Brewers news: Kyle Harrison's All-Star case, Aaron Ashby's first loss, Pat Murphy surgery

After dropping their series finale with the Cleveland Guardians and their first two games against the Atlanta Braves this weekend, the Milwaukee Brewers have lost three consecutive games for the first time since April 25.

Each of Milwaukee's two losses to the NL-East leading Braves have been disheartening. Friday night's game saw Jackson Chourio, who was the game-tying run, get thrown at home plate in the top of the ninth inning. Last night, the Brewers held a 3-2 lead entering the bottom of the ninth frame, but a bloop single off the bat of Matt Olson preceded a two-run homer off the bat of Ozzie Albies that was hit just 94.4 mph and traveled only 339 feet.

Milwaukee looks to right the ship in this afternoon's series finale against the Braves, with left-hander Robert Gasser starting on the bump. However, before they do that, let's take a look at a few storylines that have emerged in recent days.

Kyle Harrison continues to make strong case for first All-Star Game with quality start in Atlanta

Before the Braves came back to win last night's game, Brewers' starter Kyle Harrison turned in another strong performance, continuing what has been a dream start to the offseason trade acquisition's time in Milwaukee. Harrison went 6.1 innings and surrendered just two earned runs in last night's game while striking out seven. It was Harrison's sixth quality start of the season and fifth since May 1.

Entering the 2026 season, it wasn't even a certainty that Harrison would be a member of the Brewers' Opening Day rotation, and now, three months later, he looks like a shoo-in for the NL All-Star team. Though Harrison is not technically a "qualified starter," because he narrowly misses out on the innings count required, his 2.50 ERA would rank sixth among all qualified starting pitchers in the National League, and his 1.06 WHIP would rank seventh. His 87 strikeouts are the 11th-most in the NL and his 18 walks are tied with Paul Skenes for the fourth-fewest among qualified NL starters.

Harrison also has a pretty big asterisk on his resume, in that he started one of the Brewers' three games at Las Vegas Ballpark, which was immediately revealed as a hitters' paradise in which big-league games probably shouldn't be played. Harrison allowed a whopping eight earned runs in just 2.1 innings during that start against the Athletics, and without it, his season-long ERA would be a dazzling 1.55 -- second only to Jacob Misiorowski in the NL.

The 24-year-old Harrison looks destined for the All-Star Game even if his start in Las Vegas is treated as a normal outing. A few more starts of the caliber that Harrison has consistently maintained for the last two months should have the Brewers' left-hander playing with the league's best in Philadelphia next month.

Aaron Ashby suffers first loss of the season in disheartening fashion on Saturday night

Brewers' left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby somehow leads all of baseball with 10 wins through the first three months of the season. It's an unbelievable stat that speaks to just how frequently Ashby has been used in high-leverage situations and how successful the southpaw has been in said situations.

However, for as strong as Ashby has been over the course of the 2026 campaign, his last eight appearances have been rather rough. Since the start of June, Ashby has covered 9.1 innings, posted a 7.71 ERA, and allowed three homers and an opponent batting average of .300. Ashby has earned just one win during the month, and in that appearance, he lost the Brewers' lead before the offense re-gained it in the bottom half of the inning.

Last night, Ashby was called upon for the ninth inning with the Brewers leading by a score of 3-2 -- a save opportunity that Ashby ultimately blew after Ozzie Albies' aforementioned homerun. The two-run homer from Albies not only gave the Braves the win and the series win for that matter but it also handed Ashby his first loss of the season. Given Ashby's recent struggles and closer Trevor Megill's ongoing run of success, fans were quick to question Pat Murphy's bullpen management after the game.

Ashby's winning streak legitimately had him in All-Star Game conversations, despite it being very difficult for non-closing relief pitchers to make the Midsummer Classic. However, his performance in the month of June has left Ashby with an uphill battle to the All-Star Game next month.

Brewers' manager Pat Murphy set to undergo both back and hip surgery over the next three weeks

Brewers fans may have noticed that manager Pat Murphy hasn't been going to the mound for pitching changes as of late, or standing up in the dugout either. Milwaukee's skipper is dealing with a pair of ailments that will require surgical repair over the next few weeks. As reported by MLB.com Brewers' beat writer Adam McCalvy, Murphy will undergo back surgery this coming Thursday, before enduring hip surgery during the All-Star Break.

As McCalvy notes above, Murphy doesn't expect to miss any games, which speaks not only to the Brewers managers' toughness, but also his dedication to his team. Murphy has been the Brewers' fearless leader over the last two years, earning two NL Manager of the Year Awards in the process. His leadership, ability to get the most out of his players, and unrelenting high expectations have allowed the Brewers to consistently outperform preseason projections that continue to predict a downfall that has yet to occur.

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