The Milwaukee Brewers are already in the postseason, but there’s still plenty left to chase over the final 14 games.
Pat Murphy made that clear after Friday night’s 20-0 win, saying the club has more goals it wants to hit before the regular season ends. Team success is the headline, of course. But there are a few individual marks hanging in the balance too, and several Brewers have real chances to reach them.
Jackson Chourio is the easiest place to start. The 22-year-old has been Milwaukee’s most electric young bat, and even with the first month of the season lost to a broken hand, he’s put together a huge year.
Chourio has 23 home runs, a career high, and 17 stolen bases. That puts him in striking distance of a third straight 20/20 season, after opening his career with back-to-back years of at least 20 homers and 20 steals.
He’s also slashing a career-best .294/.350/.498.
Then there’s Jacob Misiorowski, whose season has been ridiculous by just about any measure. He’s 14-5 with a Major League-best 1.95 ERA, 236 strikeouts and a 0.80 WHIP, and he’s the clear favorite for the National League Cy Young Award.
His .156 opponent batting average, if it holds, would be the lowest ever by a starting pitcher in MLB history. But he’s also within reach of another milestone: the Brewers’ single-season strikeout record.
Ben Sheets owns that mark at 264, and Misiorowski is 28 away. With 14 games left, he should get three or four more starts, and if he keeps missing bats at his usual pace, the record is there for the taking.
Brice Turang has his own target in sight as well. After a long slump, he’s suddenly scorching hot, batting .533 with a home run and eight RBI over his last five games.
That surge has pushed him to 90 RBI on the season, and getting to 100 would mean driving in at least one run in each of Milwaukee’s remaining games. It’s a tough ask, but it’s on the board.
Turang also matched his career high with his 18th home run on Friday night. Two more would get him to 20, another clean number to reach before the season closes.
In Other News...
Brewers Top Pitching Prospect Suddenly Faces A Serious New Concern
The Brewers pitching pipeline took a hit this week when Nashville placed Tyson Hardin on the 7-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 10. Hardin has been one of Milwaukees top prospects, and the move now puts a hard stop on what had been a season worth tracking closely for the organizations future on the mound.
No details were released on the nature or severity of the injury, but the timing points toward Hardin likely being done for the year. For a club that has kept one eye on its recent game results and another on the road ahead in the playoffs, losing a pitcher with that kind of profile adds another layer of uncertainty to an already important stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Sent A Message About Their Biggest Supposed Weakness
With the best record in baseball and a run differential that dwarfs everyone else, the Brewers have spent this season making an old baseball argument feel a little outdated. Milwaukee does not look like a classic slugging powerhouse on paper, especially with the club ranking near the bottom in home runs, but the lineup has still found ways to put pressure on opponents and pile up runs in bunches.
Thats the part worth watching now: the Brewers have already authored two historic 20-plus run shutout wins, and their power production has ticked up since August. For a team long framed around pitching, contact and defense, that kind of late-season offensive lift suggests Milwaukee may be chipping away at the one weakness people keep assuming will matter most when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Made Sure Brewers Didn't Celebrate Too Much
A 20-0 rout of the Reds was enough to send the Brewers back to the postseason, and Pat Murphy made sure the moment was celebrated with some perspective. After the clincher, the Milwaukee manager gathered the team for a toast, recognizing how much the group had already accomplished while reminding everyone the season still has more left to chase.
Murphy also made a point of extending the credit beyond the clubhouse regulars, noting the work done by the people around the team who help keep a long season moving. The Brewers are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year, but the tone around the celebration suggested the bigger prizes are still in front of them. [Read more 🡒]