1 day Ago By Eric Smithling, Yardbarker
With all the talk in recent days about Yankees bats, one significant factor in New York's torrid start went unnoticed: Brewers pitching. After being outscored 36-14 in a three-game sweep at the hands of New York, Milwaukee was trounced, 11-1, in the first game of its set against the Royals (2-2) on Monday. The Brewers (0-4) became the first team to allow at least 10 runs in three of their four games since the 2005 Rockies, who ended the season 67-95 and last in the NL West.
According to Stathead research , Milwaukee's 47 runs allowed this season are the most in its first four games in franchise history and tied with the 1954 Cardinals for the most in MLB history. The Yankees made several headlines this weekend, mostly centered around "torpedo bats," which shift the barrel closer to the hitters' contact zone, and their impact on New York's run-scoring barrage. On Saturday, they set a franchise record with nine home runs and became the first team in Major League history to have three players hit home runs on a game's first three pitches.
But maybe it wasn't the bats. It very likely could have been the pitching. Brewers starters and relievers have played an equal role in the team's historically awful start.
Starters Aaron Civale, Nestor Cortes and Elvin Rodriguez have combined to allow 17 earned runs in nine innings, and 42 percent of the batters they've faced (21 out of 50) have reached base on either a hit or walk. The relief staff has been just as problematic. Entering Monday, Connor Thomas and Joel Payamps allowed 13 earned runs in three innings (22 batters faced).
In the loss to the Royals, Elvis Peguero and Grant Anderson gave up seven earned runs in 3.3 innings. The Brewers probably hoped the difficulties they experienced starting the season could have been blamed on the Yanks' revolutionary bats.
However, their problems run much deeper. Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf.
He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans.
