Milwaukee Brewers: First month of season will be a tough test
By Paul Bretl
The Milwaukee Brewers will be tested early this season with a difficult schedule ahead in the month of April.
This season the Milwaukee Brewers have high expectations surrounding them as they hope to make another deep playoff push into October. However, before we get to that point there is a long season of baseball ahead. Like any team, Milwaukee is hoping to get off to a quick start this season, but doing so won’t be an easy task.
The biggest strength of this Milwaukee Brewers ball club last season was their bullpen led by the “Electric Dudes” which includes Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, and Corey Knebel. Unfortunately, the Brewers will be without Jeffress for a portion of April and Knebel will miss the entire season after he undergoes Tommy John surgery. Leaving just one “Electric Dude” remaining.
In 2018 we saw players like Jesus Aguilar and Wade Miley come out of nowhere to make huge contributions to last year’s magical run. Especially early on this season given the injuries, the Brewers will need a player or two out of the bullpen to step up and help fill the void that has been created from not having Jeffress or Knebel.
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We also have to take into consideration Milwaukee’s young starting pitching core made up of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta. We saw some fantastic outings from all three of these players in 2018 and there is good reason to be excited about his upcoming season. With that said, this is a new role for these young pitchers and early on they could take some lumps that may cost the Brewers a game or two.
Lastly, we have to take a look at the Milwaukee Brewers’ schedule for the month of April which is quite daunting. For starters, 10 out of their 19 total games against the St. Louis Cardinals will be played before we get to the month of May. Meaning how the Brewers perform in the first month could have a lasting impact on how the NL Central race shakes out at the end of the season.
Milwaukee will also play their entire season series against the L.A. Dodgers in April. The Dodgers are once again, looking to make it back to the World Series and as always are going to be a tough matchup, perhaps even more so at this point in the season given the Brewers beat up bullpen and young starting rotation. And who knows, these games played in April could determine a tie-breaker when it comes playoff time.
In addition to the Cardinals and Dodgers, Milwaukee will also have series’ against the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and Colorado Rockies, all of which will be playoff contenders this season.
Next. 3 under the radar prospects that could contribute in 2019. dark
It is a long season and by no means are the Milwaukee Brewers doomed if they don’t get off to the best start, but considering the matchups they have in April, they can do themselves a lot of favors by winning these crucial early season games.