Brewers make minor change to starting rotation ahead of series opener with Pirates

The Milwaukee Brewers are coming off an electric three-game sweep of the contending New York Mets. They've won nine straight games, hold a six-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central, and have the best record in baseball by five games. However, that doesn't mean they can sleepwalk their way into the playoffs, and Pat Murphy's latest rotation decision proves that the Brewers will not let their guard down regardless of how much they win.

On Sunday night, several Brewers insiders, including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, reported that Murphy is electing to swap Freddy Peralta and José Quintana's positions in the starting rotation. Peralta was scheduled to pitch in Monday night's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Quintana was set to start game two. However, now the opposite will occur: Quintana will throw game one tonight, and Peralta will go on Tuesday night.

Brewers swap José Quintana and Freddy Peralta's spots in the starting rotation

There are a few reasons to swap Quintana and Peralta ahead of Monday night's game against the Pirates. First, because of the Brewers’ off-day last Thursday, Quintana, who last pitched on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, is still throwing on regular rest even after being bumped up one day. Meanwhile, Peralta, who threw 108 pitches last Tuesday, gets an extra day of rest after his longest start (by pitches thrown) of the season.

Secondly, swapping Quintana and Peralta gives the Brewers better matchups for their first two games of the Pirates series. Quintana will now face off against a fellow veteran southpaw in Andrew Heaney in the series opener, while Peralta, the Brewers' ace, gets the tough task of opposing NL Cy Young frontrunner Paul Skenes in game two. With the initial matchups, the Brewers held the advantage in game one, but would have had an uphill battle in game two. Now, Murphy's decision to swap Quintana and Peralta gives the team a better chance of winning both games.

Finally, switching around Quintana and Peralta sets the Crew up better for success in their pivotal upcoming five-game series with the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers will face the Cubs in five games in four days starting a week from today. Delaying Peralta's next start to Tuesday night ensures that he will pitch one of the two games in the doubleheader that will take place at Wrigley Field next Monday. If the Brewers would have kept the starting rotation as it was, Peralta likely would not have thrown in next week's series against the Cubs.

It's the kind of relentlessness that you love to see from a team with the best record in baseball. They aren't worried about what they've done up to this point; they're worried about continuing to win baseball games, especially those against their rivals. Teams in the Brewers' position have a tendency to grow complacent, but Pat Murphy is ensuring that mentality doesn't set in by continuing to make decisions that set the Crew up for success.