The Brewers opened Week 24 with a thud and still managed to finish it with a division lead that looked comfortable on paper. Milwaukee went 3-4, dropped a couple of tough road games to the Cubs, and then traded punches with the Reds all weekend. Even with the uneven stretch, the Brewers sit at 88-56, seven games clear of Chicago at 81-63.
What made the week feel so strange was how the pitching staff unraveled. This was the kind of week where a good start stood out more because so many others went sideways.
Logan Henderson was the bright spot, and he earned that label the hard way: seven innings, two runs, three hits, and another reminder that the rookie right-hander has been steady all season. In 15 starts, he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any outing, and lately he’s been even sharper, going seven innings in three of his last four starts while averaging just 1.2 runs allowed.
His season line now sits at a 2.48 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP.
After that, the rotation picture got messy. Robert Gasser’s line - three runs, two earned, in 4 1/3 innings - probably ranks second for the week, while Dustin May at least kept things relatively contained with five hits and two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds.
The rest of the group took heavier damage. Jacob Misiorowski gave up five earned runs in four innings against the Cubs.
Shane Drohan was tagged for six earned runs in four innings against the Reds. Kyle Harrison absorbed the biggest hit of all, giving up 13 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings while being knocked around by both opponents.
There are some built-in reasons the numbers looked ugly. The Brewers had just two off days since July 31st, and every game this week came on the road against division opponents.
Still, the staff’s rough stretch was hard to miss. The good news for Milwaukee is that the offense picked up the slack enough to win three games anyway.
That lineup surge was the other major storyline of the week. The Brewers scored eight or more runs in four games, and while they also had three games of three runs or fewer, the overall output was enough to keep them afloat. Every Brewer with at least 20 plate appearances finished the week with at least a .730 OPS.
Cooper Pratt led the way. The rookie shortstop went 7-for-22 and drove in nine runs, capping the week by clearing the bases with a triple and then scoring on a wild pitch in Friday’s 10-7 win over the Reds. Since earning his spot in the big league lineup, Pratt has kept delivering, and he’s now hitting .271 with a .716 OPS in 177 at-bats.
Andrew Vaughn also chipped in with a .400 week, adding a double and a home run in 15 at-bats. William Contreras kept the pressure on too, going 7-for-25 with four doubles and a homer.
Milwaukee also got some roster help back. RHP Abner Uribe returned from the IL on August 31 after a right forearm flexor strain and made three appearances, covering 2 1/3 scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner. To make room, RHP Bryse Wilson went on the 15-day IL with a lower back strain.
LHP JoJo Romero, acquired with May from the Cardinals before the trade deadline, also came off the IL and made his Brewers debut after missing time since an emergency appendectomy in mid-July. He appeared in four games and allowed four runs, two earned, in 3 1/3 innings.
When rosters expanded on September 1, Romero and catcher Bo Naylor were the two additions to the active roster. Naylor got the start at catcher yesterday against the Reds and went 1-for-4 with an RBI single.
The only roster move that sent someone out the door was RHP Joel Kuhnel, who was designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Giants.
In Other News...
Brewers Rookie Fireballer Gets One Last Shot At The Cubs
Jacob Misiorowski gets another chance to face the Cubs on Tuesday at American Family Field, and for a rookie with only three big league starts under his belt, that is a pretty quick return to a familiar rivalry. He has already been a problem for Chicago this season, going 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in those matchups while striking out 21 in 16 innings, and the Brewers have seen firsthand how his power stuff can change a game in a hurry.
The most memorable version of Misiorowski against the Cubs came when he hit 105.5 mph on the radar gun, a fastball that tied for the third-fastest ever tracked by Statcast. He was knocked around more recently at Wrigley Field, though Milwaukee still finished the job, so this one feels like another test of how much the Cubs can adjust before the rookie fireballer gets one more shot at them. [Read more 🡒]
Garrett Mitchell Has Forced A Brewers Question At The Worst Time
Garrett Mitchell has finally gotten the kind of extended big-league runway the Brewers long imagined for him, and it has come at a time when every at-bat seems to carry extra weight. After spending his previous four partial seasons bouncing in and out of the lineup, he has logged 464 plate appearances this year, giving Milwaukee a much clearer look at what he is right now, not just what he might become.
What the Brewers have seen is a player whose offense still comes with familiar tradeoffs. Mitchell strikes out a lot, does not bring much power, and yet keeps finding ways to hold his own because of the amount of hard contact he produces. Even so, his place in the clubs postseason picture is far from settled, with outfield competition tightening at exactly the moment the Brewers would prefer to have their answers already in hand. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Bullpen Suddenly Has A New Problem In Crucial Stretch
The Brewers had to shuffle their relief mix again Wednesday, placing Grant Anderson on the 15-day injured list with right biceps inflammation and calling up Brandon Sproat to take his spot on the major league roster. It is another hit to a bullpen that has been asked to carry a heavy load in a crucial stretch, and Milwaukee is leaning on depth at a point in the season when every available arm matters.
Sproat has already appeared in 21 big league games this season, and he arrives after pitching well lately in Triple-A, giving the Brewers a fresh option as they sort through the late-inning picture. Manager Pat Murphy also suggested there could be changes ahead for Kyle Harrisons role amid recent struggles, leaving Milwaukee with more questions than answers as it tries to stabilize the bullpen on the fly. [Read more 🡒]