Brewers: 1 Pitcher and 1 Hitter Who Have Stepped Up Big in the Month of August

We are now three weeks into August and things are going significantly better for the Milwaukee Brewers than they were last year at this point in the season. Instead of falling apart after a clubhouse-altering trade, the Crew are perched atop the NL Central three games in front of the Chicago Cubs and fresh off a series sweep of the first place Texas Rangers.

It can be tough getting through the month of August on the way to a final playoff push in September and sometimes it takes some players stepping up to get there. As it just so happens, the Brewers have had two players, one pitcher and one hitter, who have really upped their games so far this month.

Here is one pitcher and one hitter who have stepped up big for the Brewers here in August.

Brewers pitcher who has stepped up big in August: RHP Freddy Peralta

It's been a bit of an up and down season for Brewers starter Freddy Peralta. A member of the Crew's "Big Three" atop the starting rotation, the 27-year-old was 6-8 with a 4.46 ERA through the end of July and had only picked up one win in his previous 11 starts.

Fastball Freddy has been lights out here in August, though. Peralta has won all four of his starts, giving up 15 hits and seven walks over that period with a whopping 37 strikeouts, not to mention a 1.82 ERA that has brought his season ERA below four (3.97) for the first time since early May.

That performance doesn't just make him one of the top performing pitchers on the Brewers. Peralta's 1.3 fWAR in August leads all qualified MLB pitchers coming into Monday night's slate of games, as does his 39.4% strikeout rate. His ERA, meanwhile, ranks fifth in the league.

Brewers hitter who has stepped up big in August: OF Tyrone Taylor

At one point, Brewers fans were wondering if Tyrone Taylor would even have a roster spot available for him after a second stint on the injured list and general poor performance prior to that. Milwaukee decided to be patient with him, though, and it seems now that their patience is being rewarded.

Taylor has been on fire since the calendar flipped to August. He is slashing .342/.390/.658 (1.048 OPS) in 14 games with four doubles, one triple, and two homers. He has also scored nine runs while driving nine more in and has struck out just four times all month while collecting four multi-hit games.

Taylor's batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS each lead all Brewers players for the month of August. He has appeared in each of the team's last 12 games so clearly manager Craig Counsell has noticed the hot bat and is rolling with it as long as he can.

The dog days of summer are almost over and the final playoff push is about to begin. A few more big performances like these could put the Brewers back in the postseason when all is said and done.