With the postseason a week away, the Milwaukee Brewers are sitting in a strong spot - and they may already know who their biggest lineup swing piece is going to be.
Milwaukee currently owns the top seed in the National League, holds a two-game edge over the Los Angeles Dodgers and sits six games ahead of the No. 3-seeded Atlanta Braves. The Brewers’ magic number to lock up a first-round bye is down to one, meaning they need just a win or a Braves loss to get it done.
If Milwaukee does get to skip the Wild Card round and open its playoff run later, the offensive name to watch is Jake Bauers.
The 30-year-old has put together a breakout season that looks nothing like his previous work. Entering 2026, Bauers had never played more than 117 games in a season or hit more than 12 homers.
This year, he has blown past those marks and is hitting .269/.397/.497 with an .893 OPS, 26 home runs, 83 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 21 doubles and 90 runs scored. He has set career highs across the board, including 3.2 wins above replacement, and his .397 on-base percentage leads the league.
That matters for a Brewers offense that has not exactly overwhelmed teams with power. Milwaukee is tied for 28th in the league with 149 home runs, and Bauers has been the club’s biggest source of thump, leading the team with 26 homers and ranking third with 83 RBIs. For a lineup like this, he has to be one of the players carrying the load if the Brewers want to make noise in October.
The only question is whether he can find the top of his game again right now. Since the start of September, Bauers is slashing .220/.458/.488 with a .945 OPS, three homers, seven RBIs and two doubles over 15 games. He has drawn 18 walks against 16 strikeouts, but he has also gone 9-for-41 in that stretch.
That’s the tension for Milwaukee. In the playoffs, one swing can flip a game, and the Brewers don’t have a lineup loaded with easy power.
If there’s one bat capable of changing the tone of an inning or an entire game, it’s Bauers. With six regular-season games left, Milwaukee still has time for him to get rolling before the bye is secured.
If he does, it could alter the way the Brewers’ offense is viewed heading into October.
In Other News...
Brewers Suddenly Have A Playoff Pitching Decision To Make
Colton Gordons Brewers debut came at a busy moment, with the left-hander giving Milwaukee five innings and allowing two runs against the Phillies while the offense tried to claw back late. The effort wasnt enough to turn the game around, as the Brewers fell 6-4, but the result still landed in a bigger context for a club already looking ahead to October.
Because of a Braves loss elsewhere, Milwaukee also locked up a first-round bye in the playoffs, which changes the conversation around the pitching staff almost immediately. Gordons outing added one more candidate to the mix at a time when the Brewers are suddenly sorting through how they want to line up their arms for the postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Are Already Hinting At A Playoff Lineup Shift
Joey Ortiz sat out the Brewers game against the Phillies because of a minor abdominal strain, but the absence did not sound like a long-term concern. Pat Murphy made it clear the move was more about the immediate moment than any bigger alarm, and he also suggested Ortiz would still be in line for a start if Milwaukee were setting its playoff card. For a player who has taken a clear step forward offensively this season, that matters, because Ortiz has become one of the more important pieces in the Brewers everyday picture.
Murphy also floated a few other October possibilities that hint at how Milwaukee could mix and match once the games start carrying more weight. Sal Frelick is a candidate to be in the lineup, while David Hamilton and Luis Lara could see more chances against right-handed pitching. It is the kind of late-season tinkering that says the Brewers are thinking beyond one regular-season game and starting to map out the shape of their best postseason version, even if the final version is still not fully settled. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Clinched A Huge Edge But Their Rotation Suddenly Feels Murkier
Colton Gordon gave the Brewers a look at what their depth can offer Tuesday, carving through four scoreless innings in his first real chance to settle in before the fifth got away from him. Milwaukee still had reason to keep one eye on the bigger picture, even in a 6-4 loss to the Phillies, because a Braves defeat later in the night locked in a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NLDS.
The result left the Brewers with a rare mix of security and uncertainty. They have already secured one of the postseasons best possible starting points, but games like this can still shape how the rotation feels heading into October, especially with a newcomer trying to pitch his way into the conversation and the margins for playoff roles getting tighter by the day. [Read more 🡒]