3 things Brewers must tighten up in final week before MLB playoffs begin

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Milwaukee Brewers are in an admirable position. They’ve already clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title, secured their spot in the NLDS with a first-round bye for the second straight year, and have four opportunities to become the first team in franchise history to reach the 100-win mark.

As a result, the Brewers and manager Pat Murphy's focus has already started to shift from their typical "win tonight" mentality towards prioritizing postseason preparation. That shift was evident during their weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles, when they intentionally limited Jacob Misiorowski’s start to three innings, opted not to use Trevor Megill on back-to-back days despite save opportunities Friday and Saturday, and continued to keep Jake Bauers in the infield as he manages shin splints. Milwaukee's emphasis on postseason preparation has continued into their series with the Philadelphia Phillies, during which Murphy opted to use left-hander Colton Gordon for five innings in the series opener rather than chase a win.

Clearly, while the Brewers still certainly want to secure the top overall seed in the postseason and home-field advantage throughout their playoff run, their main focus is on shoring things up for October and making sure they put themselves in the best possible situation to succeed in the postseason. With that in mind, here are three areas the Brewers need to tighten up over the final week of the regular season.

3 things that need tightening up to give Brewers fans even more confidence heading into October

1. Between Dustin May and Robert Gasser, who positions themselves to be the No. 3 starter in the playoffs?

After Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson, the Brewers’ No. 3 starter in a playoff series is still up in the air. MLB.com Brewers beat reporter noted earlier this week that the team is leaning towards trade deadline acquisition Dustin May, who certainly has the higher ceiling of the two options. However, May's tenure in Milwaukee has been inconsistent, even as the Brewers have used him in shorter stints as of late. Still, May showed what he’s capable of earlier this month when he tossed six innings of two-hit ball, and has even more impressive starts on his resume this year that indicate he could be a difference maker as the Brewers' No. 3 starter in October.

That said, if May's inconsistency worries the Brewers, the team could elect to use southpaw Robert Gasser as their No. 3 starter instead. Gasser, who is hitting his stride at the perfect moment, hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts. He doesn't have the same "swing-and-miss" stuff that May has, but it's fair to think of Gasser as the higher floor, lower ceiling option of the two. Therefore, the question becomes whether the Brewers want the high ceiling, experienced May or the high floor rookie southpaw in Gasser to toe the rubber in Game 3.

2. Can Christian Yelich break out of his current slump before October?

As a whole, 2026 has not been a good season for Christian Yelich, but his last two weeks have been especially uninspiring. Despite homering in last night's win over the Phillies, Yelich is slashing just .192/.259/.308 over his last 15 games, good for a .567 OPS. After a brief hot streak in late August, during which Yelich hit safely in eight out of nine starts, it's fair to say the month of September hasn't been kind to the Brewers' veteran leader.

Asking Yelich to return to his MVP form in the postseason is unreasonable, but as he showed on Wednesday night, the 34-year-old DH still has some pop in his bat and can impact the game with one swing. Typically, Yelich hasn't performed well in October with a career postseason batting average of .218 and a playoff OPS of .664 to prove it, but maybe last night's big fly will be the spark of a hot streak that lasts through the Brewers' postseason run. A few big hits from Yelich in October would go a long way in boosting the Brewers' World Series chances.

3. What is the Brewers' postseason lineup vs. LHP?

The Brewers have a considerably worse team wRC+ (96) against left-handers than they do against righties (111) this year, which brings up concerns about how the offense will perform against the tough starting southpaws they could run into during the postseason. There are a number of talented left-handers Milwaukee could see in the NLDS, including Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs, Cristopher Sánchez (and maybe Jesús Luzardo) of the Philadelphia Phillies, or Robbie Ray of the San Diego Padres, depending on how the final week of the regular season and the Wild Card Series play out. If the Brewers advance to the NLCS and once again face the Los Angeles Dodgers, they will run into Cy Young southpaws Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell. Meanwhile, a matchup with the Atlanta Braves would come with Cy Young winner Chris Sale and talented southpaw Martín Pérez.

Therefore, the lineup that Pat Murphy elects to roll out against lefties in October is rather important. Does the Brewers’ best lineup against left-handers feature Gary Sánchez at DH instead of Christian Yelich? Or should Andrew Vaughn get the nod at DH, allowing Jake Bauers to play first base and giving Milwaukee a stronger defensive alignment with Luis Lara in right field? Do they feel comfortable starting Garrett Mitchell in center against a southpaw in such a scenario? Each option has its pros and cons, but answering what their postseason lineup against a southpaw is a looming question the Brewers face before the NLDS.

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