4-man rotation coming?

[LouisEly]

Unlikely, but the Brewers have an interesting schedule left. Right now they are in the middle of a long stretch of consecutive games, but looking at August and September they have the following days off:

 

Monday 8/6, Monday 8/13, Thursday 8/16, Thursday 8/23, Monday 8/27, every Thursday in September.

 

I've bolded 8/13 and 8/16 because they are the day before and the day after the two-game series at the Cubs. They can empty the bullpen those two days as they won't have to worry about relievers being unavailable during or after that series.

 

They have enough off days in August where they could bring up a 5th starter only as-needed. This could accomplish a few things:

 

1) Lessens the need to trade multiple prospects for another starter.

2) Lets Peralta work on command while limiting his innings at AAA, bringing him up for spot starts as-needed

3) Carry an extra reliever so that they don't have to risk starters getting hit around the 3rd/4th time through the order, or

4) Carry an extra 2B for a defensive replacement later in games.

 

Once September hits they can expand the roster and have bullpen days when they need a 5th starter.

 

As I said, unlikely, but the upcoming off days I think will present some interesting roster manipulation.

[JohnBriggs12]

I think the plan was for them to go to a 6 man rotation when Davies returned. Hard to see them doing the reverse. I still think they add a starter.

[SomewhereInTime]

They've been using a 4 and swing rotation all season long, there's a good chance they continue to do that.

[Montezuma]

I am starting to think the plan for the starters is to hope they can keep us in the game for 5-6 innings and bring in the quality relievers to end the game. The game has changed and the days of Bob Gibson is long since past. And the way DS and CC bring pitchers up and down seems to confirm the change in vision of starting pitching.

[istanbultaye]

I think the answer to whether they skip the 5th rotation spot whenever possible the rest of the way depends on who we have for the rotation and the production of that 5th starter. If the worst starter left in the rotation is clearly significantly worse than the other four, and/or they somehow pick up a real stud SP who you want every 5 days regardless of off days, then yeah, they'll be skipping #5 regularly. If they don't get a stud and everyone is kind of in the same 3.7-4.2 ERA range, they probably stick with 5 and give people the extra day to stay fresh.

[Baldkin]

They might do this to keep Peralta's innings down

[rickh150]

They might do this to keep Peralta's innings down

 

This is true.... if he pitches well or even ok, they'll skip him. If he stinks it up, he'll be gone and serve as a sub, starting in AAA.

 

I'm not sold on a healthy Guerra or good Miley yet. Just get a SP with a good track record and I'd feel a whole lot more comfortable.

 

Burnes back in the rotation come Sept. seems like a better move all the time. Send him down and stretch him out.

[long ball]

I do think they'll utilize the weekly off days in August and September to lean on their bullpen a bit. Not sure how aggressive they'll be with skipping starts.

[rickh150]

They might do this to keep Peralta's innings down

 

This is true.... if he pitches well or even ok, they'll skip him. If he stinks it up, he'll be gone and serve as a sub, starting in AAA.

 

I'm not sold on a healthy Guerra or good Miley yet. Just get a SP with a good track record and I'd feel a whole lot more comfortable.

 

Burnes back in the rotation come Sept. seems like a better move all the time. Send him down and stretch him out.

[NYChez]

They might do this to keep Peralta's innings down

 

This is true.... if he pitches well or even ok, they'll skip him. If he stinks it up, he'll be gone and serve as a sub, starting in AAA.

 

I'm not sold on a healthy Guerra or good Miley yet. Just get a SP with a good track record and I'd feel a whole lot more comfortable.

 

Burnes back in the rotation come Sept. seems like a better move all the time. Send him down and stretch him out.

Burnes could stretch out while on the MLB roster. Have him start and pitch 3 innings, then 4, etc. If he's able to continue to be dominant, why waste the domination in Colorado Springs?

[Bobafett89]

I am in favor of anything that limits Guerra's starts. Up to and including the playoffs!!

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I am in favor of anything that limits Guerra's starts. Up to and including the playoffs!!

 

He had a couple meh starts in July, but other than that he's been pretty dang effective this year. I don't know why they'd be looking to limit his starts. He's been arguably the team's top starter this season.

[Greenleaf1]

They won't do a 4-man rotation, but the off days provide them with a lot of flexibility about who starts games for the rest of the year (as well as lining up a potential playoff rotation if it gets to that).

 

Peralta will likely need to limit his innings at some point, so he could be optioned in August to make room for Davies or a new acquisition. Miley can fill in as needed but doesn't necessarily have to be a full member of the rotation.

 

Not sure any team will benefit from expanded September rosters more than the Brewers. They have so much Major League depth on their 40-man right now, it should be fun to see Counsell and Stearns use all the weapons at their disposal every game. The whole month could feel like the playoffs (or a Rays regular season game) where pitchers don't go more than 3 innings and the bullpen carries the load.

 

They're going to get a lot of opportunities to be creative the next couple months.