Photo: Megan Ellis / Unsplash
By Charles Collier
The Brewers are 17-10 since the all-star break. They are 73-54, 19 games over .500. As of 8/22/2024, the Brewers have a commanding 10-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. They have the 4th best record in baseball and should end up with one of the top two records in the National League which would result in a first-round playoff bye.
The Brewers continue to play without the services of Christian Yelich, who is out for the season with a back injury. Christian is the heart and soul of the Brewers. Brewers players Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, and Garett Mitchell are stepping up and playing more in Yelich’s absence. William Contreras has been the Brewers most consistent player and continues to impress with his defensive and hitting skills. In addition, he is one of the brightest catchers in the game and works well with the Brewers pitching staff.
The Brewers’ pitching staff has been the surprise of the League. Their Era is 3.69 which is third in the league. They are led by Colin Rea who has an 11-4 record with a 3.52 ERA. Veteran pitcher Freddy Peralta has been steady and has continued to compete. The Brewers have one of the top Bull-Pens in baseball and have their closer back. Devin Williams has been injured most of the year. He is back healthy and is dominant!
The Brewers’ first-year manager Pat Murphy has made all the right decisions. Pat Murphy has paid his dues. He was the interim manager of the San Diego Padres and the head coach of Arizona State and the University of Notre Dame. Murphy coached Counsell at Notre Dame. After the 2015 season, Counsell hired Murphy as the Brewers bench coach, and the rest is history.
I opine, that the Brewers will match up with the mighty Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball, they are 76-52. They also have three of the best players in the game: Mookie Betts, Freddy Freeman, and the most dominant player in baseball Shohei Ohtani. Barring injury, Ohtani will be the 6th player in Major League history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. The others who accomplished this feat are Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Alfonso Soriano (2006), and Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023).
The winner of the Dodgers vs. Brewers will face the Yankees. One thing we know for sure is it will be one of the most exciting World Series of all time.