Although I had the Brewers picked to go to the playoffs via one of the two Wild Card berths, even I'm a bit surprised about their hot start to the season. The brew crew is 10-2 thus far, and while they're not going to be able to sustain that kind of record the entire season, it wouldn't surprise me to see them win 95 games. Here's why:
A deep lineup
Other than Ryan Braun there really isn't a superstar in this lineup, and just how much he is going to produce in 2014 is still in question as he comes off his suspension for PED's. Names like Jonathan Lucroy, Kris Davis, and Jean Segura may not jump off the page at you, but these are solid big league hitters. The more I look at the Brewers lineup the harder it is to find holes in it. They may not have as many superstars as the Dodgers, but they certainly have a much better balance to their lineup. I put them right up with the Cardinals in terms of toughest lineup to get through in the National League.
This is only going to be an asset of the Brewers if 2014 Yovani Gallardo looks more like the 2009-2012 version. He wasn't terrible last season, finishing with a 4.18 ERA, but his strikeout numbers were way down, averaging only 7.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. To be the ace of this rotation he'll have to be more like the strikeout per inning guy he was the previous 4 seasons. The Brewers finally brought Gallardo in some help this offseason though in Matt Garza, which should ease some of the pressure that was previously on him. If these guys are right, they can be one of the best top of the rotation combinations in the NL.
Weak spots
With Kyle Lohse, Wily Peralta, and Marco Estrada behind Garza and Gallardo this rotation should be able to hold its weight. The issue I have with the rotation though is a lack of left handed pitching as they have none. For the regular season this might not matter, but come playoff time it could cause them trouble if they run into a club laden with left handed hitting. Its not the worst weakness a team could have, but its something to keep your eye on.
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