It’s been an absolutely crazy week of baseball, Brewers fans. I almost don’t know where to start.
99 hits. 53 runs. 7 wins.
All of this came away from Miller Park, as the Brewers swept just their second 7-game road trip in franchise history. In all seven games, the Brewers had at least ten hits, something they had not done as a franchise since 1999. They are riding an 8 game win streak, have won 11 of 13, and are riding a four series win streak stretching back two weeks. They are the hottest team in baseball with just a week to play before the All Star Break.
Everything is going right for this team. Adam Lind is riding a 9 game RBI streak – not a hit streak – an RBI streak. That ties a franchise record. When Khris Davis went down weeks ago with a torn meniscus, Gerardo Parra stepped in to cover left field. He is now batting .308, good for 8th best in the National Leagues.
Ryan Braun is batting .439 during a ten game hitting streak. Aramis Ramirez is in the middle of an eight game hitting streak. The veterans have been doing their job, but let’s not forget about the young guys either.
Hernan Perez, picked up off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers, is batting .359 in 27 games as a Milwaukee Brewers. I guess sometimes all it takes is a little change of scenery to get things going. Scooter Gennett is batting .333 with 13 RBIs since his month long stay in AAA Colorado Springs.
Taylor Jungmann got the win today after pitching eight innings and allowing just one run. Jungmann is now 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA in his six major league starts. Francisco Rodriguez went 3 for 3 in save opportunities this week to keep him at a perfect 18 for 18 on the year. If it sounds like I’m ranting, it’s because I am… this week was just absurd.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that was all but dead at the bottom of the standings a month ago. It’s crazy. It’s exciting. It’s unbelievably fun to watch.
It’s… concerning.
Look, I love the Brewers. I would love nothing more for the Brewers to win 40 of their next 50 and get in the playoff race. But as I stated last week, this is NOT a championship level team. One week, regardless of how crazy successful it was, does not change that. The Brewers need to stay sellers. They have to keep their eyes on next year.
The hotter the Brewers get, the more valuable their players become for true playoff contenders. If the Brewers can ride this success into the All Star break, Doug Melvin will be well positioned to get some high ranking prospects in return for players that won’t be wearing a Brewers uniform in two years (Ramirez, Parra, Lind).
This could be the start of something wonderful. If the right players get hot and the right teams get desperate, this is the perfect storm from which the Brewers can benefit for years to come.
This could also be the start of something disastrous, in which the Brewers try to double down on this team and attempt to mount quite possibly the greatest comeback in Brewers history. It is my hope that the front office sees this week as a statistical anomaly and uses it to the Brewer’s advantage in the form of trades.
This team needs depth, maturity, and above all, consistency. The baseball season is a six month long roller coaster ride- making long term decisions when a team is at it’s highest point can only lead to disaster when it all comes crashing back down to reality.