The Milwaukee Brewers currently sit at 42-36, which places them in second position in the National League Central, just a half a game below the leaders, the Chicago Cubs. Right behind the Brewers are the St. Louis Cardinals, just two games back of the Cubs. Once again, the NL Central looks to be an airtight race to the finish line. Let’s look at how the Brewers are staying in this race.
The Brewers best player is right fielder Christian Yelich, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player. Yelich is having another MVP season. Cody Bellinger was the clear cut front runner for most of the season, but he has come back down to earth in recent weeks, opening the door for Yelich and Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado to emerge as candidates. Yelich currently stands with a .342 average which is second in the league behind Bellinger, who stands at .349 at the moment. Yelich’s 29 home runs lead the league, and his 63 RBI’s are second in the league behind Pittsburgh Pirate first basemen Josh Bell’s 66. His 91 hits also lead the team. There is more to this team that just Yelich however. Third baseman Mike Moustakas is having a great season as well. Moustakas is batting .280 with 22 home runs and 48 RBI’s. Catcher Yasmani Grandal is batting .271 with 17 home runs and 45 RBI’s as well.
The Brewers pitching, specifically their bullpen, is what carried them to the NLCS a year ago. This year, their pitching has fallen off a bit. Brandon Woodruff does lead the team with 9 wins but carries a 4.01 ERA. Zach Davies is back to form this season, sitting with a 7-1 record and a 3.06 ERA. Last year’s wins leader, Jhoulys Chacin, is having an awful 2019. Chacin currently sits with a 3-8 record and a 5.88 ERA. If the Brewers make more changes to their rotation, Chacin could be one of the pitchers replaced. That bullpen has had some issues though. Josh Hader has taken over the closer’s role permanently and sits with 18 saves. This biggest difference has been the play of Jeremy Jeffress. His performance is down this season. He currently sits with a 3.81 ERA, a far cry from a year ago when he spent most of the season under one for is ERA.
