The Brewers arrived at American Family Field on Friday with the National League’s top seed already tucked away, but nobody in the clubhouse was treating the final Cardinals series like an exhibition. Milwaukee has three regular-season games left before a five-day pause, and the stated mission is straightforward: play clean baseball, stay healthy and carry some edge into the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Key takeaways
- Milwaukee has locked up the best record in Major League Baseball, home-field advantage through the World Series and a first-round bye.
- The Brewers won the NL Central for a fourth consecutive season and became the first MLB club in three years to reach 100 wins.
- Manager Pat Murphy plans to rest players selectively while continuing to manage the Cardinals series with winning in mind.
- First baseman Andrew Vaughn went on the 10-day injured list after an illness, though he will be eligible for the Brewers’ postseason opener.
- Shortstop Cooper Pratt was scratched from Friday’s initial lineup as he continues to recover from an illness.
Keeping the engine running
Christian Yelich, the club’s unofficial captain, said the approach should not change simply because there is nothing left to clinch. The Brewers know a break is coming, he said, and want to keep moving until the regular season is complete.
Right fielder Sal Frelick pointed to the people filling the park as one reason the games still carry weight. With roughly 40,000 ticket holders in the stands, Frelick said he has never viewed a Major League game as meaningless. Reliever Aaron Ashby framed the coming postseason as a monthlong dash, making it easier, in his view, to keep pushing now. Second baseman Brice Turang reduced it to the basic clubhouse standard: these are games Milwaukee wants to win.
The club has piled up plenty over the past 10 days. Milwaukee sealed another division title, matched and then surpassed the franchise victory record, secured its bye and became the first team in the Majors in three years to win 100 games. The Brewers also assured themselves at least a share of baseball’s best overall record for a second straight season, ultimately securing the No. 1 seed and home field throughout the World Series.
That leaves pride, preparation and professional habits as the stakes against St. Louis, which has already been eliminated. Murphy acknowledged that his choices will differ from those he might make during a midseason Cardinals matchup, but he does not want the standard of play to dip.
He compared the mindset to Kobe Bryant approaching any basketball game with a certain intensity. A great player might not attack every possession with the same all-out urgency as a major game, Murphy said, but would still compete with purpose rather than switch off.
Murphy’s demand for detail was clear a night earlier in Philadelphia. He removed All-Star catcher William Contreras, who was serving as designated hitter, after Contreras failed to run hard on an infield ground ball. Contreras was back catching the following day and said the incident belonged to the previous night. He then backed up that message in the first inning against the Cardinals, sprinting down the line and diving headfirst into first base on a groundout.
Health takes priority before the NLDS
Milwaukee’s manager said his main weekend objectives are crisp play and good health. The second part has become more complicated by recent illness issues around the roster.
Pratt remained affected by the sickness that kept him from the Brewers’ division-clinching celebration early in the last road trip. He has had trouble maintaining his weight and endured a rough defensive game at shortstop in Philadelphia on Thursday, leading to his removal from Friday’s original lineup.
Vaughn’s illness was more severe. The first baseman stayed in his Philadelphia hotel room for two consecutive days, Wednesday and Thursday, and traveled separately to Milwaukee on Friday. Although he returned to the team that afternoon, the Brewers placed him on the 10-day injured list rather than attempt to get him back into the lineup for Saturday or Sunday.
The placement was backdated to Tuesday, leaving Vaughn eligible for Game 1 of the postseason. Milwaukee expects him to get his timing back during next week’s workouts and scrimmages, a pre-NLDS routine similar to the preparation the club used last season before defeating the Cubs in the Division Series.
Murphy expects to give some regulars time off and may use the last few games to test a player at a position he could need in an emergency. Still, he said, the goal remains to win. The at-bats matter because of the upcoming layoff, and the Brewers intend to turn that break into an advantage rather than let it dull the club before October.
