The Milwaukee Brewers keep making a habit of proving the preseason talk wrong.
They enter Tuesday afternoon’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at 56-33, and once again they’re sitting in a spot that many national analysts didn’t see coming before the 2026 season began.
Some projected Milwaukee to finish behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. Others even had the Brewers under .500.
Instead, the same club that has already won the division three straight years looks very much like it could do it again.
That reality earned Milwaukee one of the top mid-season marks in baseball from ESPN’s David Schoenfield. When he handed out grades for all 30 MLB teams on Tuesday, only two clubs received an A+ - and the Brewers were one of them.
Schoenfield pointed first to the numbers that tell the cleanest story.
“Run differential doesn’t lie. A 101-win pace doesn’t lie. The Brewers are good, and might end up running away with the National League Central.
“Jacob Misiorowski put together the most breathtaking individual performance of the first half, lighting up radar guns with unfathomable velocity - starting pitchers have thrown 948 pitches this season at 100 mph or faster and Misiorowski has 613 of them, including all 185 at 102 mph or faster - while going 9-4 with a 1.47 ERA and 156 strikeouts.
“It’s the sixth-most strikeouts in the first half for a pitcher 24 or younger, and his one-hit, 15-strikeout performance against the Phillies goes down as the best pitching performance in Brewers history.”
Misiorowski has been the centerpiece of the praise, and for good reason. He’s 9-4 with a 1.47 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP, and the raw strikeout total only adds to how dominant he’s been.
The Brewers’ run differential is another major reason they’ve drawn this kind of attention. Even while ranking among the worst teams in home runs, Milwaukee has still managed to score a lot of runs.
What happens next could make the second half even more interesting. With the MLB trade deadline approaching, it will be worth watching whether the Brewers add anything that gives their offense an extra lift.
In Other News...
Caleb Durbin Is Suddenly Forcing Brewers Fans To Rethink Everything
Caleb Durbin looked like a rough fit early in the season, the kind of player who could get lost in the shuffle after a trade and leave a front office hoping the rest of the deal carries the load. Through May 23, his bat was buried deep enough in the numbers that it was fair to wonder whether the Brewers had seen the best of him already, especially with third base still a spot where production matters and patience can run thin.
Since June 10, though, Durbin has started to look like a completely different player. He has piled up seven home runs in that stretch and paired the surge at the plate with strong work at third base, turning what once looked like a frustrating early return into one of the more interesting developments on the roster. The bigger question now is whether this is a hot streak or the moment he finally settles in as the player Milwaukee thought it was getting. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Face A Bigger Infield Decision Than Anyone Expected
David Hamiltons exit against the Cardinals turned what looked like a routine infield shuffle into a more complicated roster question for Milwaukee. Pat Murphy said the left hamstring tightness could take some time to heal, leaving the Brewers to sort out how they want to cover the spot while Hamilton is out and the rest of the infield keeps moving around.
One name already in the mix is Jett Williams, the clubs No. 5 prospect, who has yet to make his major league debut but has been productive at Triple-A this season. The Brewers have also been using Joey Ortiz at third base with Cooper Pratt at shortstop, so any move would have to fit into a lineup card that is already changing shape as they wait on Hamiltons recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Look Linked To A Proven Late-Inning Difference Maker
With the trade deadline approaching, Milwaukees bullpen situation has started to draw more attention, and the search for late-inning help has naturally pushed the Brewers toward the relief market. Boston left-hander Aroldis Chapman has emerged as a name to watch because he has been effective this season, pairing a 2.36 ERA with a high strikeout rate while working in a late-game role for the Red Sox.
For a Brewers club dealing with multiple bullpen injuries, that kind of track record makes obvious sense on paper. Chapman has also piled up 18 saves in 26.2 innings, which only adds to the appeal if Milwaukee decides it needs another arm it can trust in the final innings, though how aggressive the front office wants to be still leaves plenty of room for the deadline to shape the answer. [Read more 🡒]