The Brewers' rotation has defied the odds and been a second-half powerhouse

All year long, the Milwaukee Brewers have outplayed expectations. The club is largely made up of other teams' castoffs and they've been making it work for months. The saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" could not possibly be more applicable.

Armed with a bullpen chock full of 30-year olds who couldn't cut it on other teams and a lineup full of young players still looking to establish themselves in the big leagues, the Brewers haven't exactly been the sexiest team on paper. Yet, they hold the largest divisional lead in the majors and are comfortably on their way to another postseason berth.

We've touched on the bullpen and we've touched on the lineup, but it's the Brewers' starting rotation that has seriously stepped up in the second half and deserves some love for it. Freddy Peralta is as steady as they come and he's settled into a nice groove as the year's marched on. Outside of him, the Crew had to do a whole lot of hoping and praying that they'd work out nicely, and they have done just that.

Armed with Peralta, two trade deadline lottery tickets, a player who two years ago was the worst pitcher in the minor leagues and Colin Rea, a long-time journeyman who is finally finding a long-term home in Milwaukee. Let's be real: that doesn't exactly scream "postseason caliber", but they're just that. Their second-half performance is proving that by the day.

Brewers starting rotation is stepping up when it matters most

In a total of 47 second-half games, Brewers starting pitchers have the second-lowest ERA in the league at 3.14. They are also top-10 in the league in K/9.

On an individual level, each qualifying starter for the Brewers has posted an ERA below 4.00 in the second half. Frankie Montas and Aaron Civale have the two highest ERAs at 3.92 and 3.84, respectively. If that's the worst your starting rotation has to offer, you're sitting pretty.

Tobias Myers has stolen the show not only in the second half, but in the 2024 campaign as a whole. Just two years ago, he was stuck in Triple-A and had a season in which he went 1-15 with a 7.82 ERA in 76 innings of work. This entire year has been one of the wildest turnarounds we've ever seen from a professional baseball player. In 23 outings, he's got a 2.93 ERA and 144 ERA+, which would have him firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation if Paul Skenes and Jackson Merrill weren't busy stealing the show this season.

Then there's Rea, an inning-eating type of pitcher who's just about as consistent as they come. Don't set too high of expectations for him - he's not ever going to be an ace and the odds of him twirling eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts on any given night are low, but he's durable and hasn't posted an ERA above 4.22 in any month this year. He's gone from oft-injured organizational depth to a reliable mid-to-back-end rotation starter. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, as he's proven time and time again.

The point is: these Brewers are leveling up their game when it matters the most. As meaningful October baseball nears, there's no such thing as having too much positive momentum on your side. The Brewers have had a solid bullpen and a solid offense all year, but that starting rotation is catching fire at the absolute best time, and there's not a single one of these guys that can't be trusted to start a playoff game right now. That is the best 'problem' a team can have.