The Milwaukee Brewers keep finding ways to turn a rough stretch into momentum.
After dropping two straight to the Chicago Cubs in frustrating fashion, Milwaukee went into a series with the Cincinnati Reds looking for a reset. The matchup has been exactly that. The Brewers have taken the first two games at American Family Field, including a 7-2 win on Tuesday night, and the results have extended a run of dominance over Cincinnati that keeps growing.
That victory gave Milwaukee its sixth straight win over the Reds dating back to last year. It also followed last week’s sweep in Cincinnati, and the Brewers now look positioned to pull off another one at home. Over the last 69 meetings between the teams, Milwaukee is 50-19.
What stands out just as much is how these wins have come together. In both of the first two games of this series, the Brewers had to rally from behind.
That has become a theme lately. Milwaukee has now won four straight games in which its opponent scored first, and the club is 20-16 this season when it doesn’t get on the board first.
That mark is unique across Major League Baseball; no other team has a winning record in those situations.
The Brewers’ ability to keep playing through early setbacks has become one of the defining traits of this season. At 52-31, they own their best start ever and are on pace for a shot at 100 wins for the first time in franchise history if the pace holds.
The bigger test still waits down the line. For now, though, Milwaukee keeps stacking wins and making comebacks look routine.
In Other News...
Brewers Suddenly Face A Roster Decision On A Familiar Pitcher
Jake Woodfords return to the Brewers organization has quickly turned into another roster crossroads. The right-handed reliever, who was designated for assignment in early June, cleared waivers, elected free agency and then came back on a minor league deal, but his season has not given Milwaukee much reason to feel locked in one direction.
Woodford has struggled in both the majors and at Triple-A this year, and now the contract he signed gives the Brewers a decision they cannot avoid for long. If they do not add him to the big-league roster, the alternative would leave them without much control over what happens next, which is exactly the kind of late-summer bullpen wrinkle teams prefer not to have hanging over them. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Have One More Deadline Question In The Outfield
The Brewers are already expected to be busy before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, with bullpen help, a top-tier starter and a left-side infield answer all on the shopping list. But the more this lineup is examined, the clearer it becomes that the outfield may need a look too, especially with Milwaukee leaning heavily on left-handed bats in a season where left-on-left matchups have been a problem.
A right-handed hitting outfielder would give the Brewers another way to patch that split, whether the answer comes from the farm system or from the trade market. Prospect Luis Lara has given the organization something to think about with strong production against left-handers in the minors, and the front office will have to decide whether internal depth is enough or whether this is another spot that needs to be addressed before the deadline clock runs out. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Face A Brutal Jacob Misiorowski Decision As Stakes Rise
Jacob Misiorowski has become one of the most compelling stories in the National League, and the Brewers are now staring at the kind of decision every contender hopes to avoid. With the rookie right-hander in the mix for the NL Cy Young Award, Milwaukee has to weigh the value of pushing for individual hardware against the bigger priority of keeping his arm fresh for the stretch run.
That tension is what makes the second half so tricky. Misiorowskis workload has already climbed into territory that demands attention, and the Brewers know a cautious approach could leave him short of the volume that tends to sway award voters, especially when other top starters are piling up innings. For Milwaukee, it is a familiar front-office and dugout balancing act, but this one carries a little more weight because the upside is so obvious and the margin for error is so thin. [Read more 🡒]