After sweeping the Royals, the White Sox look to continue their winning ways against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Through seven and a half innings of the 2019 NL Wild Card Game, the Brewers looked to be well on their way to advancing to the NLDS on October 1, 2019. Brandon Woodruff, Brent Suter, and Drew Pomeranz turned in an excellent start to the game for Milwaukee. However, a three-run bottom of the eighth for the Nationals, spear-headed by a crucial error by Brewers’ RF Trent Grisham, vaulted Washington into the surprise NLDS appearance. And, from there, you know the rest.
With the Pirates serving as the only rebuilding team in the division, it’s anyone else’s race for the NL Central division crown. The Cubs have gotten off to a hot 7-2 start, while the Brewers have missed a series against the Cardinals due to St. Louis’ COVID-19 outbreak. Their action against the South Siders today will be their first game in a few days. Christian Yelich will look to rebound from his 1-for-27 start, while Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser look to continue to hold up the front end of the pitching staff.
Brewers Background
- 2019 Record: 89-73, Finished 2nd in NL Central
- Postseason Results: Lost NL Wild Card Game (1-0) to the Washington Nationals
- Last series vs. White Sox: White Sox won 2-of-3 back in 2018
- 2020 Record Entering Series: 3-3, 2nd in NL Central (2.5 GB)
Inside Look
Adam Rygg of Brewer Nation (@BrewerNation on Twitter) was kind enough to take the time to participate in this series’ version of Central Intelligence. Here’s what he had to say about the Brewers’ expectations, his definition of a “successful” season, and who the White Sox and their fans should watch out for in this series.
Note: All questions were answered prior to Opening Day.
What are your expectations for the Brewers as a fan as we enter the 2020 season?
Not to start off with a non-answer, but my expectations still haven’t fully formed for this season. There are so many unique circumstances to this 60-game season that make it hard to know what to expect, and that’s not even taking into account the ever-present risk of COVID-19. From the universal DH to only playing Central Division teams to expanded rosters to the three-batter rule for pitchers to no fans in the stands giving teams that emotional boost, the list goes on. If anything, sadly, my only expectation is that they’ll begin the season. From there, everything else is a bonus.
The 2019 Brewers finished just a few outs away from an NLDS berth but fell to the eventual World Series Champs in the NL Wild Card Game. What did the Brewers do this offseason to augment their roster to help build for the long term?
Growing up playing youth sports, if my team couldn’t win the championship I always hoped to be knocked out by the eventual champs. That way I could claim, baseless or not, that we were at worst the second-best team if we only could have caught a break. Doesn’t make it hurt any less in practice though. All that being said, the Brewers overhauled a ton of their roster. They jettisoned several guys who had established themselves on the roster but who had underperformed, bringing in some veterans who are coming off down years (Justin Smoak, Jedd Gyorko), vets with at least one question mark (Brett Anderson, Josh Lindblom, Eric Sogard) or younger guys with great potential but with something lacking in their game (Omar Narváez, Luis Urías). The best part about what David Stearns has done as General Manager in Milwaukee is his decisiveness. Almost all of his moves worked out early on, but even through his mistakes, he’s been willing to make changes in an effort to improve his club. If the moves he made since September all pan out, this team will be in a great position to contend again in 2020.
Where do the Brewers’ biggest strengths lie as a team? Where should Sox fans expect to see the biggest impact come from in a series against the Brewers in 2020?
The Brewers have extremes in all aspects of their team. Brandon Woodruff could be up there with the elite starting pitchers of the sport by season’s end if he continues his ascent. The rest of the rotation grades out between strong and average on paper but with plenty of talent and ability. The outfield defense between perennial MVP candidate Christian Yelich, 2019 Gold Glove winner Lorenzo Cain (who has since opted out), and Avisaíl García (who is deceptively fast and possesses a very strong throwing arm in right field) is top tier, as can be the defense at shortstop when Orlando Arcia is on his game. Narváez swings a mean bat but has struggled in his receiving to this point in his career. Gyorko has been solid defensively but inconsistent at the plate. Keston Hiura is the polar opposite where he seemingly can’t help but to hit well despite his struggles in the field at times. And in any answer to this kind of question, the Josh Hader-led bullpen has to get words. Hader is the two-time reigning Trevor Hoffman Award winner. A healthy Corey Knebel would be a huge boost. The acquisitions of David Phelps and Justin Grimm add experience to a solid returning group including Brent Suter (who was dynamite down the stretch in 2019 after returning from Tommy John surgery), Alex Claudio, and a seemingly rejuvenated Freddy Peralta or Corbin Burnes.
The Brewers have a lot of exciting talent on their roster – Christian Yelich, Keston Hiura, and Brandon Woodruff, to name a few. But, who is a player that flies under the radar for the Brewers that you believe can make the greatest impact this season?
If I had to pick one player to keep your eye on, it would be Adrian Houser. I specifically left him out to this point since I had the benefit of previewing the questions. Houser had a bit of a tumultuous 2019 bouncing around between the Majors and Minors but also between the rotation and the bullpen. He’s proven himself a capable weapon though, regardless of how field manager Craig Counsell would choose to deploy him. Houser just turned 27 this off-season and is primed for a true breakout year.
How do you feel about the depth of the Brewers as they look to compete in the NL Central? Is their pitching staff deep enough and lineup strong enough to remain in contention through a tough 60 game sprint?
I’ve bullish on the Brewers’ chances in 2020. Counsell has a demonstrated track record of success when he has extra pitching to utilize so the 30-man roster on Opening Day should be a huge benefit to Milwaukee. He can pull starters as early as necessary to maximize match-up favorability and to keep everyone fresh. The bullpen depth also should afford Counsell the ability to unleash Hader at will even if there’s a key spot earlier in a game. More so than ever before, this season’s circumstances dictate a need to win every game every night. Counsell is adept at that while also being able to keep an eye on tomorrow and the upcoming week. All of that works in Milwaukee’s favor to have a strong chance at contending early and throughout the season. As for the lineup, the offense is not a worry for me. Yelich, Hiura, Garcia, and Narváez all should hit plenty. The triumvirate of Smoak, Ryan Braun, and Logan Morrison manning 1B and DH should contribute enough. They won’t get much from SS with Arcia there, but so long as 3B contributes between Gyorko and Sogard, they should be able to deal with one subpar contributor. More at the question for me is the infield defense, and that includes catcher when Narváez (with his framing deficiencies to this point in his career) is behind the dish. Arcia and Gyorko can be good and Sogard is solid, but Hiura has a poor record thus far, and 1B could be interesting depending on who is in the game.
What’s your prediction for where the Brewers will finish the season?
First and foremost, all predictions are made with the caveat of health. Having stated that — and I get that I can come off as biased — given the way the Brewers have performed down the stretch run, and the kinds of starts they’ve been able to get out to under Counsell, I like their chances. They do have some strong teams to deal with in the always dangerous Cardinals and Cubs teams, the up-and-coming Reds and your White Sox, and their “regional rival” Twins. That being the case, they also get teams that figure to struggle in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City. I think Cleveland is questionable but the Brewers match up well with them on paper. The NL Central often beats each other up throughout the year and is the toughest division top to bottom in baseball again in 2020, but despite some scheduling quirks, the Brewers should finish at worst within the Wild Card winners.
Probable Starters
- Monday: Carlos Rodon (0-1, 12.27 ERA) vs.Brett Anderson (0-0, 0.00 ERA), 7:10 PM CT
- Tuesday: Lucas Giolito (0-1, 6.52 ERA) vs. Brandon Woodruff (1-1, 1.59 ERA), 7:10 PM CT
- Wednesday: Adrian Houser (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. Dallas Keuchel (2-0, 3.38 ERA), 7:10 PM CT
On behalf of everyone at Sox On 35th, I’d like to thank Adam for taking the time out to give such thoughtful answers that give everyone a better look into the 2020 Milwaukee Brewers. You can find Adam Rygg on Twitter @BigRygg, and you can find Brewers Nation on Twitter (@BrewersNation) or at https://medium.com/brewernation. Make sure to check out all their fine work over there!
Featured Photo: Milwaukee Brewers/Twitter
