It’s Early, But Should We Worry About The Offense?

Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Four.

That’s how many runs the Milwaukee Brewers scored during their opening series versus the Atlanta Braves.

Sixteen.

That’s how many hits the Brewers racked up in their first three games. Take away Opening Day, and that number falls to eight.

With the way Milwaukee’s starters have pitched, the Brewers should be 3-0. Yovani Gallardo dominated the Braves in game one, Kyle Lohse was very solid in game two and Matt Garza took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with eight innings of one-run ball.

But the Brewers’ offense couldn’t back the starters, and the Crew’s record is a measly 1-2.

Aside from Aramis Ramirez, who had five hits and three RBI in the series, Milwaukee’s offense was nowhere to be found. Yes, Carlos Gomez managed to lead off the second game with a homer, but the team failed to score again until the eighth inning. By then it was too late.

Collectively, the Brewers have a .237 batting average heading into the weekend series with the Boston Red Sox. They have two extra base hits and have struck out 12 times — eight of those have come from Gomez and Khris Davis with four apiece. Ryan Braun‘s return from suspension has been anything but eventful. The Brewers’ slugger is just 1-for-11 so far this season, but he has hit the ball hard quite a few times.

So I ask you; is it too early to worry about the Brewers’ bats?

It’s only been three games. I get that. But four runs in 27 innings is pitiful. The Houston Astros, the team expected to lose 100 games this season, scored more than that in its first game against the Yankees.

Davis, from whom the Brewers expect big things, is already beginning to swing a lot more than he did during his 2013 breakout season. His swinging strike percentage is 21.4%, up from 13.1%. Granted, it’s an extremely small sample size (eight plate appearances), but have pitchers already figured him out?

However, despite all the offensive negatives, there is something the team should be complimented on. They are working the count and making the pitcher throw strikes. Not too many players are having one or two pitch at-bats. They’re making the pitcher throw, and eventually, that’s going to start paying off for them.

April will not be an easy month for the Crew, as Benjamin touched on in his article, but nothing will be easy if the bats don’t wake up from their winter sleep.