MILWAUKEE — This was expected to be the season the Milwaukee Brewers finally took a step back after making five playoff appearances over the last six years in Major League Baseball’s smallest market.
It hasn’t happened.
After losing manager Craig Counsell to the rival Chicago Cubs and trading 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles, the Brewers have withstood numerous injuries to build the largest division lead of any team.
Milwaukee has won five straight and leads the NL Central by 11 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, who host the Brewers in a three-game series beginning Tuesday. Manager Pat Murphy says the Brewers are still “in the middle of a fight.”
“If you go back to your corner and look over and look at the scorecard, that doesn’t help you, you know what I mean?” Murphy said. “Go to the corner and put your head down. You know what’s going on. You know if you’re taking on water, pressure or whatever. You know the situation. You don’t need to look over your shoulder and wonder, ‘How many games?’
“You just need to stay the course. You need to stay in the ring, get some water, wait for the bell, go out there and try to win a decision every round you can.”
Murphy has a chance to be named manager of the year, an award no Brewers skipper has won. Murphy was an interim manager for the San Diego Padres in 2015, but this is his first full season managing.
Murphy had been the bench coach on Counsell’s Milwaukee staff since 2016, so he knows these players well. He has them believing they can overcome any setback.
“We just keep responding,” second baseman Brice Turang said. “We’ve got good players on our team. We’ve just going to keep moving forward, keep being competitive and try to win every pitch, every game that we can.”
The Brewers tend to outperform preseason prognostications, but they faced more hurdles than usual this year.
They played the first four months without two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Wiliams due to stress fractures in his back. The starting rotation that had been Milwaukee’s biggest strength for most of those playoff seasons was a major question.
Burnes is gone. Two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff isn’t pitching this season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Veteran left-hander Wade Miley made just two starts and rookie lefty Robert Gasser made five before both had Tommy John surgery.
Milwaukee experienced its latest setback last week, when All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich had season-ending back surgery.
Yet the Brewers have remained “undaunted,” to borrow the word Murphy uses as a team slogan. They have gone 14-9 and their division lead has more than doubled since July 23, when Yelich played his last game.
“Because of guys like Yeli, they’ve built a culture in there that says, ‘OK, let’s win tonight somehow, whatever we’ve got to do,’” Murphy said. “If this guy’s not playing or this guy’s not doing this or this guy makes an error or this guy, you know, let’s just keep going, let’s just keep pecking away.”
All-Star catcher William Contreras, shortstop Willy Adames and rapidly improving rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio lead a lineup that ranks 10th in the majors in runs, up from 17th last season.
The Brewers’ 3.66 ERA ranks second in the majors, behind Seattle’s 3.48. They’ve used 17 starting pitchers, matching the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most in the majors, according to Sportradar.
Milwaukee has gotten the second-fewest innings from its starters of any MLB team - only Miami has fewer - but a deep bullpen has picked up the slack. Eleven Brewers have recorded a save, second to the Dodgers’ 12.
The Brewers acquired veterans Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas last month to boost a rotation that has also benefited from a couple of guys who have rejuvenated their careers.
Colin Rea was pitching in Japan in 2022 after going 8-8 with a 4.90 ERA from 2015-21. He’s 17-10 with a 3.67 ERA for Milwaukee the last two seasons. Tobias Myers, in his sixth organization, has a 6-5 record and 2.81 ERA as a 26-year-old rookie.
The Brewers’ knack for getting pitchers back on track was evident Sunday as Rea, Bryan Hudson and Jared Koenig combined on a two-hitter in a 2-0 victory over Cleveland. The Dodgers designated Hudson for assignment in the offseason. The 30-year-old Koenig spent last season in the minors.
“That’s what this whole thing’s about,” Murphy said. “You’re thinking of a small-market team, you’re thinking of guys that have all been thrown away, guys who’ve been told, ‘You’re not good enough.’ That’s pleasurable, to see these guys then find an identity or find a way to be successful. It’s a beautiful thing.”
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