Brewers: 5-5 start under Craig Counsell not great, but better
By Phil Watson
The Milwaukee Brewers finished up their first homestand under new manager Craig Counsell with back-to-back 4-2 losses to the Chicago White Sox, ending the 10-game set with a 5-5 split.
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The Brewers split four games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, took two of three from the Chicago Cubs and dropped two of three to the Sox.
Not fantastic. But compared to the 7-18 start under former manager Ron Roenicke, it was light years ahead of where they were.
Milwaukee at least looked competitive for most of the games and there was an energy to the club that was lacking in the death throes of the Roenicke era, which finished with the club losing 35 of their final 51 games under his direction, dating back to last Sept. 1.
The problem for the Brewers is that while they are starting to right the ship, the St. Louis Cardinals just keep winning. St. Louis is an MLB-best 23-10 and has already opened a 12-game lead over the Brewers.
That’s right—in six weeks, the National League Central title is already just about out of reach.
In a far too premature look at the wild card spots, Milwaukee is seven games behind the Cubs and Washington Nationals while tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the worst record in the league.
With an off day today before the Brewers open a 10-game road trip that will have them facing the New York Mets this weekend, the Detroit Tigers next week, followed by a four-game set with the Atlanta Braves to finish it off, let’s take a look at the small sample sizes we have to see if there are discernible differences since the managerial change beyond the .280 winning percentage under Roenicke and the .500 mark under Counsell.
Offense
Offensively, the Brewers are still more jugger-not than juggernaut, ranking 12th in the National League with 3.8 runs per game.
Their .285 on-base percentage is 14th of the 15 teams in the National League, while the .228 batting average, .331 slugging percentage and .614 OPS are all dead last.
But they are averaging 5.1 runs per game under Counsell, even with a team slash line of .229/.301/.448.
The one thing that is back is the long ball. Milwaukee cracked 16 home runs on the homestand.
That compares to 17 homers in the team’s first 25 games.
May 11, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Elian Herrera (3) hits a 2-run home run in the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Miller Park. The Brewers beat the White Sox 10-7. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The surprise might be who had the biggest power surge—light-hitting utility man Elian Herrera homered in three consecutive games, giving him four on the season … and five for his career.
Adam Lind, Khris Davis and Carlos Gomez each went deep twice, while Hector Gomez, Scooter Gennett, Ryan Braun, Gerardo Parra, Jean Segura, Jason Rogers and Martin Maldonado had one home run apiece.
The slugging percentage of .448 was the most visible change. In 25 games under Roenicke, the team slash line was .227/.278/.351 and the Brewers scored just 3.3 runs per game.
And where would the Brewers be without Lind? It’s almost frightening to think about.
Brought in to fill the gaping hole at first base from the last two seasons, Lind is hitting .298/.391/.544 with six homers and 18 RBI—every one of those numbers leads or is tied for the lead on the ballclub, by the way. Braun also has six homers and 18 RBI.
May 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Adam Lind (24) hits a solo home run in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays last November for right-hander Marco Estrada, the book on Lind was that he couldn’t hit left-handers—he was just 2-for-33 against them last season with 11 strikeouts.
He’s not setting the world alight this year, but he is a serviceable 5-for-22 already, with two doubles and three RBI and six whiffs.
He has cooled off this month, however. In May he’s hitting just .222/.378/.472 with two home runs and five RBI.
The team’s hottest hitter in May has been Parra, who is 12-for-28 with a team-high nine RBI this month and has a 1.169 OPS.
Pitching
While Milwaukee hasn’t hit well, at least they haven’t pitched well … so there’s that.
Apr 23, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse (26) reacts after giving up a 2-run homer to Cincinnati Reds left fielder Marlon Byrd (9) in the fifth inning at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The team is 14th in the National League with a 4.56 ERA, with a fielding independent ERA of 4.59 that ranks dead last. The Brewers are tied with the San Diego Padres for the most home runs allowed with 51.
Since Counsell took over, the staff has a 4.99 ERA and has given up 18 homers.
But the staff has five games with double-digit strikeouts in its last 10 games after posting just four in the first 25.
The starting rotation is continuing to bump along with a 4.77 ERA, but the bullpen has an unimpressive 4.14 mark.
The Brewers are tied for 13th in the National League with just 15 quality starts in 35 games, with only the Colorado Rockies—with six—worse.
Opponents are slashing .263/.328/.450, with the opponents’ .778 OPS ranked 13th in the NL, despite a BABIP (batting average on balls in play) just slightly higher than the league average at .304 (the NL average is .301).
So it’s not just bad luck, it’s pretty bad pitching. That’s a concern, because there’s not a lot of normalizing to expect.
Kyle Lohse, installed as the No. 1 starter, has just one quality start in his seven outings thus far and has a 7.03 ERA and 1.361 WHIP in 39.2 innings, while also giving up 10 home runs.
Apr 19, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) hits an RBI single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Bottom Line
You’ve still got to believe the Brewers offense will eventually kick into gear. Ryan Braun is better than a .248 hitter. Carlos Gomez is better than a .250 hitter. Scooter Gennett is better than a .182 hitter.
And when he returns from the disabled list, one has to expect Jonathan Lucroy to go a bit better than the .133/.216/.178 he slashed before sustaining a broken left big toe on April 20.
And Counsell hasn’t been afraid to shuffle the deck, both with the batting order and the bullpen sequencing.
Roenicke was quite rigid about how he managed his bullpen—he wanted identified guys to work specific innings. Counsell goes more by feel, which may not make everyone in the bullpen happy all the time, but it does provide more flexibility in terms of trying to get favorable matchups.
Counsell has used four different leadoff hitters—Gomez, Segura, Parra and Herrera, with Rogers, Parra, Gennett, Gomez, Braun and Davis all taking turns in the No. 2 hole.
And he is trying to get Gennett going, using him second, fifth and sixth since taking over after the aggressive swinger struggled badly when Roenicke plugged him into the No. 8 spot coming out of spring training.
Counsell has said he’s not looking at a rebuilding scenario, at least not at this point.
We’ll see where things stand when they get back from 10 games on the road.
Next: Chris Nelson Signs Minor-League Deal