3 Brewers storylines to watch out for during the rest of the season

The Milwaukee Brewers seem to be running away with the National League Central division as manager Pat Murphy has them in an excellent spot a week and a half into August. However, recently, despite the team continuing to win game after game, the injury bug has reared its ugly head once again, and it could impact how the Brewers set themselves up for a postseason run.

Jacob Misiorowski hit the IL on August 3 with a lower leg injury after he was hit with a comebacker in off the bat of Seiya Suzuki on July 28. Then, Logan Henderson hit the IL on Friday with a flexor strain in his elbow. So now the Brewers are down two of their young starters and they dealt Nestor Cortes to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline.

The Crew also has a problem with Rhys Hoskins being on the IL. Andrew Vaughn has done more than enough to solidify his roster spot for the future, but Hoskins and Vaughn have very similar profiles, so keeping them both on the roster could be redundant. Finally, looking ahead to the postseason, the Crew hasn't won a series in seven years; that's a massive problem. With the team they have this year, the momentum they've gained throughout the season, and the playoff experience that most of their roster now has, this is the year that the streak is broken. But first, let's take a look at a couple of storylines that will emerge throughout the rest of the season.

How the Brewers handle Jacob Misiorowski's innings limit

Yes, Misiorowski is one of the best young starters and overall pitchers in the game, but he is set to throw more innings this year than any other season in his professional career. Already at 96.2 innings between his time in Triple-A and the majors, The Miz is just two outs short of the inning total that he collected all last season.

Approaching 100 innings, playing in the MLB All-Star Game, and throwing as hard as he does every five days when he makes a start, says a lot about Misiorowski and his workload. The Brewers want him to be sharpest when it matters most: the playoffs. As such, they had discussed limiting his innings down the stretch to prevent him from exhausting himself before the postseason began.

Then, out of happenstance, Misiorowski suffered a minor shin injury, which will keep him out for two starts, effectively limiting his inning count. While it's still an injury and those are never a good thing, this one may at least be a fine coincidence.

It's unclear whether or not the Brewers will elect to continue limiting his innings once he returns from the IL. There's a delicate balance between keeping him well-rested and keeping him sharp. As such, with the Brewers having the luxury of being able to plug in other major league caliber starting pitchers, how the team manages Misiorowski's workload over the next two months will be something to keep an eye on.

How the Brewers navigate the return of Rhys Hoskins

Hoskins has been on the IL since early July with a thumb sprain, and his replacement, Andrew Vaughn, who came over in a pre-trade deadline trade with the Chicago White Sox, has simply been incredible. But Hoskins still has a respectable .768 OPS and carried the Brewers offense through the first six weeks of the season when no one else was hitting.

He is a very streaky hitter, but one with playoff experience and a knack for coming through in the big moments. Additionally, with all the chatter as of late regarding the importance of power in the playoffs, adding Hoskins' bat back to the lineup for the stretch run could be huge.

However, with Vaughn's record-breaking start to his Brewers tenure, adding Hoskins back to the lineup won't be as simple as telling him to head to first base every night. Rather, the Brewers will have to get creative with how they get both Hoskins and Vaughn into the everyday lineup. More than likely, Vaughn will play first base, Hoskins will DH, and Christian Yelich will be forced to return to the outfield.

Something to note, however, is that rosters expand from 26 to 28 in September, and teams are allowed to add one pitcher and one position player to their squad. With Hoskins currently set to return around September 1, getting him on the roster won't be nearly as difficult as getting him into the lineup every day.

Can the Brewers break their streak of first round exits?

With the Brewers making the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, one would expect them to have more playoff success than a lone series win against the Colorado Rockies in 2018. Despite being the higher seed and hosting the Wild Card round in each of the last two years, the Brewers have not been able to push through and advance to the Divisional round.

This could be the year that it all changes. For one, the Brewers may skip the first round of the playoffs if they continue to play the way they have been. As things currently stand, they not only would get a first round bye, but as the top seed in the National League, they would have home field advantage throughout.

Next, the Brewers are well positioned for playoff success with their elite starting pitching trio of Freddy Peralta, Jacob Misiorowski, and Brandon Woodruff. They have depth in Quinn Priester and José Quintana to fill in as needed, and a strong bullpen to finish out games.

Finally, it must be said that in each of their last three playoff appearances, the Brewers have been dealt a major injury blow late in the season. In 2021 it was Devin Williams breaking his hand in the locker room, in 2023 it was Woodruff's shoulder injury right before the playoffs started, and last year Yelich missed the final two months after undergoing back surgery. If the Brewers can avoid another major injury this year, they will be better suited for success in the playoffs than they have been in their last few appearances.