Brewers Searching for Identity Amid Early Season Woes
Brewers manager Pat Murphy believes the team is lacking its trademark intensity as Milwaukee struggles through the opening months of the season.
“It feels like we’ve lost our edge,” Murphy commented following a 6-2 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, which pushed the Brewers two games under .500.
The loss marked Milwaukee’s third straight, with opponents outscoring them 24-2 during the stretch. The slump began with an 8-0 shutout by the White Sox, followed by a 10-0 rout by the Cubs on Friday.
The Brewers went 21 innings without scoring before finally putting up a run in the third inning Saturday. With consecutive home losses to the Cubs, Milwaukee now trails first-place Chicago by five games in the NL Central.
“The Cubs are a strong team,” Murphy said. “They’ve beaten some of the best clubs out there and completely controlled these two games against us. Even though Saturday was a bit closer, we never really challenged them.”
This poor start stands in contrast to 2024, when Milwaukee climbed into first place by late April and captured its second consecutive division title. That squad was noted for rarely being blown out, often keeping games close even in defeat.
So far this season, Milwaukee has already suffered seven losses by margins of five runs or more. They’re also 0-12 when the opposition scores first — the only team in the majors without a comeback win in those situations. The past two games have underscored the gap between the Brewers and the division-leading Cubs.
A rash of injuries to the pitching rotation has been a major issue.
The team began the season without Brandon Woodruff and Robert Gasser, and has since lost Aaron Civale, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and Nestor Cortes to the injured list. Tobias Myers, who impressed as a rookie last season, just returned from injury in late April.
Woodruff is expected back soon after a few rehab outings in the minors.
With so many starters out, the bullpen has been overworked and ineffective. Entering Saturday, the Brewers had a 5.14 bullpen ERA — 28th in the league — a sharp decline from their 3.11 mark last year, which was second-best in MLB.
Offensive struggles have also contributed. Christian Yelich’s OPS has dropped from .910 to .673, while William Contreras, an All-Star in recent seasons, has fallen to .692. Shortstop Joey Ortiz has hit just .186 so far.
Despite the early setbacks, the team remains optimistic.
“There’s still a lot of season ahead,” said first baseman Rhys Hoskins. “We can’t keep saying it’s early forever, but with the talent we have, there’s every reason to believe we’ll be where we want to be by the end of summer.”
