Entering play on June 24, 5.5 games separate first place from fourth in the National League Central. Yes, there's still plenty of baseball to be played, but every contest has massive implications in a race this tight. That's why manager Pat Murphy and the Milwaukee Brewers must be kicking themselves for dropping their series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
Losing to cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh is one thing. But Milwaukee's 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Pirates was a double whammy: The Brewers also saw the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs in a clash of NL Central heavyweights. These are the self-inflicted wounds that the two-time reigning division champions can't afford to endure.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Brewers squander golden chance to gain ground in NL Central during Cubs-Cardinals showdown
Instead of seizing a prime opportunity to close the gap in the divisional standings, the Brewers shot themselves in the foot. They let a team that was 11-27 on the road heading into their meeting waltz into American Family Field and take them down. Meanwhile, the NL Central-leading Cubs fell to the Cards.
Milwaukee could've gotten that much closer to supplanting the Cubs and defending their crown. They failed to finish the beautiful alley-oop that the Cardinals tossed them in transition, for the basketball fans out there. In other words, the Brewers turned what frankly should've been a highlight into a feature on SportsCenter's Not Top 10 Plays.
It was a bullpen game for the Pirates, which ultimately worked in their favor, though the Brewers didn't even have to face a frontline starter. Pittsburgh has a solid rotation, headlined by the clear-cut 2025 NL Cy Young betting favorite in Paul Skenes. Milwaukee was supposed to take advantage of a game without facing Skenes, Andrew Heaney, Mitch Keller or Bailey Falter on the mound. Skenes and Heaney are scheduled to take the bump for Pittsburgh to close out the best-of-three bout, which is bad news for Murphy and Co. They already struggled to score runs versus a conglomerate of the Pirates' relievers. Their offense must be better, especially in pivotal moments like this.
Conversely, the Brewers were unable to stop the Pirates from getting on base, allowing a whopping 14 hits (and two walks). Unfortunately, sizzling rookie hurler Jacob Misiorowski can't start daily. Their pitching can't get dismantled by a Pittsburgh squad that ranks dead last in runs per game this season.