The Brewers Hot Start Analyzed

If I asked you before the MLB season started, who was going to be hot this year, you may have said the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers or the Washington Nationals.  What you surely would not have said was the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers only won 74 games last year and could not even make a successful run in the NL Central.  They finished fourth in their division.

We are two weeks in and the title of the hottest start in the MLB goes to the Brewers.  Other teams are not even close, except for the Dodgers who are a game behind the Brewers.  Milwaukee is 10-3.   A nine-game winning streak was only disrupted yesterday.  They started the season big with three consecutive victories over the defending world champion Red Sox.  Not to mention, they also swept Pittsburgh, a division rival.

Their winning has even started to catch the eye of bookmakers who are cautiously moving the Brewers up the future betting odds.  They opened near the bottom along side the Chicago Cubs.  They are now 25/1 to win the World Series and if they can keep winning they will continue to climb.  

Now, every sports analyst and baseball fan is asking the same questions, Are the Brewers for real? 

The common saying to combat the Brewer hot start is that “it is still early.” It is a cliche saying but does it hold any truth.

Going back to 2002, teams that got off to hot starts at the same point in the season the Brewers are in now that won 10 or more games are 5-11 to make the playoffs.  Essentially it is a toss up.

What is clear the Brewers’ pitching is talented.  The starting pitching staff has a 1.80 ERA. They are the backbone of the team and have may be the contributing factor to their success.  The Brewers lack depth in the pitching department though as their bullpen is thin.  Eventually they will need fall back on their offense.

Speaking of the Brewers’ hitters, they have a talented batting line up, but Milwaukee has only scored 4.75 runs per game on the season.  It is not an impressive number and is not that far (3.95) from their runs per game last year.

What does this duality say about the Brewers? Its hard to say at this point in the season.  Is it likely that they tumble and fall?  Yes.  But it is also just as likely that they will advance to playoffs.  Time will tell.