At 25-22, there’s little doubt that the Milwaukee Brewers are already playing beyond expectation, even after losing four consecutive games and thus, a grip on first place in the National League Central — but their biggest hurdle may be on the horizon.
There are already several short-term concerns currently plaguing the team. While the red-hot offense is still ranked in the top five in runs, doubles, triples, home runs and slugging percentage, they’ve recently cooled off over the last week.
While the starting rotation has been the biggest cause for concern, landing in the bottom third of the league in several categories, it may soon become secondary to a looming possibility — Milwaukee may not get the returns they’re hoping for in one of the final stages of rebuilding.
Despite the hot start, general manager David Stearns has already committed to finishing the process as planned instead of attempting to fast track a team that is clearly still establishing itself in the big picture. While the team’s record has been a pleasant surprise, it seems to overshadow the obstructions Milwaukee still has yet to face, including finding a way to get the most out of the veterans that remain in the organization.
Neftali Feliz may have been the first pin to fall. After being brought in as the clear-cut closer, seemingly primed for a bounce back year and a healthy midseason return at the deadline, Feliz’s issues from the last few years have come full circle. He’s struggled with his command, given up far too many walks and worse, given up a significant number of home runs.
While losing a closer can be but a minor setback in some scenarios, losing a $5.35 million investment and the chance for a meaningful return — like the ones received for Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith and Tyler Thornburg in 2016 — is a significant loss.
If there is any silver lining, it’s that the team has not only been able to fill the ninth-inning hole with a burgeoning talent in Corey Knebel, but also the fact that there is still time for Feliz to turn his season around. After failing to immediately rebound once being removed from the closing role, the team rested Feliz for nearly a week. In his three most recent innings of work, Feliz has shown signs of hope, giving up only one hit and no walks with four strikeouts.
Unfortunately, not every recent turn on this front has been positive.
Ryan Braun, easily the biggest potential trade chip in the organization, recently returned from the disabled list only to land back on it a few days later with left calf tightness. Outside of the stigma that surrounds Braun from his past indiscretions, his previous injury history and the 10-and-5 rights he recently acquired — meaning he can essentially veto any trade — the team is now facing another obstacle in attempting to negotiate a possible landing place for their 33-year-old former All-Star.
Even on a smaller scale, the team may be losing their trade value more than they had anticipated.
Despite starting the season on the disabled list, Matt Garza saw early success upon his return, going 2-0 with a 2.43 earned run average in his first five starts. But in his latest outing, he seemed to unravel, giving up three home runs and a total of six earned runs, raising his ERA to 3.60.
While a majority of his starts have been good, his history may be the most concerning element, as he often sails through a few games before watching his ERA skyrocket. Fortunately, he has only seen one truly poor start so far, and has been giving up fewer walks and hits than last season, while striking out more. But if he’s unable to find any stability, the Brewers could be looking one more reason to expect a diminished return at the end of July.
Jonathan Powell is the Managing Editor of Outside Pitch MLB and the Milwaukee Brewers writer. Follow him on Twitter @jonathannashhh.
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