MILWAUKEE -- If it feels as though Pat Murphy’s Brewers saw an unusual amount of left-handed starting pitchers to begin the season, it’s because they did. And if you’re looking for reasons to believe that the offense can be better as the season progresses, this may be one of them. Five of Milwaukee’s first seven opposing starters were southpaws, a ratio that, while not unprecedented, is somewhat rare. To find the last such stretch, one needs only to look back to the end of last season, when seven of the Brewers’ final 10 games were started by southpaws -- five of seven to finish the regular season, then two of three in the NL Wild Card Series against the Mets. Before that, there was a stretch in July -- against the Dodgers, Pirates and Nationals -- in which the Brewers faced left-handers in five of seven games. But for a stretch of five of seven before that, you have to go back to August 2022. |
“It’s been great to get a ton of them here early. We saw a ton in Spring Training, too,” said right fielder Sal Frelick, one of the Brewers’ left-handed hitters being exposed to an early-season challenge. “Murph talked to Brice [Turang] and said he was going to try to get us as many at-bats against lefties in the spring as he could, just to get us comfortable. “They throw it over the plate, just like righties do. So it’s just getting used to it a little bit.” The Brewers have been starting four left-handed hitters in most games against lefties this season: Christian Yelich, Frelick, Turang and Garrett Mitchell. They’ve combined for a .639 OPS against lefty starters so far. Losing switch-hitting outfielder Blake Perkins to a fractured shin during Spring Training is a significant factor here; he will be a right-handed outfield bat against lefties when he’s healthy again, which could be in May. |
Combating left-handers has not been a strength for the Brewers for several years now. Here are their OPSes against left-handers and MLB ranks in recent seasons: 2025 entering Friday: .572 (22nd) 2024: .713 (14th) 2023: .731 (16th) 2022: .674 (23rd) 2021: .704 (23rd) For now, the Brewers will keep fighting through those tough at-bats. They won back-to-back games against lefty starters on Wednesday and Thursday, first beating the Royals on Turang’s 11th-inning walk-off squeeze bunt (against lefty reliever Sam Long) and then riding Frelick’s RBI single off Cincinnati southpaw Nick Lodolo to a 1-0 win the following night. The final three Reds scheduled starters were right-handers, and the Crew’s upcoming series against the Rockies -- who have two lefty starters -- and the D-backs -- who have one -- figure to be heavy on righties. “It’s not ideal to face all these lefties, but then again, is it? Maybe it is good,” Murphy said. “Maybe it locks you in a little bit. You have to stay closed, you can’t come off on the front side. When the ball is on the outer half of the plate, you have to hit it there.” |
Hitting coach Al LeBoeuf offered a similarly optimistic outlook. He remembers managing at Double-A for the Phillies in the mid-1990s and fielding an entire lineup of left-handed hitters against opposing lefties, if only to mess with that pitcher’s game plan. If a lefty had a quality changeup to use against righties, for example, such a strategy could take that pitch away. “If you think about it logically, it doesn’t matter what side they throw from. They still have to throw it over that 17-inch white thing,” LeBoeuf said. “If you’re patient enough to command the strike zone, your chances are just as good as a right-hander, in my opinion. “I’m very happy. I think we’re progressing nicely when it comes to left-handers. I guess in the past, we’ve struggled based off of the statistics. But I think it’s like anything else: The more you see something, the better you get.” |
|
|
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
|
|
The Brewers hosted an invitation-only celebration of life for Bob Uecker on Wednesday night in downtown Milwaukee. It was a beautiful event attended by Uecker’s family, his castmates from the Mr. Belvedere show, many of his broadcast partners over the years -- including Bob Costas and Al Michaels, former Brewers players Jim Gantner, Prince Fielder and Trevor Hoffman and longtime friends who worked in the front office -- and at least one former roommate. Which of these luminaries used to room with Uecker at home and on the road? A) Rollie Fingers B) Bud Selig C) Ted Simmons D) Joe Torre |
With Double-A Biloxi, High-A Wisconsin and Single-A Carolina getting underway Friday, it’s time to better get to know the Brewers farm system. MLB.com prospect guru Sam Dykstra ran down where each of those players is opening the 2025 season. You’ll find that list here, with Dykstra’s pick for one team to keep a particularly close eye on, and which prospects he sees helping at the Major League level this season. In a separate piece, MLB Pipeline’s experts made this lofty prediction: Jesús Made (No. 2 Brewers prospect, No. 54 prospect in MLB according to MLB Pipeline) will establish himself as a Top 10 overall prospect by the end of the 2025 season.
And speaking of Made, the Brewers introduced their fans to the 17-year-old in this video piece this week.
|
Now through April 30, fans within the Brewers' TV territory can sign up to claim a free trial of FanDuel Sports Network, offering 30 days of free Brewers games via FanDuel Sports Network’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service. The 30-day trial includes Brewers regular season games (excluding national exclusive broadcasts), pre and postgame shows and additional local and national programming on FanDuel Sports Network. To redeem, fans can visit this link to sign up and enter the promo code: BREWERS30. Once claimed, fans have until May 31 to redeem their 30-day free trial. Subscriptions are $19.99/month after the free trial. |
D. Torre and Uecker roomed together while they played for the Milwaukee Braves, and Torre shared stories of his friendship during one segment of Wednesday’s celebration of life. |
|
|
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
|
|
To subscribe to Brewers Beat, visit this page and mark "Brewers Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Brewers or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
|
