For the first time all season, the Milwaukee Brewers are sitting alone at No. 1 in MLB.com’s power rankings, and the timing says plenty about how this team has taken shape.
The Brewers have spent much of the year doing the one thing that matters most in the standings: winning. They’ve had the best record in baseball for a while now, and their rotation has been the class of the league for months.
That part of the profile hasn’t changed. What has changed is the national view, as the Dodgers’ recent slide into merely steady play has opened the door for Milwaukee to move to the top.
Milwaukee has also put together the kind of stretch that forces people to pay attention. The Brewers have won three straight series, including a weekend win over the first-place Braves at home.
Before that, they handled the Seattle Mariners and then took three games from the defending champions in a four-game road set. That’s the sort of run that reshapes the conversation fast.
The early-season concern around this club was easy to spot. The question was whether the lineup could give the pitching staff enough help, especially when October arrives.
Instead, Pat Murphy’s team has answered with production in all the right places. The Brewers are top-three in batting average and stolen bases, and they sit top-five in runs batted in and hits.
That kind of profile points straight to the style Milwaukee has leaned into: situational hitting, pressure on the bases, and the kind of “small ball” that can grind teams down. The Brewers are not living off the long ball. In fact, they have the fewest home runs in the league, and not by a little.
So now the question is whether that formula holds up. With one month left in the season, Milwaukee has made a strong case that its approach is not just working - it’s carrying the club to the top of the sport.
In Other News...
Garrett Mitchell Gave Brewers Fans A Classy Moment On National TV
Sunday nights Brewers-Braves matchup carried a little extra sentiment beyond the score, thanks to Karl Ravechs final broadcast on Sunday Night Baseball. The longtime ESPN voice, who has been part of the network since 1993 and has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the Little League World Series, was recognized during the telecast as he wrapped up three decades in sports media.
Both Chris Sale and Garrett Mitchell made sure to publicly thank Ravech on the air, a classy touch in the middle of a nationally televised game. It was the kind of moment that reminded viewers the Brewers were part of something bigger than one nights box score, even as the broadcast quietly turned into a farewell for one of ESPNs most familiar voices. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Now Wait On Garrett Mitchell After Scary Exit
Garrett Mitchells night ended early in the Little League Classic after a 94 mph fastball caught him on the right forearm, sending the Brewers outfielder out of the game with a contusion. It was an ugly moment in a showcase setting, but the immediate news afterward offered some relief, as X-rays came back negative and pointed away from anything more serious.
Now Milwaukee is left waiting to see how quickly Mitchell can get back to normal and back into the lineup. The expectation is that he should recover soon, though the Brewers may have to make do without him for a short stretch while the soreness settles down and the team monitors how he responds. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers May Soon Face A Tough Rotation Call With Coleman Crow
The Brewers have reached the point in the season where the rotation picture is mostly clear, even if a few decisions still loom. Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson and Dustin May appear to have the top four spots in place, while Shane Drohan is expected to shift to the bullpen. Robert Gassers hold on a rotation job looks less certain after some recent struggles, leaving Milwaukee with a small but meaningful opening to monitor.
One name that keeps surfacing is Coleman Crow, whose performance in Triple-A has put him in position to force the issue. The rookie could work his way into the rotation mix or simply be an obvious call-up when rosters expand in September, giving the Brewers another arm to consider as they sort through the back end of the staff. Brandon Woodruffs rehab remains a factor in the bigger picture, but his long ramp-up makes it unlikely he changes the regular-season equation anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]