The 2 bullpen changes the Brewers need to make to chase down first round playoff bye

The Brewers just fell short in a series against the Rockies because of some bullpen struggles. Milwaukee doesn't have their best bullpen on the field right now, and that's going to need to change if they're going to chase down the Phillies and Dodgers for a first round bye in the postseason.

A roster logjam with several productive pitchers now back from the injured list has put the bullpen in a bit of a tight spot. Bryan Hudson was recently demoted to Triple-A despite putting up good results and one of the Crew's top prospects has yet to debut despite being worthy of a promotion.

If the Brewers, who currently sit a few games out of that second seed, are to chase down the bye they want so badly, they need their best nine relievers out in that bullpen. Here's there changes they can make in order to get their best nine on the roster.

Recall Bryan Hudson, DFA Hoby Milner

While it's understandable the Brewers want to get Bryan Hudson some rest before the postseason and manage what has been a heavy workload all season long, the Brewers just simply aren't their best without being able to call on him. Pat Murphy has enjoyed having multiple lefties in his bullpen all season long, and Hudson has been his most reliable.

His least reliable lefty, meanwhile, has been Hoby Milner. Milner has had a down season and recently returned from a stint on the injured list for a shoulder impingement. Since returning, Milner has continued to struggle. After allowing a three run homer to Sam Hilliard on Sunday, Milner has a 5.03 ERA on the season.

On the decision to bring in Milner in that spot, manager Pat Murphy said "We made a move that we thought was right. It was wrong, obviously. The result was wrong."

Milner has been a big piece of this bullpen the last few years, but he's out of minor league options and he just hasn't been good enough to keep his spot on the roster. The Brewers should designate Milner for assignment and bring Hudson back up to take his spot.

Select Jacob Misiorowski or Craig Yoho, option Elvis Peguero

The second move the Brewers should make is to call up one of their top relief pitching prospects, either Jacob Misiorowski or Craig Yoho. Misiorowski is nearing his innings limit for the season, which may make Yoho the wiser choice for Milwaukee as he's been just as good and does not have that kind of limitation on his arm.

Misiorowski has a 3.47 ERA, while Yoho has a 1.01 ERA. Both can rack up the strikeouts and immediately become leverage options for Pat Murphy.

Both prospects would also need a 40 man roster spot, but if the Brewers make the move with the aforementioned Hoby Milner DFA, one is open for them. All you need is an active roster spot, which they could take from Elvis Peguero, who was already optioned once a few weeks ago. Since returning, Peguero hasn't exactly shown much improvement and the Brewers can still send him back down.

Misiorowski or Yoho would be an instant improvement over Peguero and they would represent the Brewers going with their best pitchers in their bullpen down the stretch. If the Brewers are going to stack the wins they need to in order to catch the Dodgers or Phillies for a top two seed, they need the best possible bullpen they can put together and these two moves would make that happen.