The Hot Start of the Milwaukee Brewers

The Hot Start of the Milwaukee Brewers

 

The season might only be two weeks old and records and stats are still falling into the dreaded small sample size argument, but one thing has been clear. The Milwaukee Brewers are the biggest surprise of the season thus far. The success of the Brewers has been the result of just how dominant their pitching has been thus far. Both their starters and their relievers have shut down the opposing lineups on their way to baseball’s best record and an 8 game win streak.

Led by Yovani Gallardo who is 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA, every starter has stepped their game up and answered the challenge. Having a 6-0 record on the road, including a three game sweep of the World Champion Red Sox in their home opening series has shown that Milwaukee will not be rattled by the atmosphere outside of Miller Park.

The season may still be young and Milwaukee may be proving they should be taken seriously, but in order to be a contender there are still some things that the Brewers need to count on. Firstly, once the pitching comes back to Earth and starts evening out, how will they respond? It’s easy to brush things off and not second guess yourself when everything is going your way. Secondly, they need to stay healthy. This is not a very deep team and there isn’t any real help waiting in the minors to answer the call if needed. Last but not least they have to hope that the platoon of Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds can provide them with just enough offense as to not become a black hole in the lineup. They can play well for stretches but asking prolonged success from either of those guys is way too much. Hopefully Ron Roenicke will be able to find the right balance.

Everyone pegged the NL Central as St. Louis’ to lose and they may still be right because as stated before there is certainly a long way to go. However, with the Brewers being able to build a lead now while riding this high, it has certainly put them in a very advantageous position. Cincinnati has not looked good thus far and the Pirates have gotten good pitching but inconsistent offense.  The Brewers very well could find themselves fighting for a second place finish and what could certainly be a wild card berth in the playoffs.

We will be back tomorrow with the Week in Review. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.