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Milwaukee Brewers: 2018 Review, How Did They Reach NLCS?

By Max Neibaur

MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 05: Craig Counsell and Bob Uecker share a laugh before Game 2 of the 2018 National League Divisional Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Colorado Rockies on October 5, 2018, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 05: Craig Counsell and Bob Uecker share a laugh before Game 2 of the 2018 National League Divisional Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Colorado Rockies on October 5, 2018, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Brewers
CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 01: Josh Hader #71 of the Milwaukee Brewers  (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Milwaukee Brewers 2018 Pitching Strategy Changes The Game

Fans became irritated at GM Stearns and the Milwaukee Brewers for not acquiring an ace with the money it had and Jimmy Nelson due out until at least the 2018 all-star break.

Not only did Nelson not return the entire season, but step-in top pitcher Chase Anderson gave up way too many home runs to call himself a front-line starter.

Jhoulys Chacin was not known around the league for anything other than that he had a good slider. Stearns brought him in on a 2-year deal that has already been with its weight in Midas’s gold.

Another Stearns 2018 signing, Wade Miley, got injured early in the season. But, he returned with a terrific cutter that helped the Brewers win games up to and into the MLB Playoffs.

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To sum things up, the Milwaukee Brewers had an average pitching staff with no star in the starting rotation.

Even with what looked like a good bullpen, few believed in this Brewers pitching staff to begin the 2018 season after David Stearns failed to acquire more talent at the starting pitcher position during the 2017-18 off-season.

ESPN gave Milwaukee 30-1 odds of winning the World Series, which was even worse than the shot they gave the Minnesota Twins.

However, the Brewers won 96 games during the 2018 Regular Season, which was more than any other team. And, they played tough in the 2018 Playoffs, evident in their march all the way to Game 7 of the NLCS.

The Brewers did not, however use a powerful offense to accomplish their goals. Despite a deep lineup and roster, the offense remained inconsistent.

Milwaukee’s bullpen became their saving grace.

Young lefty Josh Hader won the Trevor Hoffman Award for Best Relief Pitcher for the Brewers. Furthermore, Jeremy Jeffress put up fantastic numbers during the regular season.

And, after a hamstring injury and a stint in the minor leagues, Corey Knebel returned to dominant closer form during the end of the regular season and into the MLB Playoffs.

Also stepping up were three Brewers pitching prospects. Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, and Corbin Burnes played well during the season and broke out during the 2018 MLB Playoffs.

The three aforementioned young pitchers played so well that Stearns now has a dream of options on what he does or does not need to do during the 2018-19 off-season as far as acquiring a free agent pitcher to lead the rotation.

The 2018 Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff led by Manager Craig Counsell’s usage of them proved that the starters do not have to go as deep into games.

Statistics show that most starters get hit hardest during their third time through the lineup.

Counsell used stats to put his team in the best position to win games. He thought of pitchers as out-getters as opposed to starters, relievers, and closers.

Next. Andrew Miller makes sense for Brewers. dark

He will likely bring that strategy into 2019.

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