Milwaukee Brewers suddenly the class of the National League

When predicting which teams would emerge from the National League and advance to the World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers were an afterthought. The Dodgers and Padres were generally considered to be the class of the NL, with the Mets as another possibility. The Brewers? Well, they were considered to have a chance at a postseason berth by winning the NL Central, but that was about it.

This is why the games are played on the field and not on paper. After defeating the Dodgers in 11 innings last night, the Brewers find themselves with the most wins in baseball. Additionally, their 17-10 record is the best in National League, a spot that no one anticipated that the Brewers would occupy.

Milwaukee Brewers class of National League

This is particularly the case considering that the Brewers are missing several key pieces from their roster. Christian Yelich has not played since April 11, sidelined due to his ongoing back issues. In total, six position players are on the Injured List, including outfielder Lorenzo Cain and catcher Omar Narvaez, who had been one of Milwaukee’s most productive bats.

The injuries are also piling up on the pitching side. Corbin Burnes, who has emerged as a bona fide ace since the start of the 2020 season, is also on the Injured List for an undisclosed reason. Five other pitchers have been placed on the list as well, leading Milwaukee to call up the likes of Jordan Zimmermann to fill those vacancies.

And yet, the Brewers keep finding a way to put a tally in the win column. This is despite an offensive that ranks dead last in batting average (.215) and has the most strikeouts (275) in the NL. The Brewers are ninth in runs scored (109) and 12th in OPS (.670). The pitching staff has carried Milwaukee thus far. Even with those injuries, their 3.23 ERA is fifth in the NL. If the Brewers are going to maintain their spot atop the National League, it will be due to their collection of arms.

Baseball is full of surprises. While it is expected that the Dodgers and Padres will eventually surpass the Brewers for that top seed in the NL, that may not be the case. If Milwaukee can weather the storm until their top players return, they could end up being one of those teams who finish with a better record than expected, going on a deep postseason run. But they need to get there first.

The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the biggest surprises in the game thus far as they have the best record in the National League. No one saw that coming.