2 Brewers who've exceeded expectations through 50 games and 2 who've fallen short

Eric Lauer has fallen short of expectations through the Brewers first 50 games.

You hate to kick a man when he's down, and Eric Lauer's currently on the Injured List. The hope, undoubtedly, is that when the left-hander returns, he'll be back to the player that the Brewers fanbase knows and loves.

But through Milwaukee's first 50 games of the 2023 season, the Brewers have not seen the version of Lauer they were hoping for. The southpaw is 4-5 with a 5.48 ERA and 1.523 WHIP.

Lauer doesn't possess that same type of strikeout stuff that his fellow starters Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes do, but that hasn't stopped Lauer from being a successful starting pitcher the past two seasons.

From 2021-22, Lauer was 18-12 with a 3.47 ERA, 4.16 xFIP, and 2.7 fWAR according to FanGraphs. This season, Lauer's xFIP is almost a full run more and even more troubling is his home run to fly ball rate (HR/FB). At 20.6-percent, about one of every five fly balls allowed by Lauer is leaving the yard.

With so many Milwaukee Brewers on the Injured List, Eric Lauer's IL stint certainly doesn't help. Hopefully Lauer's shoulder impingement is minor and the lefty can can return to form once he returns.