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Milwaukee Brewers’ season is on life support, in danger zone

By Brian Sampson

Aug 26, 2022; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after giving up a 2-run home run to Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (not pictured) in the tenth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 26, 2022; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after giving up a 2-run home run to Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (not pictured) in the tenth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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You can feel fans’ frustrations beginning to boil over when it comes to the Milwaukee Brewers.

A vocal group was already upset with owner Mark Attanasio for not spending as much as he could on the Brewers’ payroll this season. Milwaukee, a small-market team who has experienced tremendous success in drawing fans to their stadium, ranks 19th in the MLB in team payroll at $129.6 million (the league average is $148.3 million).

Milwaukee came into the season with a trio of aces in Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta and an elite bullpen that featured studs such as Josh Hader and Devin Williams. With the pitching side of the equation locked in, the Brewers did not add any significant bats to their lineup. Their two biggest additions–Andrew McCutchen and Hunter Renfroe–have expectedly failed to provide the needed offensive boost.

President of Baseball Operations David Stearns added fuel to the fire a few weeks ago when he traded Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres without acquiring significant talent in return. Of the four players the Brewers received in the deal–Taylor Rodgers, Dinelson Lamet, Robert Gasser, and Esteury Ruiz–they had to release Lamet because they didn’t have enough room on their roster after other deals went through.

The Milwaukee Brewers have been sinking since the Josh Hader trade, and it’s now or never if they want to make the playoffs this season.

To make matters worse (because we weren’t there already), Stearns talked to the media about getting as many bites at the apple as possible when it comes to winning a World Series. The players shared that this wasn’t communicated to them and disagreed with the sentiment, creating some clubhouse drama.

The Hader trade took the wind out of the Brewers’ sails and we’ve seen them sink and drown since.

When the deal was made on August 1st, Milwaukee sat in first place in the NL Central by three games with a 57-45 record. They won seven of nine games since the All-Star break and looked to be finding their groove.

The Brewers are 8-14 in the 22 games since the deal and have fallen six games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the division–a nine-game turnaround in just four weeks. At 65-59, they are also 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.

They’re coming off an emotional home loss to the lowly Chicago Cubs in which manager Craig Counsell removed Peralta from the game after six innings of no-hit baseball only to see the Cubs hit a two-run home run and take the lead the very next inning. However, Milwaukee has two more games against Chicago, three against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and a four-game road set at the Arizona Diamondbacks. That marks a stretch of 10 straight games against teams who are at least 10 games below .500. If they are going to make a run, they have to do it now.

There is still over a month of baseball remaining and anything can happen. The Brewers have what it takes to get hot again and make a strong push for the playoffs. However, time is quickly running out and their season is on life support. It’s now or never for 2022.

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