Each and every year, president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell are peppered with questions about a perceived surplus or logjam at one position or another and each and every time they're asked, both remind the intrepid reporters asking those questions that it is a long season, injuries happen and depth is a key to success for any team.
Early returns: 5 things we've learned about the Brewers over the first month of the season
As the Brewers turn the calendar to May and hit the road for a seven-game road trip starting Monday night in Philadelphia, here are five takeaways from their first month of action.
DEPTH MATTERS
STARTERS ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD
Anyone who's watched the team this year already knows this, but Milwaukee's rotation has been so good so far that it's worth repeating. Prior to Sunday, when Alec Bettinger's MLB debut (above) turned into a nightmare with a five-run first inning, the Brewers' starters combined for a 2.57 ERA, second only to the San Francisco Giants in all of baseball. After Bettinger's 11-run performance, Milwaukee's rotation still owns a 3.18, the fifth-best mark in the NL and sixth in MLB.
OFFENSE IS REALLY, REALLY BAD — BUT EFFECTIVE
On the other end of the spectrum, Milwaukee's offense is still a concern. The Brewers are last in the National League with a .217 batting average and .301 on-base percentage. Their 35 home runs are good for sixth in the NL and help boost their slugging percentage to .373 (11th/NL), while their .674 OPS ranks 13th.
THINGS AREN'T AS BAD AS THEY SEEM
Even with the injuries, the slumps, roster shuffles and their blow-up loss Sunday, the Brewers still woke up Monday atop the National League Central Division, a game up on second-place St. Louis and 3 1/2 ahead of the third-place Reds.
THIS TEAM COULD BE FOR REAL
No doubt, there is still way too much baseball left. A lot can happen between now and September and there's plenty of teams in franchise history that saw strong April starts wiped out by May swoons, but that the Brewers have been able to navigate this challenging stretch without losing ground while taking care of business against their divisional rivals is encouraging.
The 22-year-old began the season as Milwaukee's top-rated minor league prospect after an eye-popping spring training, but a muscle strain in his left leg has limited him to two games so far.
Tyrone Taylor delivers a two-out, tiebreaking single as Milwaukee caps its road trip with a 2-5 record.
The Brewers will increase capacity at American Family Field starting Saturday, and the Bucks will do it when the NBA playoffs get underway at Fiserv Forum later this month.
