3 Ways the DH May Help Brewers Pitching, Too

MLB had gotten to a point where it no longer made sense to have pitchers bat. Big league hurlers don't work on their craft in the batter’s box as much as they used to, and it shows. Not to mention that pitching has become so tough for everyday players to hit that pitchers stand even less of a chance to do much damage. Thus, after years of fighting it, the NL has adopted the DH for good.

No doubt this helps the Brewers’ offense on a basic level, where a professional hitter takes the spot of a pitcher flailing at the dish. For a club with elite pitching, there are aspects to this that could also prove advantageous for the pitchers. There are three ways the DH may help the Brewers’ pitching staff.

Injury and Fatigue

Removing the risk of injury by swinging a bat or running the bases is one obvious benefit, but that goes for all teams. Of course, the Brewers have had a few injuries stand out to (at the time, top of the rotation starters: Jimmy Nelson (shoulder, diving back to first base), Chase Anderson (oblique, swinging bat), and Junior Guerra (calf, running out of the box). Nelson’s injury was the most damaging for the Brewers and Nelson’s career.

Nobody wants to see their pitchers go down for an extended period thanks to something on the offense side of the ball. That rings especially true when you rely on pitching as much as the Brewers are in 2022. The same thing goes for keeping them healthy and fresh throughout the season.

Fatigue doesn’t just happen on the mound. While Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta weren’t on base that much last season, each foray onto the base paths takes a little out of you. Whether you’re running hard to help the offense or just standing on the diamond longer, it can impact effectiveness as the game wears on. Tightness, cramps, general fatigue, and other minor disruptions can cause a drop in performance and another increased risk of injury.

The cumulative impact of fatigue and other related concerns throughout the season can add up over time. Once again, while no team wants to see their pitchers go down, no club needs their hurlers strong and in peak form as much as the Brewers.

Multiple Innings for Relievers

The Brewers have several pitchers in the bullpen who are more than capable of throwing at least two innings in relief in games. Now manager Craig Counsell doesn’t have to worry about the pitcher’s spot coming up next inning or figuring out if it’s worth “wasting” at at-bat to keep a reliever in the game. Having the DH opens up new philosophies on reliever usage, which Counsell and the Brewers typically thrive on.

It’s a valuable strategy to utilize an effective reliever for more than one frame for several reasons. Every time a new pitcher comes out of the pen, there’s a chance he has a bad day. If a reliever is throwing well in his first inning, there’s some comfort in sticking with the “hot arm” for a second inning. It’s not always the best move – and it will occasionally blow up in the manager’s face – but it becomes a more viable option with a DH. How often has a reliever had a quick inning, only to see his spot come up in the order, and the odds say it’s better to use a pinch-hitter and a new pitcher?

Having pitchers throw a couple of innings followed by a day or two off can also be a better long-term strategy to keep relievers healthy and fresh. Pitching one frame at a time and consistently tossing an inning on back-to-back days can develop more wear and tear over time. It also creates situations where pitchers are needed more often, adding to the workload. If you’re a team like the Brewers fighting for a division title, you tend to push your best relievers a lot.

Take Brad Boxberger last season. He appeared in a career-high 71 games a year ago and had some fatigue issues late in the year. While Boxberger mainly was lights out, he had three blown saves in September, plus another outing when he allowed five earned runs without recording an out. Had Counsell had more opportunities to skip Boxberger's outings by using more multi-inning relievers, it certainly would have helped his reliever down the stretch.

Guys like Aaron Ashby and Brent Suter can even provide three innings of valuable relief work to spare others who are more one-inning guys. Once again, not worrying about pitchers hitting will offer more chances to take advantage of this strategy and keep the bullpen humming into September and the playoffs.

Longer Outings for the Starters

No, none of the starters will regularly pitch into the 8th inning or anything. However, much like with the relievers, not having to worry about the pitcher’s spot will give the starters some extra innings here and there. Counsell typically went for the pinch-hitter late and close, even if the starter had more in the tank. Now he can focus just on the pitcher.

Take a scenario where it’s the top of the 6th in St. Louis with the Brewers trailing by one and Burnes coming up with a man on 2nd. You pinch-hit there to try to tie the game but now lose Burnes to a (likely) less qualified middle relief arm. From now on, it’s no longer a concern, and you can keep in your Cy Young winner if he is still dealing. Throughout the season, you can get more innings from your stud rotation, provide some added rest for relievers, and have greater certainty of victory.

Think about how this impacted the NLDS games in Atlanta. In Game 3 especially, Counsell decided to pinch-hit for Peralta after four innings to chase some runs. That led a depleted bullpen to cover more innings than usual. Handling those frames, then having to pitch early and often in Game Four, certainly played a role in the Brewers' series defeat.

The DH will allow Counsell to prioritize innings and pitches better for his starters and relievers throughout the season and into the playoffs. Especially for Milwaukee’s “Big Three,” you could be talking an extra 10-15 frames over 30 starts, giving them more opportunities to win games late and save high-leverage bullpen arms. It will be easier to ride the horses in the postseason without worrying about “playing for runs” with a pinch-hitter.

It will be fun to see how Counsell finds ways to use the rules to their advantage. Sure, the 60-game COVID season gave a glimpse with a DH, but pitchers weren’t fully ready – and the season was strange anyway. Seeing this unfold over 162 contests (plus the postseason) will be something Brewers fans should be able to enjoy. You can disagree, but it feels like the DH helps Milwaukee’s offense AND pitching.