Just like clockwork, the Milwaukee Brewers are fooling them all again.
We kid, we kid.
It actually feels like finally, after many years, the rest of the baseball world has caught on and is buying into the three-time defending National League Central champions who were once again up to their old tricks in an outstanding first half that sent them into the all-star break with a 59-37 record and five-game lead in the division.
Granted, a three-game sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates isn’t exactly how one would draw up the lead-in. But there were extenuating factors, including a second doubleheader in five days and the scratching of ace Jacob Misiorowski from his July 12 start due to fatigue.
Despite myriad injuries that took a big chunk out of the pitching staff, with Quinn Priester out for the whole season due to thoracic outlet syndrome and Brandon Woodruff starting only nine games, Milwaukee has ridden an otherworldly performance by Misiorowski and a career first half by Kyle Harrison. Shane Drohan also had stepped in to provide valuable innings in the rotation along with Logan Henderson and Coleman Crow.
Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe are once again forming a strong 1-2 punch at the back end of the bullpen. Aaron Ashby led the majors with 12 victories heading into the break while again serving as the bullpen’s Swiss Army knife. And Chad Patrick has settled into his new role in long relief.
Offensively, Jake Bauers already has far surpassed his career highs for home runs and runs batted in and had a case to be named an all-star, as did Brice Turang. Catcher William Contreras – one of two selections to the Midsummer Classic for Milwaukee along with his battery mate Misiorowski – is back to his old tricks now that the troublesome middle finger on his left hand has been repaired.
And along with Bauers, arguably the most pleasant surprise with the bat has been Garrett Mitchell, who has remained healthy and also set career highs with his overall performance.
The Brewers got out of the gates slowly with a 16-14 record in March and April but really turned it on at the end of April and entered the break with the best record in the majors from the 26th of that month on at 46-24.
Can they keep it up over the next two-plus months and lock up another Central crown and playoff appearance?
Here are five storylines to follow along the way.
The NL Central race
For the first couple months of the season the Central Division was the most competitive in baseball, with all five teams at .500 or better through June 5. But these days there is some clear delineation, and to nobody’s surprise it’s looking as if it’s going to again be a two-team race between the first-place Brewers, who are seeking their fourth consecutive Central title, and the Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee has been a model of consistency; before the recent series at Pittsburgh, the Brewers hadn’t lost three straight games since late April and had been one of the best road teams in MLB. Chicago, meanwhile, followed up two 10-game winning streaks early in the season with a 10-game losing streak and is still trying to make up ground from that freefall. The Cubs have ridden their potent offense while dealing with multiple injuries to their rotation. Studs Justin Steele and Cade Horton both are in various stages of recovery from Tommy John surgery, and offseason trade acquisition Edward Cabrera is battling injury and inconsistency. There’s little doubt the Cubs will be seeking to bolster themselves at the trade deadline, and if the Cardinals and Pirates remain within striking distance of a wild-card spot it’s likely they’ll make some moves as well. A long winning streak or two like last year would help the Brewers’ cause tremendously, but not being able to count on that, they need to keep clicking off series wins.
Miz Watch
The Brewers have had multiple most valuable players and Cy Young Award winners, with Christian Yelich being named the NL’s best player as recently as 2018 and Corbin Burnes the senior circuit’s pre-eminent pitcher in 2021. But never before have they had a player who has captured the attention of the baseball world like Misiorowski and his blazing fastball has in 2026. Expectations were high for him coming into the season and he very quickly blew through those to the point he’s now considered by many to be the favorite to win his first Cy Young Award. Misiorowski entered the all-star break with the best earned run average in baseball (1.62), the lowest opponents’ average against (.148), the most strikeouts (167) and an outside shot at getting 20 wins. He’s become must-see TV every time he takes the mound, with diehard fans and casual viewers alike wondering if the 24-year-old will become the first pitcher to hit 106 mph (or higher) with his fastball in the pitch-tracking era (he’s reached as high as 105.5). Such interest and scrutiny in a player from small-market Milwaukee has been foreign territory, but it also adds another fun twist with the national narrative finally accepting the Brewers are a really good team from top to bottom, regardless of where they are based and payroll. As the games begin to have more meaning and the postseason approaches, expect the interest in Misiorowski to increase even more – and enjoy the ride.
Trade deadline
As well as the Brewers have played again in the first half, there’s no denying they have multiple areas that could use improvement or reinforcement. That’s where the Aug. 3 trade deadline comes in, although they got a head start on July 15 by acquiring right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. and left-hander Colton Gordon from the Houston Astros in exchange for minor-leaguer Jadyn Fielder. Milwaukee always has been active on the trade market, but not since acquiring Mike Moustakas, Jonathan Schoop, Joakim Soria and Gio Gonzalez in 2018 has the team made any sort of big splash. Instead, the Brewers have made additions on the edges with an eye on improving overall depth – particularly in the bullpen – without needing to deal any of their top-shelf prospects. While that approach has helped build up what’s now regarded as the best farm system in the game, it hasn’t done much to bolster the Brewers in the playoffs. Last season’s dearth of offensive punch was a big reason for Milwaukee’s non-competitive appearance in the National League Championship Series. The popular storyline over the last month-plus is the Brewers throwing caution to the wind and trading for American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, but that scenario is farfetched to say the least. A trade for another proven starter certainly would be helpful, but it would also be costly in terms of prospect return. Same goes for adding a power bat, with the ability to play third base a bonus. The best guess here is bank on another reliever, maybe two, and a versatile position player of some sort. But who knows? Maybe this will be the year they go all in to try and return to the World Series for the first time since 1982.
Prospect callups
The Brewers are already ahead of the curve in this department, with debuts from catcher Jeferson Quero, left-hander Shane Drohan, right-hander Coleman Crow, shortstop Cooper Pratt and most recently outfielder Luis Lara. Pratt is now an everyday player and Lara is already firmly in the mix for regular playing time. Are there any other prospects at Class AAA Nashville who might receive a call in the second half (not counting those who have already debuted)? It would appear there are only two – infielder Jett Williams, whose versatility and ability to play all across the infield as well as in the outfield might be appealing, and right-hander Tyson Hardin, who has acquitted himself well since joining the Sounds rotation in mid-May. Williams, in fact, would have already been called up last weekend had it not been for an untimely wrist injury. Two of the hottest names among fans and observers would be infielder Jesús Made – the top prospect in baseball – and third baseman Andrew Fischer, who is within striking distance of 30 homers already at the all-star break. But neither is on the 40-man roster and it’s highly unlikely Milwaukee would want to start the service clock on either at this point.
Challenging schedule
The schedule makers clearly knew what they were doing when they put together this year’s lineup of games. How else to explain the Brewers and Cubs playing seven times in 10 days down the stretch, with Milwaukee having to play four games at Wrigley Field from Aug. 31-Sept. 3 and then Chicago coming to American Family Field from Sept. 7-9? Assuming both teams are battling for the Central crown then, it’s one final time for each to either bury or make up major ground on the other. The Brewers begin the unofficial second half with their longest homestand – nine games against the Miami Marlins, New York Mets and Colorado Rockies. Soon after that they face a major challenge with consecutive West Coast trips (San Francisco and Los Angeles Angels and then San Diego and Los Angeles Dodgers) sandwiched around a seven-game homestand that includes four games against the Pirates. Milwaukee also loses one home game against the Atlanta Braves when the teams square off at the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 23. The Brewers then play nine of their final 12 games on the road, including three at Pittsburgh and three at Philadelphia.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Five things to watch as the Brewers head into the second half
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
