the Brewers’ ace issued four free passes. He wasn’t at his sharpest, but still looked dominant at times. He recorded the first two outs of the fifth inning before giving up his first hit to Liover Peguero, who then stole second. Another walk by Alika Williams became the second Pittsburgh run, after a two-run double by Jason Delay. Both hits and the walk were on his cutter, which he had a little bit of trouble placing later in counts. It continues to be his primary weapon, but this season, his curveball and changeup have actually eclipsed it in terms of effective run value. Brewers Hit, But Fail To Score on, Falter While the Brewers actually performed well from a statistical perspective against starter Bailey Falter, they failed to string enough offense together to score more than a single run. Falter gave up six hits and one walk while striking out only two, but his sole earned run came in the fifth inning, in a lackluster way. After two singles by Victor Caratini and Brice Turang followed by a wild pitch, a weak groundout by Christian Yelich allowed Caratini to score from third base. Both bullpens were stout for a few frames. The Crew still trailed 2-1 heading into the ninth, but a clutch RBI single by Sal Frelick forced the game into extra innings after a monumental three-inning bullpen effort from Elvis Peguero, Andrew Chafin, and Joel Payamps to keep the Pirates dazed and confused at the plate. Blake Perkins Hits His First Career Walkoff After Devin Williams retired the Pirates in order and stranded the automatic runner, the Brewers had a chance to seal the deal in the bottom of the 10th inning. Pirates reliever Angel Perdomo struck out Brian Anderson and Christian Yelich, but chose to intentionally walk Mark Canha and William Contreras. With two outs and the bases loaded, Blake Perkins hit a single into right field to score the final run of the game. What’s Next? Brandon Woodruff will make his long-awaited return to the rotation and face off against Johan Oviedo in the final game of the series. With the Reds’ loss, the Brewers extended their division lead to 1.5 games. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT B Wilson 0 21 0 39 0 60 Williams 14 21 0 0 14 49 Uribe 22 0 0 17 0 39 Chafin 0 0 13 0 22 35 Payamps 7 11 0 0 12 30 Mejia 0 0 28 0 0 28 Milner 0 11 0 7 0 18 Peguero 0 8 0 0 9 17 Tweet Highlight View full article

You know what's the biggest change from 2022 to 2023? In 2022, the pitch he hit best compared to league average was the slider (10 run value) and he had a .321 xwOBA. In 2023, the pitch he hit worst compare to league average was the slider (-8 run value) and he has a .266 xwOBA. The unfortunate reality is that I know nothing about hitting and all I do is read numbers, but I'm curious as to how this happened so quickly.

I was somewhat optimistic after seeing the offensive outburst in the first game of the series but I guess the Brewers are the same ole team as before.