Although there have been ups and downs, there's no denying that this season has been a revelation for the Milwaukee Brewers. One of the best teams in baseball over the last five years, Milwaukee has found a perfect balance between marquee young talent and reliable veterans that makes them a legitimate contender for a World Series run this year.
But if they're going to reach the World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers might need to make some concessions in the regular season. During a recent segment on MLB TV's MLB Central, the cast discussed why the Brewers have a legitimate shot to go all the way this year, but the hurdle they'll have to face down the stretch to make it happen.
They tossed around the idea that in order to keep their young pitchers spry and ready to perform at the best of their ability come Playoff time, the Brewers might need to give their top starters more rest during the regular season. Whether that means extending the pitching rotation, offering more rest days, or outright shutting players down is up to Manager Pat Murphy and his team. But the fact remains that health will be the No. 1 factor in deciding whether they can contend, and keeping the young pitching duo of Kyle Harrison and Jacob Misiorowski fresh is a top priority for the team.
Do the Milwaukee Brewers need to adjust their pitching rotation to keep their Playoff hopes alive?
Sure, the more innings you pitch, the more the chances of injury increase, but the Brewers have been wise about how much they play their guys. Harrison has only pitched more than six innings one time in 14 games so far this season, with five or fewer innings logged in eight of those appearances.
Meanwhile, Misiorowski has a little bit more leeway, but not by much. The 24-year-old has been pulled after six innings in two-thirds of his starts this year (10 of 15). Of those remaining five games, Misiorowski was pulled after seven innings in four of them, and the fifth was his legendary one-hit shutout against Philadelphia.
If these guys start to deal with consistent or nagging injuries, shutting them down until they reach full strength is a great way to conserve their energy for when it matters most. But at the same time, these are vivacious young players who don't want to be taken off the mound. Pulling them because of a fear of what's possible doesn't seem very consistent with how the Brewers operate.
Maybe the team needs to make this change to blossom into a legitimate World Series contender. Or maybe they just need to trust the process and continue doing things the way they have. It's all worth consideration, but at the end of the day, the Brewers are a World Series contender regardless of how many innings these guys have pitched — so long as they are available come playoff time. And that is how legends are made.
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