Jeff Levering – What the Milwaukee Brewers Need for a Deep Postseason Run | Jen, Gabe & Chewy
It’s going to be it’s going to be fine. Innings came last night. Just it’s all good. Um it’s all good, man. It’s all good. Before we get to the final week of the season, I figured I’d ask you this question. We just gave away a book. Uh it just came out today from Greeny and Hembo of Get Up Fame. Uh Know Your Legends is the name of it, and they give the Mount Rushmore for basically every team in major North American sports. So, do you think you could name the four names that they put down for the Brewers Mount Rushmore? I’m guessing it’s uh Robin Y. I’m guessing it’s Bob Uker. Yes, sir. I’m guessing it’s Bud Celig. That is correct. Uh let’s see. Number four would be uh probably Paul Moler, even though Yelich is Yelich should be on there at the end of the day. Yeah, number four was number four. So, uh yeah, Paul Moler. I think that being being in the Hall of Fame as a brewer, I think kind of kind of helps out Molly’s case. Yeah, for sure. So, that’s fun. What’s not fun is the news we got on Sunday. And even as a Packer fan, I feel I was more gutted um for the Brandon Woodruff news that came out on Sunday, even after the Packers performance on Sunday. I I I know they haven’t ruled it out completely, but when the manager is using words like he’s devastated for Woody, it doesn’t make me hopeful that he’s going to be getting the ball uh for a game in the divisional series. What what what can you tell us about the uh lat strain from Brandon Woodruff? It it seems to be a mild strain, which is first and foremost the most important. However, the the language used as in was uh by Brandon Woodruff talking about his season. Um Pat Murphy was using the word was quite a bit, it makes you think that he’s thrown his last pitch of the year. I will say that I mean you knew that there was going to be a limit on how much he was going to pitch over the course of this season coming off of zero innings a year ago. You weren’t sure how many innings you were going to get out of Brandon Woodruff this year. But listen, he pitched he pitched his tail off when he was out there. He was great. The velocity was good. The stuff was even better. There’s an outside chance that he’s available to pitch in the division series. I’m not sure what what the percentage is. I’m not going to put a number on it. I just hope I get an opportunity to see Brandon Woodruff pitch in a postseason game at some point because he’s he’s meant so much to this organization with him and Christian Yell and Freddy Peralt to those core three guys that have been here during this stretch of winning going to the playoff seven of the last eight years. Um you would hate to see this happen again for Woody like it did in 23 where he gets to the end of the season and then makes one last regular season start and he’s not able to pitch in the postseason. You’d hate to see that this year. Uh I’m hopeful, but I I’m also I’m also a realist as well. I just I just hope Brandon Wood’s going to be all right. We’ve seen celebrations for clinching the playoffs, clinching the division, and the last one kind of looming out there is the uh number one overall seed and homefield advantage throughout. How important do you think it is for the Brewers to nab that that number one overall seed in the NL? I they’ve secured the buy already which was the most important thing. So you get a week off until you start the division series on the fourth. So that that’s really important but I do think it’s important to get that one seed as well. Firstly the atmosphere at American Family Field having your home games there. If you can have home games there for every single series and guarantee that you’re going to have the first home games there that’s really important. The other part is is that you have something to play for still, right? You you don’t want to sit there and not have anything to play for. They’ve got two things, still two more boxes to check. It’s homefield advantage and also going for that franchise record in wins, which is 97. They’ve got to win two more ball games in the next five in order to get there. Um, you know, last night was a gut-wrenching loss, right? You you get that it was a a wonderful win. You you did everything you needed to do. The strike zone was atrocious. Nonetheless, nonetheless, um, you wish you could have come out with that game because it’s always important to get that first win of a of a series, but I I I think that they’re still hungry to get that franchise record and wins at 97. What is the plan, do you think, for the divisional series pitching wise with Woody out? I I I was feeling really good because you only need three because the off days that are built into the divisional series. Obviously, Freddy goes game one. I think Quinn Pier, as good as he’s been, is going game two. What’s the plan for game three? Because Murf also made it seem like that’s not an option for Ms.ki with the way he talked on Sunday as well. What What are they going to do in that third game for a starting pitcher? I think they’re going to go Johnny Holstaf for for game number three. It depends on who you’re going to who you’re going to run out there to start the game. Can you go with a a Robert Gasser? Sure. Can you go with a Chad Patrick? Sure. He’s thrown his tail off all year long. Uh you’d feel pretty comfortable with Chad Patrick going. the the only question is is that that game is going to be on the road. So, who do you want to make that start on the road in a hostile environment wherever it is? Whether it’s in Chicago or whether it’s in New York if the playoff or I should say San Diego if the playoffs began today. Who do you want to go out there and make that start? Um, you know, there there are a lot of options. Hopefully, Jose Kintana’s calf can heal in the next two weeks as well. I mean, that would be another great option if he’s if he’s willing and able to do it with that calf injury. That would be a perfect option. Um, but we’ll see where he is healthwise. But I they’re going to run out whoever they’re going to run out there and and parse together 27 outs the best way that they can. Jeff Levering and all Brewers talk on ESPN Milwaukee is brought to you by the Neurospine Center of Wisconsin. The Brewers are unconditionally relentless. Uh, I’m going to take some accountability for the program here and all of our programming. Um, we don’t talk enough about Bryce Tra and just how excellent he’s been this season. I was say, what did I do? Where are we going? Where are we going with this? You’re gulpable. Oh, no. We suck again. One, how has Bryce turned into what he has become? And why isn’t he getting the recognition probably that he is well deserving of at this point? I’ll start with number two. It’s because he plays for the Brewers and nobody talks about the Brewers enough. Um because it’s the best team in Major League Baseball that nobody knows about. Um and if he played for the Philadelphia Phillies or the Mets or the Dodgers, everybody would be talking about him. So that’s three dings. Perfect. I think that just for good measure. Yeah, just another one. Bryce is Bryce is going to get some MVP votes. Is he going to get first place votes? No. Show Otani is going to win the the MVP and I understand why and he’s really good and that’s fine. I understand that. But he might finish in the top five. And I think that that’s the whole collection of work that he has put together. Yes, he’s amazing defensively. He’s starting to hit home runs, but he’s also getting base hits the other way. He had a nice single last night. I mean, he he scores on that that two hopper to short in the 10th inning last night to give the Brewers the lead. He He does everything. He does everything well. He has dedicated himself to this craft to get better. He knew he was a good player. Did anybody know there was 18 home runs in that bat? No. Did anybody think that there was this kind of power with that that lean body? Probably not. But he has found something and untapped all this. And they were talking about it in spring training. And the way that he was hitting the ball in spring training with authority, you went, “Wow.” Okay. Okay. Look at you, Bryce. Look at you. This looks This looks good. And the the real lititness test is home runs the other way. Anybody could pull homers, but you’re seeing him go out to center. You’re seeing him go out to left. That’s where the big boys hit their home runs. And he’s hitting big boy home runs this year. But he’s also not losing his swing as a result. It It’s been super impressive. And still playing outstanding defense every single night. He’s out there just ruling it at second base. Yeah, I I can’t imagine too many Brewers fans at the beginning of the season would have thought you would had a lineup where Christian Yelich is batting lead off and Bryce Terang’s batting third like they did last night. But this lineup is can be so incredibly deep, Jeff. Like I love the lineup they ran out the other night. You had Bowers batting seventh, you had Vaughn batting eighth. And even though there are some injuries with the pitching staff, I still feel great about this team because of the depth of the lineup. It’s just Bryce has been fantastic. Christian’s been fantastic, but it’s one through eight. I mean, you’ve got some some really good guys that you have to get out over the course of a five or seven game series that makes me feel really good about this offense. Just just exactly how deep is this team? Yeah, it it’s super scrappy, too. I mean, it’s they’ve been doing it all year long and and they’re not relying on homers. I mean, they didn’t homer last night. You you got just base hits and doubles and team speed and everybody is contributing in this lineup and you like you said one through eight you starting to get some contributions from Joey Ortiz. He had a great series in St. Louis. He’s got to get more consistent at the bottom of the order. You know inevitably he’s going to come up with the bases loaded at some point in the playoff. I mean he record for ABS with the bases loaded because I swear he’s had to have sprint past it this year. He’s got 30. He’s tied for the major league lead. Tied for the major league lead with at bats with the bases loaded. And it feels more than 30, doesn’t it? It feels like it should be 130. But he’s always coming to the plate with guys on base. That’s a credit to what the guys in the top of the order are doing to give him those opportunities with men on base. Um, and to be honest, his numbers with with guys in scoring position are pretty good. He’s hitting like 280 with runners in scoring position. So, that’s a good thing. Yeah. Right. Anybody would, anybody would. Anybody set up for 250 at this point, but you’re right with the the ability of this entire lineup to be dynamic and and it’s not relying upon the home runs, which makes you think that in the playoffs, this is going to be almost slump proof. Like they they really were relying on the home run in 2021. And that’s when you saw that offense just die over the last month of the season. That’s why I don’t think this this offense has that in them. They they’ve been shown it for the last four months. Uh I’m going to say this on the front end. I’m asking you a nearly impossible question to answer here, but I Awesome. Thanks. I love that already. You’re really setting up our our guests to succeed. I I I think I think you’ll have a good answer regardless of the impossibility of this singular answer. But what’s the biggest reason that the Brewers have become so consistently good and appearing in the playoffs as often as they had? Because this isn’t normal. This is the golden era of the Brewers right now. And I just I think there’s a lot of reasons, but I can’t really put my finger on the biggest one. I I think that they’ve just been so consistent. Um player development wise, they haven’t missed on a lot of picks. They’ve been really smart with the guy that the guys that they have brought in. I mean, look at who’s running the ship, right? Whether it’s Matt Arnold at the top or David Sterns before that, Pat Murphy’s been right at the middle of all of it. He was the bench coach during the Craig Council era and they haven’t missed a beat. They’ve they’ve been a better team since Pat Murphy took over. I think that’s a big part of it. I think that’s a really big part of it. And I think that there’s there’s an axe to grind with a lot of the players that they bring in. And that’s a big big big piece that nobody really talks about is that these guys that the Brewers bring in, they’ve been forgotten, right? And I think a lot of times playing with a chip on your shoulder like nobody cares about you and that you’ve got something to prove means a lot. And to be honest, that’s what the Brewers have done. They’ve turned these guys from the all DFA squad into allars. It’s just something that they do. They do it consistently. Um, and if you’re a free agent or if you’re somebody that gets designated for assignment from somebody, I think you’re sitting in the back of your your back mind and not being upset that you just lost a job, but you’re kind of sitting there going, “Man, I hope the Brewers pick me up because I’m going to have an opportunity. I think I’m going to be pretty good once I’m done.” Jeff, we appreciate the time. Go get some coffee, bud. Can’t wait to talk to you next week when all these other teams are going to be battling it out in the wildard round and the Brewers just get to sit back and watch. It’s going to be so fun. The amount of house work I’m going to get done next week is going to be amazing. My garage my my garage is going to be impeccable when this thing’s all said and done. No, that’s not that’s not until October, buddy. But I’m still going to be This is This is No, not a long time. Yeah. Oh my gosh, I’m going to cut my grass so much. My edges are going to look beautiful. It’s going to be amazing. Jeff Jeff can’t wait in all that work. He hasn’t had time. He’s a busy guy. Thank you, Jeff, for I don’t have enough time. Maybe I’ll go to Home Depot. You got to see time. Bed Bath and Beyond. Jeff Levering. Always enjoy catching up with Jeff. And again, our conversations with Jeff Levering brought to you by Neurospine Center of Wisconsin. Hey guys, it’s Jen from Jen Gab and Chewy. Thanks for watching our clip. I’m sure it was super informative and educational. I’m just kidding. I love those knuckleheads. And we do it live every Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. on 945 ESPN Milwaukee. 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Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster Jeff Levering joins Jen, Gabe & Chewy to break down what the team needs to lock in before October. From pitching depth to clutch hitting, Jeff shares his expert insight on how the Brewers can make a serious postseason push.
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