Brewer Hype Video getting us set for October baseball today!

For some reason, I feel like a run is coming for this franchise. Maybe it’s Murph Mentality, maybe it’s the squad’s youthful exuberance, maybe it’s the 1982 Brewer content I’ve been consuming like a plate of fried rice at a China Buffet, maybe I’m just a blockhead optimist (probably that).

But there’s something about this version of the Milwaukee Brewers and they’ve had ‘it’ most of the season. They’ve got a great blend of youth and experience. They’ve got a manager who has been PERFECT for the roster he has. Murph’s experience in the college ranks has allowed him to be a fantastic mentor to the really young players on this team, and his lifelong experience in the game means the veterans respect him and what he’s accomplished. Jackson Chourio is an ascending superstar who is rapidly fulfilling his potential at the right time of year, Willy Adames is a star in the middle of a career year who is likely in his last go-round with the franchise, the offense has been better this year (especially with 2 outs, most runs in baseball) and the pitching has been surprisingly solid and resilient given they traded a former Cy Young winner and lost Woodruff before the season even began.

I dunno. The talent feels like it’s there, the chemistry feels right, and there’s a ‘they’re due’ factor, too. Making the playoffs has happily become a habit for this franchise since 2018. But the other side of that is that we’ve seen a LOT of first round exits. They haven’t won a playoff series since the Rockies NLDS series in 2018. The mantra of the Stearns/Arnold regime has always been, ‘bites of the apple.’ As a small market team, get as many bites of the apple as you. If you just keep making the playoffs, at some point things will break your way. They almost did in 2011 and 2018. They haven’t in the playoff appearances since. But maybe this is the year. Every player/coach who talked in yesterday’s pre-playoffs press conferences said that the vibes around the team feel different this time around. Let’s hope they do.

PS: Not earth shattering analysis here, but the top of the 1st inning today is YUGE. Freddy has been okay for most of the season, but his first innings have been kryptonite. If he can go out there today and post a 1-2-3 first inning with a few strikeouts, the crowd will stay revved up and it will set the tone for the day. If he goes out there and gives up 3 runs and the team is in an early hole, the crowd gets anxious right away and that will spread to the team. NEED a tidy first inning from Freddy.