Milwaukee Brewers May In Review: Depth Keeps Brewers Atop NL Central Despite Sudden Rash Of Injuries

There’s an previous adage in baseball: do not hassle trying on the standings till at the least Memorial Day, and with that conventional benchmark level of the schedule come and gone, a cursory look of the standings exhibits the Milwaukee Brewers nonetheless main the Nationwide League Central Division.

By successful six of the primary 9 video games of their season-long 11-game street journey via San Diego, St. Louis and Chicago, the Brewers closed out the month of Could with a 32-19 document that put them 4 full video games forward of the second-place Cardinals within the division and simply two again of the Dodgers for one of the best document within the Nationwide League.

There’s nonetheless a protracted methods to go and the street is just going to get more durable however right here’s a glance again at how the Brewers fared in Could:

What went proper

Depth: Accidents are unavoidable over the course of a 162-game Main League Baseball season and so they lastly caught as much as the Brewers in Could (see beneath). President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has made having a deep bench a focus of his roster-building course of and it’s paid off as a variety of gamers have stepped as much as fill voids created by accidents to gamers on the roster.

Tyrone Taylor: After getting off to a sluggish begin, Taylor has returned to the shape that made him one of many Brewers’ most promising and invaluable younger abilities over the previous couple of seasons. Taylor’s common had dipped to .203 on the season after going 0-for-3 with a stroll in a 3-0 loss to the Braves on Could 17 however within the 12 video games since, he’s batting .341 (15-for-44) with 5 homers, 15 RBIs and a 1.102 OPS whereas additionally making some dazzling performs within the outfield.

What went unsuitable

Accidents: The Brewers caught a break by getting via all of Spring Coaching and the primary month of the season comparatively unscathed by accidents however that modified in Could as a variety of key gamers — together with shortstop Willy Adames, outfielder Hunter Renfroe and beginning pitchers Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff — all landed on the IL within the span of two weeks. The excellent news is that none of these accidents seem like severe and all 4 ought to be capable to return in some unspecified time in the future within the comparatively close to future.

Lorenzo Cain’s bat: By no means one to mince phrases, Cain was brutally trustworthy when requested to explain his season thus far: “horrible.” The numbers again up Cain’s self-assessment. In 34 video games, the veteran is slashing simply .191/.254/.252 with a house run, seven RBIs and a .506 OPS. He’s nonetheless a invaluable asset on protection, although, and when he does get on base, a risk to do injury on the basepaths so the Brewers are greater than prepared to experience it out with Cain, particularly with the aforementioned Taylor in a position to step in and tackle an even bigger function in heart.

By the numbers

12-5 — Brewers’ document in one-run video games this season

17 — Variety of video games Milwaukee received in Could.

32 — Variety of consecutive save alternatives transformed by Josh Hader, who hasn’t blown a save since July 7 of final season.

561 — Variety of victories Craig Counsell has as supervisor of the Brewers since he was employed to exchange Ron Roenicke in Could 2015. Counsell is three victories away from surpassing all-time franchise chief Phil Garner, who received 563 video games throughout his tenure from 1992-’99.

He stated it

“He’s one among one,” — Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby on nearer Josh Hader, who notched saves in each video games of a Memorial Day doubleheader in opposition to the Cubs.

On the Farm

Whereas the Brewers maintain enterprise on the big-league stage, their minor league associates are all off to nice begins in 2022, as effectively, with all however one group closing the month atop the standings in its respective division.

• Triple-A Nashville: 33-15 (1st, Worldwide League West)
• Double-A Biloxi: 22-22 (third, Southern League South)
• Excessive-A Wisconsin: 29-17 (T1st, Midwest League West)
• Low-A Carolina: 26-20 (1st, Carolina League North)

Together with Milwaukee’s MLB document, the Brewers’ group has a mixed 141 victories and a .610 successful share, each of that are one of the best in baseball thus far this season.

Damage Report

• SS Willy Adames (left ankle)
• OF Hunter Renfroe (proper hamstring)
• RHP Luis Perdomo (proper elbow)
• RHP Jandel Gustave (proper elbow)
• RHP Jake Cousins (proper elbow)
• RHP Freddy Peralta (proper shoulder)
• RHP Justin Topa (proper forearm flexor)

Up Subsequent

A lot has been manufactured from the Brewers’ schedule through the first two months of the season, which featured a gentle food regimen of groups already buried deep within the standings. That is about to vary, nonetheless, because the June slate options robust dwelling dates in opposition to the Padres, Cardinals and Blue Jays and street collection in opposition to the Mets and Rays.

The schedule is gentle on divisional opponents in June. Milwaukee will face NL Central groups simply eight occasions however half of these will come in opposition to the rival Cardinals, who the Brewers have cut up their first eight conferences in opposition to.