3 immediate changes Brewers must make after nine straight postseason losses

The 2024 postseason began much like the 2023 postseason ended for the Milwaukee Brewers, with a gut-punch loss at home — this time in Game 1 of the team's Wild Card series against the New York Mets. The Brew Crew have now lost nine of their last 10 playoff games dating back to 2019, and now Pat Murphy's club must win two in a row against a red-hot Mets team while having already deployed ace Freddy Peralta.

All is not lost, however. The Brewers ran away with the NL Central for a reason, and all it takes is one good performance to snatch all the momentum back. To do so, though, Murphy needs to shake things up a bit; here are three changes Milwaukee needs to make right now if it wants to keep its season alive.

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Three changes Brewers must make in Game 2 vs. Mets

Get Eric Haase in the lineup

New York is set to send lefty Sean Manaea to the hill to start Game 2. Milwaukee was around league average against southpaws this season, with a .713 team OPS, but they do have a couple of lefty-mashers to deploy in this spot. Unfortunately, both of them happen to be catchers: Gary Sanchez and Eric Haase. William Contreras is locked into a starting spot, and it's untenable to put all three catchers in the lineup and risk not having one available to come off the bench should the need arise.

Manager Pat Murphy will have to choose which of the other two to start at DH, and while Sanchez may seem like the obvious choice, Haase slugged .546 in September and has crushed left-handed pitching this season. Sanchez will still likely play a role at some point as a pinch-hitter, but Haase has earned the right to get some at-bats here.

Sit Sal Frelick

Frelick's inclusion on the Wild Card roster at all was a bit of a surprise, considering that he was coming back from injury and that two of the Mets' likely starters (Manaea and Jose Quintana) are lefties. Frelick went a quiet 1-for-4 in Game 1, and while Murphy has generally been fine with playing both he and Brice Turang against lefties this season, he can't afford to take that risk with Milwaukee's season on the line. Frelick has yet to show that he can hit southpaws consistently, and while his athleticism is an asset in the field and on the bases, we're still not sure if he's back to 100 percent yet. The outfield defense will remain very good without him, and the offense could use the boost.

Bump Joe Ross and DL Hall up the bullpen pecking order

Murphy's quick hook for Freddy Peralta in Game 1 drew plenty of criticism, and his decision to turn the ball over to Joel Payamps and Aaron Ashby was one of the decisive factors in the loss. Facing a do-or-die game, Murphy may need to get aggressive again should Frankie Montas struggle. This time, though, he should turn to two bulk options that have been throwing the ball very well of late. The veteran Ross has been excellent since getting moved to the bullpen in early August, pitching to a 1.67 ERA over 15 appearances, while Hall's ability to miss bats gives him tantalizing upside. It's hard to see Montas going more than four or five innings in this one, which means that Ross and Hall could be crucial as the bridge to back-end stalwarts Devin Williams and Trevor Megill.