All areas contributing to Brewers’ recent success
Hey, Brewers fans, remember that awful weekend in Chicago in late April, when the Cubs swept four games at frigid Wrigley Field while pitching three shutouts?
Well, let’s just say things have gone a bit better since that depressing freeze-out.
With a 9-2 victory over the free-falling Arizona Diamondbacks at sun-swept Miller Park on Wednesday afternoon, the Brewers have gone 15-6 since happily leaving Chicago. Don’t look now, but they have the best record (31-19) in franchise history through the first 50 games of the season.
Perhaps Travis Shaw knew what he was doing when he tweeted the day after leaving Chicago this message: “C…H…I…L…L.”
After the Brewers completed their first sweep of the Diamondbacks in eight years, Shaw assured inquiring minds at his locker that his tweet had nothing to do with the team’s turnaround. Instead, it has been the result of contributions from all areas of the team, not merely the
lockdown bullpen that carried the
Brewers for so long.
“It’s different this year,” Shaw said of the club’s surge through the first 50 games. “Last year, I don’t think anybody expected it. This year, this isn’t uncharted territory. This is where we want to be.”
After the sweep in Chicago, the Brewers were averaging a mere 3.69 runs per game, with a run differential of plus-two. In the 21 games since, they are averaging 4.62 runs with a run differential of plus-23 (97 runs scored, 74 allowed).
The last two weeks, during which the Brewers have gone 10-3, have been particularly fruitful. The pitchers have posted a 3.05 ERA, the offense has produced 21 home runs and the defense has been an asset, committing five mostly harmless errors.
Shaw has been at the heart of that power surge, blasting six home runs over his last 15 games with three doubles, 15 RBI and a .999 OPS. Jesús Aguilar, taking advantage of regular playing time at first base with Eric Thames and Ryan Braun on the disabled list, has provided major support with a .400 batting average, four homers and nine RBI in his last five games.
“This past week, you’ve seen how quickly this offense can strike,” said Shaw, whose three-run homer was the big blow in the Brewers’ seven-run outburst against the Diamondbacks in the fourth inning.
“Eventually, this lineup was going to hit. There are too many good hitters up and down the lineup to keep playing the way we were playing in April. We knew it was going to turn eventually.
“(The Chicago series) does seem like a long time ago. This is the Cubs division until someone says otherwise. But we feel like we’re in a good spot now. We’re playing good. We’ll try to keep it going this weekend.”
A lot of how a team does during certain stretches of a season can be attributed to timing, and the Brewers certainly picked a good time to face the Diamondbacks, who have lost 13 of 14 games thanks to an offense colder than a Wisconsin spring. Milwaukee went 5-1 against Arizona during that stretch, allowing a mere 10 runs in doing so.
Both teams have tremendous bullpens, but because the Diamondbacks’ offense has disappeared, their relievers are doing mostly mop-up duty. Conversely, the Brewers’ relief corps totally shut down Arizona’s lineup, allowing one hit in 29 at-bats (.034) in 101⁄3 scoreless innings in the series.
“This shows how far we’ve come as a team,” said left-hander Brent Suter, who picked up the victory in the finale with 52⁄3 solid innings of work (four hits, two runs). “We’re a better team than we showed (in Chicago) and we’ve showed that the last couple of weeks.
“The bullpen was carrying us but now everyone else has come up to that level. That unit is so special. They pitch for each other. It was a privilege being out there for the week I was out there, just feeling the support and how everyone picks each other up.”
Manager Craig Counsell, who has done a masterful job of getting his starting pitchers out before opponents get too many cracks at them and relying on his fabulous bullpen, realizes no pennants are awarded for having the National League’s most victories through 50 games. Understandably, he wants his players looking ahead, not admiring recent accomplishments.
“We’re on to the next series, and the goal is to continue to play good baseball,” Counsell said. “We played an excellent series, the pitching was outstanding and we broke out offensively today. Another day of really good defense, I thought.
“We’re really just trying to get everybody to stay focused on playing good baseball. We’ve had some close games but now we’re getting some games where we’re just beating the other team. That’s a really good sign.
“I think what it shows you is that each facet of this team has the ability to carry the load. That’s, hopefully, the makings of a good team, a team that can pick each other up and withstand a guy having an off night. It’s hopefully a deep team and a team that can be consistent throughout the year.”