Despite having the best regular-season record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers are underdogs against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Much of that is due to the payroll differential between these two teams. The Dodgers are over the luxury tax, while the Brewers are a model for any mid-market team. The Brewers finished the season with 97 wins and defeated the Cubs in five games to earn a spot in the NLCS. Yet, manager Pat Murphy continues to preach the underdog narrative.
"I don't know how many of our guys would make their team...but it ain't about that. It's about how we come together as a team and compete," Murphy said just after Milwaukee defeated the Cubs in the NLDS, as if the Dodgers scouting department hadn't been watching them all season long.
Sure, the Dodgers have more star power than the Brewers, but Murphy made excuses for his team long before the series even started. That's a defeatist mindset, and a message Murphy should've taken into account before opening his mouth.
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.
The Brewers are not the scrappy underdog
Despite popular belief, the Brewers are not the scrappy underdogs they make themselves out to be. They won the most games in baseball during the regular season for a reason. Their run differential was +172. They ranked third in batting average and fourth in runs per game. Milwaukee also had the second-best team ERA in MLB and the seventh-most strikeouts per game as a pitching staff. The Brewers were built for October, which is why they won a series to begin with.
Milwaukee, while a mid-market team, has invested capital in its player development staff, scouting and farm system. The Brewers have built and developed from within, and it shows on the big-league roster.
Pat Murphy's argument rings hollow with Brewers down 2-0
Down 2-0, Murphy has changed his tune some. The Brewers manager now believes in his team's chances to come back in Los Angeles despite losing the first two games at home.
"These pitchers brought out the worst in us,” Murphy said as transcribed by DiComo. "...The one thing is, you guys might have us counted out. And I understand that. Ninety percent of the teams that have been in this situation don’t win the series. But this team has been counted out a lot this year. And I think there’s some fight left in them.”
An off day should go a long way for a Brewers team that needs to refocus. In their first two games against Los Angeles, the Dodgers pitching staff shut down the Brewers. Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (combined with the Dodgers bullpen) gave up just one run in each game. No matter what adjustments Murphy makes, this lineup needs better at-bats and run support for their rotation.