Job is far from done, but this winning streak sure is fun

Four weeks ago, I wrote in this space about how fun it was to see the Milwaukee Brewers getting hot.

As I write this Wednesday morning, it’s getting ridiculous.

I’ve been a Brewers fan since 1979 and some of you have been fans even longer. None of us have ever witnessed a 26-4 run over 30 games or two 11-game winning streaks in just over a month’s time. This is only the third time in team history the Brewers have been 31 games over .500. After Tuesday’s 14-0 pounding of Pittsburgh, they’re 75-44 with 43 games to play. They’ve turned a 6.5 game deficit to Chicago into a 7.5 game lead. That’s 14 games gained since late May. Again, ridiculous.

I don’t even know what you can say is the most impressive thing about this run. Is it the offense, the aspect of this team that most people were concerned about to start the season and maybe still were heading toward the trade deadline? Take away Tuesday’s five-homer game, the Brewers aren’t doing it with a ton of power. But they are hitting timely home runs and the “woodpecker” approach, as manager Pat Murphy has called it, of patience at the plate, fouling off pitches and wearing down opposing pitchers is working better than anyone could have imagined. Speed on the bases kills too and the Brewers are using that to their advantage as well.

The one missing piece this season had been William Contreras. Now he’s gotten hot in the last week. If he is truly back to form, look out.

Is it the pitching? You can make the argument. Again, at the start of the season, no one was sure just how well the starting rotation would hold up. Well, Freddy Peralta leads the Major Leagues in wins with 14, Quinn Priester has 11 and Jose Quintana, a late-spring addition, has 10. The bullpen figured to be a strength and it has been that and more. The addition of Shelby Miller at the trade deadline could be huge. Another hardthrowing arm for high leverage situations that could take just enough pressure off Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig, Nick Mears or even closer Trevor Megill as the marathon regular season drags on into late September.

The return of Brandon Woodruff to the starting rotation has been a major boost. You knew it would help, but I’m not sure anyone knew if he’d return to his All-Star form. You can’t ask for more than what he’s given so far. Though he’s been out for a couple of weeks, we haven’t heard the last of rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski yet this season. In fact, his mini-injured list stay with a shin contusion might be a blessing, giving the Brewers a better chance to use him later into the season as I’m sure they’ll try to limit his innings to protect that golden young arm.

What about defense? The Brewers’ latest winning streak coincides with an 11game errorless streak that ended Monday. With two Gold Glove winners last year and speed everywhere, the defense was expected to be good and it has been. It might not be the best in baseball, but the Brewers’ .987 overall fielding percentage does rank eighth. Remember the spring training debate of who should play shortstop, Joey Ortiz or Brice Turang? Ortiz has settled that and then some.

Is the work of the front office the most impressive aspect of the 2025 team? The trade for Andrew Vaughn feels like it might be stuff of mythical legend some day. Disgruntled Aaron Civale doesn’t want to move to the bullpen, asks to be traded, Brewers do so, sending him to the Chicago White Sox and getting a supposed bust of a high draft pick who was stuck at triple-A. Now Vaughn hits like Babe Ruth.

Getting Quinn Priester from Boston in early April also is a candidate for steal of the season. He could be considered a team MVP with his 11-2 record and the 119 innings he’s eaten up.

How amazing has it been that everyone is stepping up? Of course rookie Isaac Collins is the first one that comes to mind. No one saw that coming. Caleb Durbin has had his moments. Now it’s been Blake Perkins. His game-ending throw to the plate Friday to nail the Mets’ Starling Marte will be a Play of the Year candidate when the season is over.

The interesting thing about the upcoming weeks is what the team does with its 26-man roster once the players currently on the injured list come back. In the old days, the roster expanded to 40 on Sept. 1. No problem if that was the case. Now the rosters only expand by two on Sept. 1 and teams can carry no more than 14 pitchers.

What will the Brewers do with Rhys Hoskins down the stretch? How can you take Vaughn out of the lineup at first base right now? It looks even bleaker for Jake Bauers, the usual back-up first baseman. Jackson Chourio should return from his hamstring tweak by the end of August, probably requiring trade deadline pickup Brandon Lockridge to be sent out. Infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Siegler seem like odd men out, but one will likely have to stay for infield depth.

With pitching, could reliever Rob Zastryzny return? He pitched well in his brief stint with the team after being acquired in a trade. It’s become a possibility that Robert Gasser might be ready for some innings in September after a year and a half out. He looked so good before he went down with major arm trouble in early 2024. Logan Henderson is down now with a flexor strain. He hasn’t pitched much at the Major League level this year but has been very good when he has.

Having all of these options is certainly a good problem to have.

No one wants to be the downer when it comes to all of this good stuff, but it is fact that all of this fun hasn’t won anything yet. And Brewers fans are well-trained to not count any carts before the horse. No World Series berths are clinched in August. Baseball has a funny way of humbling the best of players and best of teams. The immediate schedule shows one bad stretch in the next week-plus, including a huge five-game series in Chicago, could switch all the momentum.

But the thing is, if the lead is still in this seven-game range going into Wrigley on Monday, the only pressure on the Brewers will be to avoid a sweep. You could go 2-3 in that series now and not feel like you lost much. Win two or three games there, then keep doing what they’re doing and the magic numbers to clinch the National League Central Division and, dare we dream, the one-seed in the playoffs will dwindle.

The Major League season is the proverbial marathon, not a sprint. There’s still just over a quarter of the season left and a lot can happen. Enjoy each day and each win as it comes. I don’t know if it’s Uecker magic that’s propelled this 54-19 run over the last 73 games, but Bob has to smiling ear to ear while watching from somewhere up above.

Matt Frey is the Sports Editor at The Star News.