Milwaukee Brewers: RtB Podcast – Pitching Problems And Slow Starts

The Reviewing the Brew podcast gathers every Tuesday night to discuss the latest news, rumors, and analysis surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers.

Listen to “Reviewing The Brew S2E9 – Pitching Problems and Slow Starts” on Spreaker.

This week on the Reviewing the Brew podcast, David Gasper and Matthew Dewoskin were joined by “celebrity” guest Bart Winkler from 105.7 the Fan in Milwaukee.

Pitching Problems

After Matthew convinced Bart to join in his regular tradition of cracking open a beer to start the show, we get into the struggles with the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff so far. The Crew has allowed 21 homers in just 11 games, and how much concern should there be for that group?

While the home runs in general are an interesting stat to watch, Corbin Burnes has really been the pitcher that’s suffered from the long ball the most. There has been some debate and calls for Burnes to head back to the bullpen where he thrived in a relief role in 2018. Bart thinks that’s not the best decision and would prefer to see him stay in the rotation.

The young guns in the starting rotation have had their ups and downs through their first couple starts, but are they pretty much locked into that rotation through their early struggles?

Jimmy Nelson is set to return eventually, and when he does, who could he replace in that rotation? Also, we talk about his latest outing down in extended spring training.

Jeremy Jeffress is another pitcher on the mend, and he is closer to returning to the big league club. He’s on a rehab assignment and pitched on Tuesday night for San Antonio. Once he returns, we discuss who could leave the bullpen and what impact it might have on Josh Hader.

Slow Starts

Next, we discuss the slow starts that Jesus Aguilar and Travis Shaw have gotten off to this season. What could be the cause of this? Will they break out of it soon? And which player’s poor start is more concerning?

Orlando Arcia also got off to a slow start, but he’s since gotten things going, with an 8-for-15 streak heading into Tuesday night. After Matthew’s comments about Arcia last week, it’s time for him to eat some crow.

Christian Yelich and Mike Trout are two superstars playing against each other in this series against the Angels, and both are role model type players. What has their dynamic and marketability been like?

If Yelich didn’t sign his contract extension with the Marlins all those years ago, he would’ve become a free agent at the end of the 2019 season, hitting the market as a 27 year old superstar. Instead, he’s locked up for a few more years, and we discuss what kind of money he would get on the open market, and if Milwaukee Brewers fans should continue discussing it at all.

Also, what could be holding up Craig Kimbrel‘s and Dallas Keuchel‘s market? Is draft pick compensation a factor, or is it just money?

In the Mailbag segment, we ask Bart for his favorite Bradley Center memory, and discuss if Eric Thames could defeat The Night King from Game of Thrones in a fight. Matthew also tries to get Bart to come up with a radio nickname for David.

The Reviewing the Brew podcast records each Tuesday night and can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spreaker.