Milwaukee Brewers: Balanced contributions have been key to success

The Milwaukee Brewers lost their MVP, Christian Yelich, but they are still surging toward the playoffs because of unlikely heroes.

Last season, the Milwaukee Brewers late-season magical September run was fueled by one of the greatest single-month performances in MLB history by Christian Yelich. This season, there will be no superhero Yelich to lift the team to a playoff berth.

What they do have is an expanded roster that has seen big moments from almost every member. Everywhere up and down the lineup, they’ve gotten production in the midst of injuries. Having the bullpen expanded is also a huge advantage for Craig Counsell’s club because of how he manages the game.

The injury to Keston Hiura was definitely a big blow to the Brewers’ offense. Post All-Star break, he has been Milwaukee’s second-best hitter behind Yelich. That seemed like a dooming blow at the time, but Cory Spangenberg has done a nice job stepping in for him.

Spangenberg hasn’t done anything crazy, but he’s come up with some clutch hits and played above-average defense, making only one error. Spangenberg has provided some big hits, nine runs batted in, and has done his best to help the team with a big bat out. He will likely see his playing time drop off drastically with Hiura back, but he held down the position and kept the Milwaukee Brewers in the race.

Speaking of Keston Hiura, inserting him back into the lineup gives them an immediate jolt of offense. In his two games back, he has gone two-for-seven with a home run. Yes, that is a small sample size, but he’s seemed to pick up right where he left off before the injury. If he can continue to find the barrel and drive the ball for extra base hits, his sub-par defense will be forgiven.

Another unlikely hero has been Tyler Austin. He hasn’t been amazing or putting up crazy numbers or even playing a ton. But what he did do was hit a three-run home run off of Jon Lester and the Cubs that proved to be the difference in an 8-5 win. He has done a good job of being patient at the plate, taking six walks to boost his on-base percentage to .500 and his OPS to 1.136. Again, small sample size, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s done enough to give this team a chance when Eric Thames or Yasmani Grandal need a day off against a left-handed pitcher.

The last of the unlikely hitting boosts has come from Trent Grisham. After three years straight of not hitting over .233 in the minors, Grisham looked like he might have been a wasted first-round pick. Then, this year, he hit so well that he gave David Stearns and the Milwaukee Brewers no choice but to call him up. Grisham has played great defense, when he has played for Lorenzo Cain in center field and has proved he can hit major league pitching. His most memorable moment was a three-run home run to take the lead in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins.

Now, moving on to the more likely players to have big performances late in the season. The two other All-Star hitters, Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas, and a player who has been synonymous with Brewers baseball for the last 10 years, Ryan Braun.

Grandal started the season on fire but had a major power outage after the All-Star break. In all of July and August, he hit a total of three home runs. In September, he has already hit six. His OPS over this month is 1.000 on the dot, exactly what Yelich’s was for the season in 2018. He’s been very good and the Brewers need him to keep producing at a high level to keep surging.

Moustakas has not done much hitting since coming back from his own injury a couple of weeks ago. However, when he has hit the ball, he has hit it very hard. Since coming back from injury on September 11th against the Marlins, four of his seven hits have been home runs. They’ve also been timely. Two of those homers have broken a tie late in the game. More contact would be nice, but if he keeps lifting the team late in games with home runs, I can live with some early outs.

Finally, Ryan Braun. The former MVP who has never been afraid of the big moment. He has actually been quite awful in September, hitting .163 with a .594 OPS. He carried the offense in August, however, when he hit .357 with an OPS of 1.018. He also owns the biggest moment of the season to date, with his two-out, two-strike grand slam in the ninth inning to beat the St. Louis Cardinals.

Moving to the pitching side of things, Jordan Lyles has been absolutely phenomenal. His performance is bringing back shades of C.C. Sabathia in 2008. He isn’t out there tossing complete games, but when Lyles is on the mound, there’s a very good chance the Brewers win. He’s started 10 games and his record is officially 6-1, but Milwaukee has won nine out of the 10 games he’s started. If the Milwaukee Brewers want to, they can get him to pitch twice on regular rest in the final nine games by starting him the first game of the series against the Reds after the off day.

Moving to the mad scientist – Craig Counsell and his expanded bullpen, there has been no shortage of high leverage innings thrown this September. First of all, Brent Suter has provided a huge boost to the team out of the bullpen. Tommy John surgery is an extremely difficult thing to come back from, but Suter has done everything right. He gave up one run in 2 1/3 innings in his first outing back and hasn’t given up a run since. This has brought his ERA to a ridiculous 0.73 for the season. The impact that he has just being in the clubhouse cannot be understated either. Suter keeps everyone loose, and the Milwaukee Brewers are a better team with him in the clubhouse.

The two relievers acquired in the Mauricio Dubon trade have also bolstered a bullpen that has struggled all season. Ray Black has done a good job, pitching to an ERA of 3.75 with a fantastic WHIP of 1.000, essentially allowing an average of one base runner per inning.

The real diamond in the rough though was Drew Pomeranz. He has already pitched 22 1/3 innings in 21 appearances since being acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers. He holds an ERA of 2.42 since being traded and is striking out 15.3 batters per nine innings, a number almost on pace with Josh Hader’s 16.5 per nine.

Finally, two guys that started the season in the minor leagues and spent most of their time there, Jay Jackson and Devin Williams. Both have provided valuable innings for this team and have earned some recognition. Williams was one of the most reliable relievers in an ugly stretch in August and provided some much-needed stability. He has an ERA of 3.27 and has done a good job of keeping the ball in the park, allowing only one home run in 11 appearances.

Meanwhile, Jackson had a couple of rough outings early in the season that inflated his ERA, but his stats after the All-Star break are great. His ERA in the second half is 3.20, his opponents have batted a measly .191 against him, and he has given up only one run in his last six appearances.

With nine games left, and no MVP, the Milwaukee Brewers are going to need to keep getting these kinds of contributions from different guys on different nights. Everyone is capable of having a big game, and they need guys to continue to step up if they want to make the playoffs or just maybe take the division.

So what has been your favorite moment so far this season? The Braun grand slam stands out for me, but there have certainly been plenty of big moments. Let me know your favorite one in the comments below or on Twitter @DairylandXpress.