I didn’t think I would actually get to write this article, but the day has finally come. I thought the Milwaukee Brewers would cool off and sit right around .500 at this very moment. Much to the surprise of everyone (except me, check the MLB preview) the Brewers sit at 15-5 mostly because they knew I wanted to write a Brewers blog on NBSR, and because of their pitching. Now, I’ve watched all of 1 Brewer game this season, thanks Ohio Northern U, but nobody pours over the box score every night quite like this guy. Now, I’m not saying that the Brewers will be the best team in baseball, but until they aren’t, you can refer to this around the water cooler. Here’s why the Brewers have won 75% of their game (as of 4/21), and why they’ll continue to do so:
Pitching, pitching, and more pitching: I’d be lying if I said much else mattered in the hot start in Milwaukee, but it has been huge for the Brewers through 20 games so far. A 2.66 ERA is good for 2nd in the national league, behind Atlanta (2.32), and 3rd in the majors, behind Oakland (2.55) as well. Francisco Rodriguez has anchored a solid bullpen with 8 saves in 8 chances thus far, while the rest of the guys follow his lead and make these games winnable for the offense in later innings.
The pitching in general has been some of the best in baseball, and easily the best overall in baseball when taking things into consideration. The staff ranks 3rd in ERA (2.66), 2nd in quality starts (15), 1st in WHIP (1.11), and 4th in opponents’ batting (.226). The starters have done their job going long into ball games and not giving up many runs, just 38 earned in 20 starts.
The starter’s ERA numbers are as follows:
Gallardo: 1.46
Lohse: 2.67
Garza: 4.50
Peralta: 2.19
Estrada: 2.66
Not bad for one of the worst starting units in 2013, and the change came just in time. Keep that up and the Brewers could be the first team to 90 wins in the majors. After all, pitch well and you don’t have to worry about much else, right?
Middle of the Order (Braun/Ramirez): Until April 8, Braun was hitting just.150 with 4 hits in six games. Then, the light bulb went on in that April 8 game against the Phillies. Here’s your video:
Since then, Braun upped his average to .306 (22/72) with 6 HRs, all in the state of Pennsylvania, but that’s not the point. See the clutch gene below, because Braun has a handful of go-ahead RBI late in games this year. I know what you’re thinking, he must still be on the juice…shut up.
His running mate, Aramis Ramirez, fresh off an injury-plagues 2013 season, looks to be in tip-top form this year, and it’s showing at the plate. He’s hitting an absurd .632 (12-19) with runners in scoring position with 13 RBI. Maybe we should call him AramRISP Ramirez instead. Adding to the clutch gene pool, Ramirez in 7-for-10 with 2-outs and runners in scoring position, driving in 8 runs in those situations. Add that to his .347 average in general, and you’ve got 2011 contract-year Ramirez all over again. After all, his deal is up after the 2014 season.
The Clutch Gene: Apparently the entire team has one, with a handful of come-from-behind, extra-inning, and one-run wins already this season. Remember when the Orioles went 29-9 in one-run games in 2012, well the Brewers are aiming to do a few better this season. They have already posted a 5-1 record in those games this year, thanks to their pitching keeping them in it. They are 2-0 in extra-inning games through 20 played this season, and have 4 close game and come-from-behind victories (tied/trailing in the 7th inning or later) this year. A prime example of this was their weekend series in Pittsburgh, where they had 2 crazy wins on back-to-back days, beginning with Braun HRs in the 7th and the 9th to go ahead 8-6 and get the win on Saturday. Sunday featured a real brawl, with real punches, an 8th inning Mark Reynolds HR to tie, another Braun 9th inning HR to tie the game again, and a Khris Davis 14th inning job to win it. Maybe it’s just Ryan Braun who has the clutch gene, but it seems to be rubbing off on his teammates (insert joke about rubbing paste/steroids).
Alright, enough with the optimism, the 2013 Brewers had a similar 9-game winning streak in April, then went on to a 6-22 record in the month of May. That being said, this 2014 edition is head and shoulders better constructed than last year’s model. Another reason to curb the enthusiasm here is the fact that Carlos Gomez will be out for 10+ games because of his incident against the Pirates. How many games does it take until a team can be considered a contender or an elite team? This 2014 Brewers cast will tell us, and I’m hoping it’s soon.
@DKnappyBoy
North Bound Sports Report 