These two relievers have saved the Brewers' bullpen

It's well known at this point that the Milwaukee Brewers' coaching staff often elects not to have their starting pitchers face a lineup three times through. While the numbers support that starting pitchers' effectiveness drops off considerably when facing a batter for a third time, the adverse effect of the strategy is the season-long strain that it puts on a bullpen.

In the beginning of the season, that strain seemed unsustainable. Nick Mears, Abner Uribe, and Jared Koenig were seemingly pitching every other day, and the bullpen as a whole was asked to cover a ridiculous amount of innings. However, the return of two lefties, now working out of the bullpen as long relievers, has saved the Brewers' bullpen, not only with their ability to cover multiple innings and give a day off to the aforementioned high-leverage, one-inning relievers, but also with their stellar performance on the mound.

Aaron Ashby has been unhittable this season

When Aaron Ashby rejoined the team on May 23 after missing nearly the first two months of the season with an oblique strain, the Brewers' bullpen had covered 209.1 innings — the second most in all of baseball. At the time, the Crew had played just 51 games, meaning the bullpen was covering more than four innings a game.

Additionally, Milwaukee's relievers were starting to show some wear. Their 4.64 ERA prior to Ashby's return ranked 24th in baseball, and pitchers like Koenig and Mears were starting to stumble after strong starts to the season — likely in large part due to their overuse.

Enter Ashby, who looked like one of the best relievers in baseball last season after the Brewers converted him from a starting pitcher to a bullpen arm, and when he returned to the mound this season, the 27-year-old southpaw hadn't missed a beat.

From the onset, Ashby's value was clear. In his first five outings, he covered nine innings, didn't surrender a run, and struck out nine opposing batters. That success has only continued for Ashby, who, after earning the win in last night's win over the Miami Marlins with 2.1 perfect innings of relief, now holds a 0.93 ERA on the season.

Since Ashby's return, the Brewers bullpen ERA has improved by over a run, sitting at 3.34 since May 23 — good enough for 7th in all of baseball.

DL Hall has been stellar in long relief role

Three days after Ashby returned from the IL, fellow left-handed, multi-inning reliever DL Hall joined him in the Brewers' bullpen after a lat strain kept him down for the first two months of the season. Hall was immediately thrust into a multi-inning relief role and has covered two innings or more in six of his nine appearances.

On the season, Hall has appeared in nine games, covered 17.1 innings, and posted a 2.55 ERA. He's reined in his command considerably this season, with a 0.96 WHIP to prove it. Hall's most recent outing, a two-inning appearance to close out the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the New York Mets, showed just how important he is to the Brewers. Every time Hall pitches, at least two of the Brewers’ go-to late-inning relievers get a day off, something that was especially necessary during a doubleheader.

Together, Hall and Ashby have been a huge addition to the Brewers' bullpen, transforming their relief core since joining the team in late May. As shown by Ashby's performance last night and Hall's performance earlier this week, the ability to cover multiple innings oftentimes in high-leverage situations is a huge boost for a Brewers bullpen that had been overworked through the first two months of the season.