2021 Brewers Optimism Thread

[DoubleSwitch]

Cain has been playing great ball

[Lathund]

Burnes and Narvaez activated from the IL. Yelich starting a rehab assignment tomorrow. How can you not be optimistic?!?!

 

Though judging from other topics being discussed in this forum, some people aren't. But they're just wrong. Some of them have been predicting doom and gloom ever since I joined here in 2017. Some day they'll be right, but it will not be this day!

[Greenleaf1]

Offense carried the pitching for once on Sunday. As Shaw said, sometimes it seems like they score just enough for what they need to win.

 

With Narvaez back and looking like Yelich will be back tonight, our offense starts looking a lot better.

 

Woodruff and Burnes going against KC, I'm calling a sweep right now.

[Roderick]

Offense carried the pitching for once on Sunday.

 

Wasn't it more like the offense carried the defense on Sunday?. At least the way it sounded like on the radio before the grand salami.

[josh]

Looks like Hiura’s starting to rake down in AAA.

[brewtank34]

It's Friday! The weather outside is absolutely gorgeous, and we get to watch (or listen to) the Crew take on the Reds tonight. Got me some Run Wild NA beer from The Athletic Brewing Co. Noice!!!!

[josh]

Nice start from Lauer tonight. Tough loss, but I feel like the club is close to putting everything together.

[NYChez]

Before the season, I thought if they could get to the end of the second Padres’ series with a .500 record, they’d be in good shape. The Brewers up to this point have the toughest strength of schedule in the NL (the Cubs have the easiest).

 

Now they need to perform against the weaker teams like they have against the top teams.

[Eye Black]

From Jonathan Judge of Baseball Prospectus...

 

By this ranking, at least, the Brewers have played the second-hardest schedule in the NL so far (poor Rockies) and have the easiest remaining schedule in MLB.

 

2021 MLB Strength of Schedule Rankings

[brewtank34]

You beat me to it Eye Black. Our June schedule is basically the Reds, Pirates, Rockies, and Diamondbacks. The Crew is going to own June!

[JET15]

We've had a few stinker plays on defense that stand out so much you may think our defense isn't as advertised, but overall our defense is #1 in the league...

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2021-01-01&enddate=2021-12-31&sort=24,d

 

And we haven't had as embarrassingly awful of a play as the Baez rundown

 

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/javier-baez-rundown-between-first-and-home

[Roderick]

 

And we haven't had as embarrassingly awful of a play as the Baez rundown

 

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/javier-baez-rundown-between-first-and-home

 

I sure hope the Pirates are playing as badly when they play us. At a minimum the 2B and the RF were sleeping when the 1B had a huge brainlock.

[MrTPlush]

 

And we haven't had as embarrassingly awful of a play as the Baez rundown

 

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/javier-baez-rundown-between-first-and-home

 

I sure hope the Pirates are playing as badly when they play us. At a minimum the 2B and the RF were sleeping when the 1B had a huge brainlock.

 

I find it really hard to blame the 2B when there was quite literally zero logical reason he should have ever been needed in that play. It took so many massive brain farts on the 1B part to even make him relevant in that play. It is really hard to make that many dumb decisions on a single play like that it is almost impressive what the 1B did.

 

I would definitely turn the TV off for a few days if anyone on our team did something that stupid.

[monty57]

With our players getting healthy, and the addition of Adames, the top five of our order (Wong, Adames, Yelich, Garcia, Narvaez) doesn't look too bad. I'm optimistic that the Brewers will score more runs over the next 50 games than they did over the first 50, especially considering that our opponents should be significantly weaker for the next few weeks.

 

Assuming our pitching keeps it up, we should be sitting in a decent spot around trade deadline.

[PeaveyFury]

With our players getting healthy, and the addition of Adames, the top five of our order (Wong, Adames, Yelich, Garcia, Narvaez) doesn't look too bad. I'm optimistic that the Brewers will score more runs over the next 50 games than they did over the first 50, especially considering that our opponents should be significantly weaker for the next few weeks.

 

Assuming our pitching keeps it up, we should be sitting in a decent spot around trade deadline.

 

I agree with all of the above, though I would hope that like they were with Adames, they'll be aggressive with a sooner-rather-than later addition at 1B or 3B as the opportunity presents.

[Lathund]

With our players getting healthy, and the addition of Adames, the top five of our order (Wong, Adames, Yelich, Garcia, Narvaez) doesn't look too bad. I'm optimistic that the Brewers will score more runs over the next 50 games than they did over the first 50, especially considering that our opponents should be significantly weaker for the next few weeks.

 

Assuming our pitching keeps it up, we should be sitting in a decent spot around trade deadline.

 

Yes, the offense is absolutely better than they have shown. Still not great, but good enough given the pitching and defense. We've had a tough schedule while the Cardinals and especialyl the Cubs (Easiest in all of MLB per baseball reference) have had it easier. We now have a relatively soft month, while the Cubs have a tough June. By xFIP and SIERA, two of the best predictive stats out there, Cardinals have the worst pitching staff in MLB. Now I don't necessarily buy that it's quite that bad, and good defense will cover for some of it, but having the 5th lowest strikeout rate and highest walk rate isn't a recipe for success.

 

So I see no reason to change my prediction of Brewers winning the division, and this next month should start showing why.

[jjfanec]

Yelich has been definitely been better lately since the initial slow start since returning. 4 for 17 doesn't sounds but he also has 5 walks. So he has reached base 9 times in 22 plate appearances. Struck out 4 times. He has scored 7 runs as well. In those 6 games he also has a triple and a home run. If the power can return more and more he will be fine.

[Pugger]

Yelich has been definitely been better lately since the initial slow start since returning. 4 for 17 doesn't sounds but he also has 5 walks. So he has reached base 9 times in 22 plate appearances. Struck out 4 times. He has scored 7 runs as well. In those 6 games he also has a triple and a home run. If the power can return more and more he will be fine.

 

Yes, I am also feeling better about Yelich lately. Fingers crossed...

[wibadgers23]

We have a bunch of games at home against crappy teams the next couple of weeks. This is when we make our move!

[rickh150]

We have a bunch of games at home against crappy teams the next couple of weeks. This is when we make our move!

 

Fangraphs has the Brewers winning the division.... gotta make hay the next two months when the matchups look better.

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds

[brewerfan82]

The next 4 weeks the Brewers play:

 

- 2 vs. Tigers (21-31)

- 7 vs. Diamondbacks (18-35)

- 6 vs. Reds (22-28)

- 3 vs. Pirates (20-31)

- 7 vs. Rockies (19-34)

 

That's not just the bad teams. Those are the ONLY teams they play in the next 25 games! Throw in their 3 game sweep against the Nationals (21-28), and that's the 5 worst teams in the NL, plus a very bad (but surprisingly only 4th worst in the AL) Tigers team.

 

Time to take a running start into the second half of the season!

[ThisIsMyCrew]

Brewers top 3 starters 2021 in WAR

Woody 3.9 (best of all pitchers and position players)

Peralta 2.2

Burnes 1.8 (missed 2 starts)

 

All for a shade less than $5mil combined. Peralta’s deal looks to be a good one so far! Keep it rolling boys!

[torts]

Keep on ROLLIN!!!!! LETS GO BREWERS!!!

[Eye Black]

This photo from the Memorial Day game (photographer is Larry Radloff) displays some of the energy the team has displayed since the Adames acquisition. It was also nice to see that Adames was the one executing the Gatorade bath after the walk-off hit for Urias.

 

 

 

The Brewers are 8-2 since Adames joined the squad. Batting line through his first 39 Brewers plate appearances:

 

[pre]GS Rslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS

10 8-2 39 34 5 11 2 0 2 9 5 10 .324 .410 .559 .969[/pre]

[jjfanec]

Brewers top 3 starters 2021 in WAR

Woody 3.9 (best of all pitchers and position players)

Peralta 2.2

Burnes 1.8 (missed 2 starts)

 

All for a shade less than $5mil combined. Peralta’s deal looks to be a good one so far! Keep it rolling boys!

 

It is really incredible how well those 3 are pitching right now. It feels like a disappointment when they give up more than one run. I really want to see how Lauer does going forward. Still believe he has the best stuff to be our number 4 starter. I am really impressed with the changes he and the staff made in his delivery and his pitches. He still gives up too many home runs but I just trust him more than Houser and Anderson.