Milwaukee Brewers: Jhoulys Chacin is the Real Deal

In what has been an up and down year for the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation, the most consistent player by far has been Jhoulys Chacin. When he takes the mound the Brewers have a 19-8 record and, as of late, two of those wins have been crucial to the Brewers season.

Through 27 starts in the 2018 season, Chacin has a 3.58 ERA and a 13-4 record on the year. Opponents are only batting .223 against Chacin and in his starts he has given up just 14 home runs. His ability to keep the ball in the park has prevented ‘big innings’ and he has been able to keep the Brewers in the game.

Chacin got off to a great start and even I was skeptical throughout the season on whether he could maintain the pace he was on. He has pitched well all year but the offense is averaging 5.21 runs per game in run support for him. I was wondering how many of his wins had been victories more because of offensive performance rather than his performance on the mound.

Chacin’s Recent Performance

However, Chacin’s last two starts for the Milwaukee Brewers have truly shown his value to the team. During his start against the Cubs, Chacin pitched seven scoreless innings. He also had 10 strikeouts and gave up just three hits in that Brewers win.

His most recent start in St. Louis came at a crucial time. After the Brewers had fallen out of the top two Wildcard spots, Chacin came in and had a great performance. He threw six scoreless innings and scattered just four hits against the red-hot Cardinals.

Saving the Crew’s Playoff Hopes

These two starts were crucial to the Brewers playoff hopes. After a difficult stretch against the Padres and Braves, that included some heartbreaking losses, Chacin came in and pitched a great game that led the Brewers to a win.

Also his last start in St. Louis showed how much trust Craig Counsell has in Chacin. Jhoulys was scheduled to start Monday against the Reds. But, in a critical series, he was moved up to pitch the final game.

Chacin has shown that he can also handle high stress situations. So far this season when there are two outs and runners in scoring position, Chacin’s opponents have a batting average of just .122. And when the game is tied, the opposition is batting just .174. These kind of performances in high leverage situations will be essential as the Brewers enter the final stretch of the season.

Jhoulys will be an important part to the Brewers playoff push. The team will need him to keep having these kind of performances in his starts moving forward. He will most likely be the pitcher that is called upon in must-win game scenarios.

Chacin has proven that he can handle the high-pressure situations and in the final stretch of the season, he will be the Milwaukee Brewers’ go-to pitcher.