The 2020 season overall was one for the books. Some teams can say it belongs in the record books and some would say it’s better off in the book of shame. For Adrian Houser and the rest of the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching? You could say it was a bit of both.

The starting rotation was starting off pretty strong; The Brewers had their starting five and things were looking good.

But, by the end of the strange 60-game season, the rotation saw some changes and Corbin Burnes had placed himself in the discussion of Cy Young Award Winners.

For the right-handed Adrian Houser, things really didn’t go as planned. Expectations were high, and quite honestly, not met.

Season Grade: C+

It might seem like a harsh grade to give to a player. However, if you were to watch some of Houser’s performances, you would understand why he was given this low of a grade. It’s not terrible, but there could be improvement.

Coming out of an impressive end to the 2019 season and a great 2020 Spring Training appearance, Adrian Houser had secured his spot in the starting rotation. In his first two starts, Houser was really proving that he was worthy of that spot in the rotation. He gave up only one run and walked three batters in five innings of work in a win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his next start against the White Sox, he went seven scoreless innings with only five hits. Houser’s ERA by the end of those two starts stood at an amazing 0.75. 

What Happened?

Then everything started hitting the fan. Houser would give up four runs in seven of the eight following games he would pitch in, making his ERA climb to a whopping 6.75; The Brewers were 3-5 over that span of games. Had this been a regular season and Houser was pitching like that? He would’ve more than likely seen more bullpen appearances. Manager Craig Counsell saw the potential in Houser, and didn’t want to make such changes. 

If it were up to me, I would’ve been having Houser make more bullpen appearances once his performance started going downhill. The Brewers needed all the help they could get this season and with their starters giving up runs and not helping the team; It wasn’t looking bright for the crew. However, the pitching isn’t to entirely blame for the Brewers’ poor 2020 performance, their offense and defense can have some blame in that as well. 

Moving Forward…

As we progress into 2021, I think there needs to be a little bit of a reform within our rotation and our bullpen. Bring up some stronger arms; Put those in the starting that can go multiple innings and prove themselves to be winners. I still have some faith in Adrian Houser, though. It just takes time, and I think some pitchers need more than a 60-game season to prove themselves.

For More…

Milwaukee Brewers 2020 Season Report Cards, click here.

For all things sports and Milwaukee Brewers, make sure you follow me on Twitter at @sarahspooon and follow us at @WiscoHeroics1. For all things Wisconsin sports, click here.