The Milwaukee Brewers were the class of the NL Central just last season. However, a lot can change in a year. The Brewers rotation has been hit hard by injury, much like their NL Central rival, the Chicago Cubs. However, the Cubs just walked into Milwaukee and took two out of three games from the Brewers, in part thanks to the efforts of Pete Crow-Armstrong. Even Brewers manager Pat Murphy has noticed PCA's rapid improvement, along with the rest of the Cubs lineup, and it could mean trouble in the end for Milwaukee.
"Their young guys are all at the peak of their game," Murphy said postgame Sunday. "The new kid with the huge feet - that kid, what a hitter. I just notice him when he's digging in the box, like, 'God, it's him.' What a hitter. Then (Ian) Happ has always been great against us, (Seiya) Suzuki is a great player, Michael Busch is the most underrated, Nico Hoerner is underrated, (Dansby) Swanson is as good a defensive shortstop as there is in the league. Their two catchers have been great. It's a great ballclub through and through."
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Pat Murphy's message to Brewers fans about the Cubs is a scary one
Murphy is spot on, and I've neglected to mention the Cubs are managed by none other than former Brewers manager Craig Counsell. By now, all Brewers fans are familiar with that narrative. Counsell left Wrigley north for...actual Wrigley, signing the richest managerial contract in MLB history. He betrayed Milwaukee in the process.
The one hope the Brewers do have is that they've been through this sort of thing before. While the Cubs outrank Milwaukee in star power and payroll, the Brewers front office knows how to put the pieces together. For example, Chicago's rotation is severely lacking thanks to injuries to Justin Steele and perhaps Shota Imanaga (still waiting on that front). The Brewers are just four games back after a win on Sunday and remain a significant threat in a crowded NL Central.
With the right deadline additions and improvements from their own stars in the making like Jackson Chourio, the Brewers could find themselves in a familiar position come October – with the Central well within grasp.