The Milwaukee Brewers need a hot offense to carry them through the 2018 NL Playoffs.
The Milwaukee Brewers 2018 starting pitchers have failed to eat up innings as the season rushes to a thrilling finish. The Brewers bullpen, however, keeps performing valiantly. Brewers Manager Craig Counsell does not sound worried about starters brief outings or overusing relievers.
“It’s game related, Counsell asserted. “We can continue to do this. Don’t look at it as short starts.
Earlier in 2018, the Tampa Bay Rays used an “Opener.” Instead of using a starting pitcher to go several innings, they used a special pitcher to get important early outs and used fresh arms throughout the rest of the game.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Counsell shrewdly used this strategy in a key game against NL Playoffs contender St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, Sept. 24. Chase Anderson was due to start for Milwaukee, but his recent struggles got the Brewers manager thinking. Counsell tried something.
Dan Jennings started that game and retired Cardinals MVP-candidate Matt Carpenter. Jennings then left the game and Counsell deftly manipulated his way through the next 26 outs and won.
Questions abound whether this strategy can work over time–or during the playoffs.
For now, Counsell will continue to put his players in positions to succeed. And that means keeping a short leash on his proud but mediocre starters and relying on his young but powerful bullpen.
What becomes extremely important for the Milwaukee Brewers is their offense. Getting an early lead becomes important to relieve pressure on the pitchers. The Brewers are built to score runs, but they cannot slump at the wrong time.
The Milwaukee Brewers Offense Blueprint to Winning in 2018 NL Playoffs
The 2017 Milwaukee Brewers fell one game short of winning a wild card spot for the NL Playoffs. That year, they did not have a consistent lead-off hitter. In 2016, Jonathan Villar broke out with a high on-base percentage and enough steals to lead the NL. However, he could not carry that into 2017.
Over the 2017-18 offseason, the Brewers acquired Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. Those players have become optimal table-setters and Team MVPs for the Brewers.
Furthermore, Brewers General Manager David Stearns picked up veteran Curtis Granderson who has helped as the occasional lead-off hitter.
During the Sept. 25 Fox Sports Wisconsin telecast of the game, the announcers mentioned that Braun had been tinkering with his launch angle. Braun homered twice in that game, which held importance to the NL Playoffs picture.
In that Sept. 25 game, Jesus Aguilar hit 3-5 with an opposite field home run.
"If the Milwaukee Brewers want to succeed in the 2018 NL Playoffs, these power hitters will need to stay hot. The team does not have a starting pitcher it can rely on to face down the aces on other teams."
The Brewers do, however, have a devastating bullpen and starters that know their role and accept their short leashes. Milwaukee starter Wade Miley summed it up to reporters.
“We’re very fortunate to have the bullpen we have. You’re a little frustrated about not going deeper […] but those guys come in and do the job, and ultimately that’s all that matters. How do we get to a ‘W’ at the end of the day,” Miley reasoned.
The Milwaukee Brewers have gotten “W”s recently, but it remains to be seen if this strategy will hold up with the extra pressure of the NL Playoffs when Counsell will not have the luxury of an expanded Sept. roster.
Auguilar’s splits show his stats slipping in September. Also, Brewers clean-up hitter Travis Shaw is having trouble making contact in the last month of the season, and Mike Moustakas carries a modest Sept. OPS under .750 late into the month. Furthermore, Jonathan Schoop has lost some playing time to Orlando Arcia and Hernan Perez.
Aguilar’s Sept. 24 big game, Shaw’s increased Sept. walk-rate, and Moustakas’s consistency give Brewers hope that one or more of them can get hot in the 2018 NL Playoffs and carry them to a World Series. Schoop is a wild card. If Schoop heats up like he has in the past for the Baltimore Orioles, the Brewers chances increase even more.
The National League is wide open this season. The NL Playoff races are close. The Brewers are ont perfect, but they could make a run all the way through the NL Playoffs if a power hitter gets hot and bats in the MVP table-setters.