4 things the Milwaukee Brewers can't afford to have go wrong the rest of the season

Christian Yelich has to continue to carry the Brewers' offense

While it is understandable in context, it is still pretty weird that a guy like Christian Yelich can put together such a strong season and get so little national recognition. Yelich has a MVP award and another top 2 finish after all. However, after a few seasons of injuries and subpar play, baseball fans at large have started to forget how good Yelich can be when he is fully healthy.

While he isn't quite putting up MVP level numbers in 2023, Christian has still been pretty awesome with a .282/.370/.448 stat line and 3.9 fWAR this season. For a Brewers team that has often been starved for offensive production especially with Willy Adames seemingly forgetting how to hit this year, Yelich's bounce back season has been invaluable. He might not be the hitter he was anymore, but he has still carried the offense in 2023 and the Brewers will need him to keep it up if they stand any chance of a meaningful playoff run this season.

Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff have to stay healthy and pitch well

During the first half of the 2023 season, Milwaukee seemed like a team that had lost its identity. With Brandon Woodruff on the injured list, the Brewers' starting pitching depth was tested to mixed results. Even more concerning was that Corbin Burnes wasn't dominating like we were used to seeing with a 3.94 ERA and 4.27 FIP before the All-Star break. For a team that was expected to have one of the best 1-2 rotation punches in baseball in those two guys, that is decidedly less than great news.

Fortunately, things have turned around in the second half. Woodruff is healthy again and while it took a couple starts for him to get his feet back under him, he has looked really good lately. Meanwhile, Burnes has also looked significantly better after the All-Star break with a 3.02 ERA and 3.45 FIP in 50.2 innings with a big jump in his strikeout rate as well.

It is not a coincidence that Milwaukee has found more success with these two guys healthy and pitching well. If they can both stay healthy and continue to pitch to their ability, this is a Brewers team that no team will want to face in a short series. However, if they fall off for whatever reason, Milwaukee could be in trouble.