This could be the year!
The Milwaukee Brewers wrapped up their final exhibition game Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. The score didn't matter but Corbin Burnes looked really sharp. He tossed nearly four innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts in what was his final tuneup before being unleashed against the Cardinals.
Milwaukee will open up at home against the rival Cardinals on Thursday. Both teams are projected to be forces in the National League this year. First pitch will be thrown out at 1:10 PM from Miller Park. Jhoulys Chacin, who took the ball in most of the high leverage games last year, will toe the rubber in the home opener. Miles Mikolas will look to play spoiler for the Cardinals.
So how are the Brewers sitting entering the 2019 season? First, the bad. The Brewers will open the season with three of their key hurlers on the DL. Jimmy Nelson and Jeremy Jeffress will be eased back within the first month or two. While Corey Knebel looks to be out an extended amount time with an elbow injury.
The good? Milwaukee's starting pitching is chucked full of young, talented arms. Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, and Corbin Burnes will follow Chacin in the rotation. All are under the age of 26. It will be fun to watch them grow this year. This group could be special.
When it comes to position players, the Brewers could not be stronger and healthier entering the season. A talented lineup from last year got even better this offseason when the team added one of the premier catchers in the game. Yasmani Grandal offers Milwaukee a switch hitting option with plus power from the left-hand side of the plate. They also retained Mike Moustakas who was a fan favorite and a big key in their run last year.
This could be the year! Craig Counsell has a plethora of options to deploy on a daily basis. Upper management has opened the wallet this offseason and is all in on this group. It's a new wave of Milwaukee baseball. So hop on board and I'll be your guide through this 2019 season covering Brewers games from Door and Kewaunee Counties and from Miller Park.
