Milwaukee Brewers Need Christian Yelich, Jesus Aguilar Out of NLCS Slumps

The Milwaukee Brewers took one of three games in Los Angeles to force the 2018 MLB Playoffs NLCS back to Milwaukee for the final. The Brewers will need Christian Yelich and Jesus Aguilar to break-out of their slumps to win the last two games and earn a World Series showdown versus the Red Sox.

The Milwaukee Brewers pitchers have quieted the powerful Dodgers lineups during the MLB Playoffs NLCS, but Christian Yelich has not delivered any offense to support the pitching.

Brewers Christian Yelich put on an offensive surge for the record books over the second-half of 2018 that drove the Milwaukee Brewers into the MLB Playoffs. But, his bat has not produced the same in the NLCS and Milwaukee’s offense has suffered a similar slump.

Yelich is not alone. Jesus Aguilar broke out during the first-half of the Brewers 2018 season, but the league seems to have made an adjustment on him that he has struggled to overcome.

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The Dodgers have started three good left-handed pitchers against the Brewers. Starting lefties, plus having LHP Alex Wood able to add multiple innings if needed in the bullpen, has neutralized some Brewers power-hitting lefties such as Travis Shaw and Mike Moustakas.

But, Aguilar, a right-handed slugger and Yelich, a lefty that hits other lefties well (.983 OPS vs LHP in 2018) can not use that as an excuse.

Advanced stats show Aguilar’s Achilles Heel. During 2018, he produced a .371 batting average against 4-seam fastballs but only hit .218 against curveballs and .186 against sliders. Pitchers made the adjustment and started throwing him more breaking balls. Aguilar does not appear to have countered.

Jesus Aguilar’s 2018 OPS dropped from .995 in the first-half to .760 in the second-half. Aguilar’s MLB Playoffs hitting has fallen further. In the NLDS and NLCS combined, Aguilar is hitting a mere .640 OPS with only 2 RBI heading back to Milwaukee for NLCS Game 6 vs the Dodgers.

Aguilar has become a dark hole in the middle of the Milwaukee Brewers lineup.

Christian Yelich Must Break Slump, Bat Brewers Through Dodgers In MLB Playoffs NLCS

Christian Yelich has no excuses for his poor postseason hitting. But, he also has no specific explanation.

"“I feel like I’m getting pitched similar to the way I was pitched throughout the year. But when I’m getting mistakes, I’m fouling them off or popping them up. I’m just not capitalizing. It’s frustrating. It’s part of the game of baseball. It happens throughout the course of the season,” Yelich reasoned."

Yelich’s vague explanation for suddenly losing his batting mojo is difficult to accept for fans in Milwaukee who have not seen a team make the World Series since 1982.

During the 2018 MLB season, especially the second-half, Yelich played well enough to convince most experts that he deserves the NL MVP Award.

The Dodgers continue to count their blessings that Yelich does not come alive with his bat.

"“Our pitchers have done a great job, one through nine,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said. They’re doing a great job of executing and making tough pitches on him [ Yelich ]. He’s obviously MVP. So making, executing to him is very important to the series.”"

Ryan Braun has ten hits in the 2018 MLB Playoffs including five in the NLCS. Lorenzo Cain has six hits in the NLCS alone. If not for hitting into some bad luck, Braun and Cain could have even more knocks. But, Yelich has only three hits in the lineup. He could have produced some runs hitting  between those players if he had more hits.

Most of Yelich’s attempts at the ball end up as grounders to second base.

In Miami, Barry Bonds mentored Yelich when he was the Marlins 2016 hitting coach. Bonds used to advise Yelich to keep his launch angle and not alter it for more home runs. Bonds suggested the considerable difference in ballpark size as the reason for Yelich’s extra home run totals.

Line-drives that bounced off deeper fences in Miami are flying out of Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Yelich looks like Bonds at the plate because of his patience as well as his even launch angle.

It looks like Yelich might be a tic early on balls right now, which is causing him to roll over balls and make ground outs instead of line-drives.

If Yelich can regain his Barry Bonds-like Zen approach at the plate by letting pitches travel deeper on him, that could create better contact results.

Better contact combined with the small confines at Miller Park could be the ingredients Yelich needs to deliver the Milwaukee Brewers over the Dodgers in the NLCS and into the World Series versus the Red Sox.