The Milwaukee Brewers set a franchise record for their best 40-game start after taking out the Nationals 5-1 on May 21. The team has improved to a 26-14 record.
With the win, the Brewers also remain four games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the division.
The Brewers, winners of seven of their last 10 games, have been streaking for a variety of reasons. Here are a couple of them.
Immaculate pitching helps set franchise records
The Brewers’ pitching has been nothing short of spectacular during this 40-game stretch, as their 3.34 ERA is fifth-best in the league.
It won’t shock many to see 2021 Cy Young recipient Corbin Burnes leading the starters with a 0.83 WHIP and 62 strikeouts.
However, starter Eric Lauer and reliever Trevor Gott have been unsung heroes during this first month and a half.
Lauer currently leads the starters with his career-low 2.16 ERA, and his strikeout/walk ratio is also at a career-best 6.8.
Gott has a career-low 0.86 WHIP on four holds in 15 appearances for Milwaukee.
Just when opposing hitters think they’ve caught a break when getting away from the Brewers’ starting rotation, Josh Hader steps in.
Hader has slammed the door 15 times on 15 opportunities, and he has allowed ZERO runs.
The Brewers have been phenomenal at mitigating opposing offenses, but their bats have contributed just as much.
The bats have been red hot
While having strong contributors on the bump is always a huge help, those guys need run support. The Brewers, scoring 4.8 runs/game thus far, have done exactly that.
Milwaukee has 54 homers as a team so far. They’re only behind the Dodgers, Mets and Giants in that category.
Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez and Hunter Renfroe are in a three-way tie for the team lead with nine.
Tellez, arguably the team’s MVP on offense thus far, has become a staple in Milwaukee this season. He leads the team with 32 RBI thus far and has been batting around the heart of the order.
Can the Brewers keep it up?
If the Brewers keep up this pace, they’ll finish the season at 105-57. This would blow out their best regular-season record of 96-66 from the 2011 season.
While that feat seems far fetched, Milwaukee has the 14th-easiest remaining schedule. The team has 39 combined games remaining against the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.
All three teams are at least seven games below .500.
For those wondering how much a 40-game stretch can be used to gage a team’s success throughout the remaining 122 contests, look no further than the 1984 Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers hold the best 40-game start in MLB history at 35-5. They went on to finish the season 104-58 and won the World Series.
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