Milwaukee Brewers: Winning early with poor starting pitching

Even though the season has just started, the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation is already an area of concern.

What’s happened with the starting rotation?

Going into the 2018 season, most believed that the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation was  stopping them from going to the playoffs. Through the first week of games, that concern has been justified.

After five games the Brewers have one quality start. After the great Opening Day start from Chase Anderson, the wheels have come off.  The rotation has pitched a total of 24 innings and has given up 17 runs. Collectively, Brewers starters own an ERA of 12.70. The bullpen has pitched almost as many innings as the starting rotation.

How is the bullpen so far?

There is no question that the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen is good. They could end the year as one of the better bullpens in the National League. However, their current workload will quickly wear them down. What’s even more concerning is that the Brewers relief corps is down a man. The bullpen has been reduced from eight to seven pitchers because of the current roster construction.

There may not be this level of concern if the starting rotation had a better track record.  The current rotation is filled with pitchers who don’t have proven success.

What’s the current plan?

The lack of rotation success can’t be a complete surprise to the Milwaukee Brewers front office.  The plan seems to be to grind out as many wins as possible with a strong offense and bullpen.  After that, hope that the team is still in it long enough for Jimmy Nelson to come back. A trade is also a necessity for the team to add depth.

Next: Braun Providing Reminiscent Spark

The current record and the excitement the Brewers have provided so far has been enjoyable. Two last inning victories in five games has been great, but the struggles of the starting rotation and the number of innings the bullpen is having to pitch is a concern for the long term success of the current team.