Brewers Week In Review: June 13 — June 19

June 19, 2022
|In Brewers
|By Ben Kenney

The train is back on the tracks for the 2022 Milwaukee Brewers. The team was badly in need of a good week after a 2-9 start to the month of June saw its lead in the NL Central evaporate. That’s exactly what manager Craig Counsell and company got, as a weekend sweep of the Reds made up for a 1-2 set in New York against the Mets and allowed them to close the week at 4-2.

There are many storylines to note, none bigger than Counsell finally surpassing Phil Garner for most managerial wins in Brewers history. The team’s 10-2 triumph in New York on Wednesday got him that milestone after it took a total of 11 games to win Counsell the final 2 he needed.

Another big story came Saturday morning when the club decided to designate OF Lorenzo Cain for assignment. Cain was a significant piece of the team’s run to the NLCS in 2018 and was a clubhouse staple since signing with the club in January of 2018. In a classy move, the Brewers made the tough call on the day Cain reached 10 years of MLB service time, ensuring Cain would receive full pension benefits moving forward.

Now, on to the baseball.

 

Record: 4-2

Current Standing: 38-30 (T1st in NL Central with St. Louis)

 

The Good: Leadoff Yelich

There is a lot of “good” to note from the week, including good power performances from Hunter Renfroe (3 HRs, 1.137 OPS) and Willy Adames (2 HRs) and Jason Alexander’s first career win.

My biggest storyline is the emergence of a new Christian Yelich. Counsell made the call to move him up to the leadoff spot (a move I’ve wondered about for some time) a little more than a week ago. Yelich has contributed consistently since that point, as he’s reached base safely in 9 of 10 games since the switch, he’s scored 8 runs and his year-long slash line has risen to .242/.325/.706.

By no means is he the Yelich of 2018, but the power numbers and consistency just weren’t there when he was in the 3 slot. This version of the former MVP should get fans excited, as he’s become an on-base machine at the top of the lineup and now consistently sets up Renfroe, Adames, Rowdy Tellez and others with RBI opportunities.

Counsell deserves a tip of the cap for sliding him up to leadoff and give Yelich some credit as well for adapting to a new role. This team will win baseball games thanks to his production at the top of the lineup.

 

The Bad: Not Much

There really isn’t much “bad” to note from the week. Tuesday’s loss in New York was just a dud of a performance, kind of a carry-over from the two-week-long struggle the team had. Then Thursday’s loss happens during the long season, with an error in the 8th giving the Mets the lead and the tying run being thrown out at the plate in the 9th.

Maybe I’m an optimist. I view the team’s sweep of the Reds as a great turning point from the long skid, especially with some key players getting set to return to the field.

Some individual struggles that are worth mentioning: Aaron Ashby (4 ER in 4.1 innings), Luis Urias (4/21, .547 OPS).

 

MVP: 

-Hunter Renfroe (6/21, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, .286/.423/1.137)

 

Stat Of The Week:

 

Video(s) Of The Week:

 

Tweets Of The Week:

 

Next Week: vs. STL, vs. TOR

Brewers Christian Yelich Craig Counsell news phil garner schedule stats