Gorman Thomas on the Brewers’ managerial change during the 1982 season
Gorman Thomas and producer Kelly Kahl, both involved in the documentary “Just a Bit Outside” about the 1982 Brewers, remember a managerial change in the middle of the season.
The offensive was blocked. The champagne remained on ice. Ground was lost in the fight for a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
From that perspective, it was not a great night for the Milwaukee Brewers.
But all was not lost if you look at Tuesday night’s 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies from a bird’s eye view.
RESULT: Phillies 5, Brewers 1
With the Chicago Cubs losing 4-2 75 miles south, the Brewers’ magic number dropped to one, giving them another chance to win on Wednesday.
The other bright spot for the Brewers was starter Frankie Montas, who pitched better than his final lineup suggested and took another step toward becoming a reliable playoff starter for Milwaukee.
Frankie Montas throws well in the rest of the season
Nick Castellanos caught a fastball on the first pitch to start the second inning. Bryce Harper hit a cutter, which was an error.
Other than that, Montas was nearly flawless in his 5 ⅔ innings on Tuesday, recording 10 strikeouts, bringing his September punchout total to 28 in three starts.
“I thought I threw the ball pretty well,” Montas said. “I only missed one pitch. That’s what happens when you’re playing against good lineups and good hitters. You have to limit your misses. Other than that, I thought I threw the ball pretty well today.”
The Phillies showed why they have one of the best teams in baseball by punishing two of Montas’ rare errors in an otherwise dominant start. But aside from the final line, the way Montas looked on the mound was encouraging.
This has been the trend throughout most of his tenure with the Brewers since he was acquired from the Reds at the trade deadline for Joey Wiemer and Jakob Junis.
Montas said he feels back to his old self in terms of strikeouts after his recent start.
The numbers prove it.
In 93 ⅓ innings with the Reds, Montas struck out 78 batters. In 50 ⅔ innings with the Brewers, he struck out 60.
Where does this swing and miss revival come from?
“I’m a little surprised myself,” Montas said. “I’m a little surprised. I haven’t really been able to knock out many people this year. Honestly, since I got here, they’ve done nothing but help me and take my game to the next level and get back to being the guy I was before my injury. I can only say good things about the way they’ve taught me to use my stuff.”
Montas has improved some of his movement skills, such as shortening his slider and adding depth. But it was the use of pitches that was behind the turnaround during the season, he said. With a large arsenal and three different fastballs, Montas has a lot to throw to keep hitters off balance at the plate — which is also a type of pitcher that Milwaukee’s pitching development has had success with this year.
“A lot of execution. I just try to use my shots with the right count,” Montas said. “I try to play with my shots and not be predictable.”
It wouldn’t be a stretch to argue that Montas is one of the Brewers’ top two starting pitchers in the playoffs at this point. He’s been a strikeout machine of late, and the only thing that’s really hurt him in recent starts is having to face the opponent’s lineup for the third time, which is unlikely to happen in the playoffs.
It could be a strange Wednesday afternoon
For the second year in a row, the Brewers are facing a, well, strange clinch scenario.
They will arrive at the stadium just as the Chicago Cubs are playing the Oakland A’s at Wrigley Field. With the magic number at just one, a Cubs loss would give the Brewers their second consecutive Central Division title and their third in six years before they even take the field for their series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I’m sure we’ll be here watching it because it’s that time of year and whether we advanced by losing another team or by winning, it’s still an incredible accomplishment that we’re going to celebrate and we deserve it no matter how it happens,” said first baseman-designated hitter Rhys Hoskins. “So I’m excited to see how it goes tomorrow, just like everyone else.”
On September 26 of last year, in the midst of a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field, the Brewers still managed to pull out the win when the Atlanta Braves overcame a six-run deficit to defeat the Cubs at Truist Park.
This was a bit counterintuitive, as players and staff celebrated in the clubhouse after a loss, but at least the timing still made some sense.
How things potentially play out on Wednesday could get strange, as the team is in the midst of preparing for an upcoming game that still has a lot of significance in terms of a potential postseason berth, not to mention that they simply want to play well and increase their season win total.
Champagne and beer will have to be put on ice until the end of the game against the Phillies. And with Aaron Nola – who always gives the Brewers a hard time – in the starting lineup, the challenge will definitely be great.
“We still have to win games here?” Hoskins said. “I know (manager Pat Murphy) talked about not banking on the playoffs. We still have to find a way to play good baseball. I guess you always feel better when you win, right?”
“No matter what is at stake, a win is always better than a loss.”
Another strong pitcher, Cubs left-hander Justin Steele, will also have a say as he is expected to start for the Cubs, who are battling for their postseason chances alongside former Brewers manager Craig Counsell. Chicago enters Wednesday’s game six games back of the third and final wild-card spot in the NL.
And if the Cubs win? Then the Brewers know they have to beat Nola and the Phillies to have a night to celebrate.
“Obviously we’ll keep an eye on the game,” Murphy said. “I hope the guys think, ‘Let’s play well tonight.'”
