Brewers overtake Cubs in NL Central with 11th straight win
The Milwaukee Brewers are done tormenting the Los Angeles Dodgers but the team kept up its winning ways. After completing a historic six-game sweep in LA, Milwaukee headed up the coast for a three-game tilt against the Seattle Mariners. And the Brewers took the series opener on Monday, extending their winning streak.
Milwaukee has now won 11-straight games and 12 of their last 13 contests. The remarkable run has propelled the team past the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central for the first time this season, per MLB. And the Brewers now have the best record in baseball at 60-40.
Brandon Woodruff was electric in just his third start of the season. The Brewers' ace allowed two hits and no walks while striking out five in six scoreless innings. Woodruff missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2023. But he rejoined the rotation earlier this month and has looked sharp, giving up just three runs and racking up 23 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings.
The Brewers' bullpen completed the shutout against Seattle Monday as Aaron Ashby and Grant Anderson combined for three scoreless innings.
The Brewers have battled to the best record in baseball
Mariners starter George Kirby got off to a strong start, holding Milwaukee hitless through the first 5 1/3 innings Monday. However, the Brewers touched him up in the sixth. William Contreras, Christian Yelich, Isaac Collins and Jackson Chourio all drove in runs in the inning, putting Milwaukee up 4-0.
Chourio topped things off with an RBI single in the eighth as the Brewers won 6-0. While Milwaukee extended its winning streak to 11-straight, Chourio now has a 15-game hit streak. He's batting .373 with 14 RBI and 14 runs scored since the beginning of July.
With the Brewers' win and Chicago's 12-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee now has sole possession of first place in the NL Central. Just a little over two weeks ago, the Cubs held a four-game advantage in the division. The Brewers are now one game ahead of them.
The team has found different ways to win during the hot streak but pitching has been a key. The entire staff has performed well but the Brewers got standout starts from Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski against the Dodgers.
The Brewers' rookie All-Star will attempt to keep the win streak alive when he makes his sixth-career start on Tuesday. Misiorowski will face Mariners' ace Logan Gilbert.
Related: Brewers pulls off MLB standings feat not seen in 43 years
Related: Top prospects Milwaukee Brewers must trade at 2025 MLB trade deadline
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
19 minutes ago
- NBC News
Some MLB teams make trades. This one dealt nearly half its roster
A month and a half into this season, the hottest team in Major League Baseball played in Minnesota. When the standings closed on May 17, the Twins had won 13 consecutive games to sit second in their division. It was the franchise's longest winning streak in 34 years, and the longest in all of MLB since 2022. Minnesota had one of baseball's best staff of relief pitchers and an All-Star outfielder in Byron Buxton. Suddenly, a spring training declaration by the team's top baseball executive, Derek Falvey, that reaching the World Series 'has to be the mission from Day One,' sounded more like a possibility. By this week's trade deadline, that mission had changed dramatically. No longer ascending in the standings, the Twins had moved from a buyer looking to bolster its lineup ahead of a playoff run into a seller trying to extract some value from a lost season — the kind of shift in thinking that happens to numerous teams across all professional sports. Yet the scope of the Twins sell-off Thursday, in the final hours before the deadline, was anything but typical. Many teams out of playoff contention sell off key parts; the Twins, however, took it to an extreme. Over nine trades, they dealt away 11 players from a 26-man roster. When Falvey sent a signed message to fans late Thursday, he wrote that 'this wasn't about patchwork or small adjustments." That was an understatement. 'We had been hovering around or under .500 for a period of time and just couldn't quite get things going in the right direction, and we've got to find a new way to do it,' Falvey told reporters. Falvey framed the roster reset as a baseball decision for the future of a team that had gone from six games above .500 on May 17 to six games under. But along with bringing back a collection of prospects, the trade also accomplished slashing its payroll, and making it less expensive to operate. The trade of the highest-paid Twin, shortstop Carlos Correa, was effectively to ensure that another team, Houston, would foot the bill for more than $70 million of his remaining salary. The Twins have historically never been among the top-spending teams, and their decline since May had only further disincentivized adding costs to a team whose ownership has been publicly looking to get out of the baseball business since late last year, when the Pohlad family — which has owned the franchise since 1984 — announced it was looking sell the team. 'The sale process continues to be an ongoing reality for our organization and something that we will work through at the right time,' Falvey said. The intention to sale was announced at a time when labor peace between players and the league, and the attractiveness of owning a franchise in a smaller market, have come under question. Six teams last season had a payroll of $102 million or less, according to Spotrac, less than the amount the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly paid in taxes alone. The average MLB team valuation at the season's start was $2.62 billion, per CNBC. Minnesota's $1.6 billion valuation ranked 22nd out of 30 teams. The few remaining holdovers include pitcher Joe Ryan and Buxton, who only two weeks earlier had noted the security provided by his no-trade clause. "I'm a Minnesota Twin for the rest of my life," Buxton said at the All-Star game. "So, that's the best feeling in the world." The Twins woke up to a different feeling Friday. To fill out their roster for their first game after the deadline, the Twins were forced to call up eight players from the minor leagues. Gone are five relievers from a bullpen that had shined during the team's winning streak, including top closer Jhoan Duran. Players on longer contracts, such as Correa, and others expiring at the end of the season were dealt with equal measure. On Reddit, one user noted that the roster upheaval had turned the Twins' official Instagram account into a series of graphics announcing either a 'trade alert' or a 'thank you' to a departed player. The extreme teardown took place less than two years after Minnesota won its division and made the postseason for the first time in three years. 'I had some conversations with the front office in Minnesota and we were not moving in the direction that I thought we were after [making] the playoffs [in 2023], and they agreed with me that it was time to move me,' Correa told And 10 others, too.
Chicago Tribune
22 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
3 things to watch in August for the Chicago White Sox, who are on the verge of passing last year's win total
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The trade deadline had just passed. And fresh off winning two of three against the playoff-contending Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz couldn't wait to see his team return to the field. 'In the last year and a half as general manager here, I've never been more excited to come into the ballpark,' Getz said on a video conference Thursday. 'You go into a game knowing you have a chance to win. 'There's a lot that goes into winning baseball games. We've got more pieces than we have in the past that can help us win ballgames.' After a day off Thursday, the Sox returned to action with the first of three games at Angel Stadium against the Los Angeles Angels. They ended July on a strong note, winning eight of 12 after the All-Star break. 'Offensively it's really come alive, and a lot of that is Luis Robert,' Getz said. 'That has an influence throughout the lineup. There's more action on the basepaths when he gets on base, and obviously there's different ways to get on base. He's taken his walks and he's driving the baseball and wreaking havoc on the bases. 'And I think that has really helped, whether it be Kyle Teel and (Edgar) Quero and (Colson) Montgomery, more opportunities to drive in runs.' While there was interest from other teams, the Sox held on to Robert at the deadline. They did make two deals Wednesday and Thursday, sending outfielder Austin Slater to the New York Yankees and pitcher Adrian Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays. With the trades complete, here are three things to watch for the Sox in August. The Sox won only 41 games in 2024 while setting a modern-day MLB record with 121 losses. They got their 40th win of 2025 with Wednesday's 9-3 victory against the Phillies. The Sox didn't win their 40th game last year until Sept. 28. No. 41 came the next day in the season finale. The Sox entered Friday with a 40-69 record and were in last place in the American League Central — 11½ games behind the fourth-place Minnesota Twins and 23½ behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers. But they have made improvements. And Getz said the second-half success begins at the plate. 'Hitting the fastball has really opened up the possibilities for us offensively, and we've been able to score more runs,' he said. 'So I'd say that stands out the most. 'There's been some really good pitching performances. Our bullpen has become much more reliable, and Grant Taylor is a big part of that. We've been able to have pitchers settle into more roles that perhaps are more suitable for their skill set. So I think (the) bullpen, starters and our offense are to credit.' Getz highlighted the development of rookies Teel, Quero and Montgomery. All three homered Wednesday. 'These young players that are performing well,' he said. 'And you look at Colson Montgomery and where things were not too long ago (pressing pause at Triple A to work on his swing at the club's Arizona facility) to what he's doing is remarkable. 'But you look at Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, just watching what they did (Wednesday). We scratch Adrian Houser (from his scheduled start) and we still come out with a win. That's not an easy thing to do, and that speaks to the roster we have and the creativity of our staff. 'So just to go into games on a regular basis and knowing that we've got a chance to win that night, (that) there's a pathway to win — (manager) Will (Venable) refers to it as a pathway to victory — that makes it a lot of fun.' While the Sox roster remained largely intact after the deadline, the Twins dealt nearly 40% of their roster. The Sox will see the Twins in late August at Rate Field. The Sox played just one AL Central foe in July, dropping three of four to the Cleveland Guardians right before the All-Star break. They'll see all four divisional rivals this month, beginning with the Guardians on Aug. 8-10 at Rate Field. The homestand also includes three games against the Tigers (Aug. 11-13). The Sox then head to Kansas City for a three-game series against the Royals (Aug. 15-17). The Twins visit Rate Field on Aug. 22-24, followed by the Royals on Aug. 25-27. The Sox are 7-20 against the AL Central this season. The Sox have to tweak their rotation after the Houser trade. 'Losing Adrian Houser and what he brings in the rotation is not easy to plug, both the production and the innings,' Getz said. 'But Martín Pérez is going on a rehab (assignment, with his first outing for Triple-A Charlotte scheduled for Saturday) and certainly can be helpful down the final stretch, and then you look at Shane Smith, who's about to return in Anaheim. 'But we also know we're probably going to tap into some players we have in the minor leagues as well.' Sox starters and relievers could be facing some MVP-type challenges this month. After the three games in Anaheim, the Sox visit Seattle, where Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is having a phenomenal season. He leads the majors with 42 home runs and 88 RBIs. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge — currently on the injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow — is second in the AL in both categories with 37 home runs and 85 RBIs and is tops in just about every other department, including batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.449) and slugging (.711). The Yankees visit Rate Field on Aug. 28-31. After a 12-13 July, Getz is eagerly anticipating what's ahead for the Sox. 'These next two months I think are going to be exciting,' he said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio placed on injured list with strained right hamstring
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers placed outfielder Jackson Chourio on the 10-day injured list Friday after evaluations of his strained right hamstring revealed more significant issues than expected. Chourio was injured Tuesday while running the bases on a triple in the fifth inning. The move to the IL was made retroactive to Wednesday. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said the 21-year-old Chourio will likely require more than a minimum stay on the injured list. 'It won't be anytime soon,' Murphy said before the Brewers' series opener against Washington. 'He was diagnosed a little more severely than we initially thought. To what extent, I'm not exactly sure. Nor are they. We're just going to have to rehab it.' Murphy said Chourio will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection. Chourio is hitting .276 with 17 homers, 67 RBIs and 18 steals for Milwaukee, which entered Friday with the best record in the majors at 64-44. He was replaced on the active roster by outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who the Brewers acquired Thursday from San Diego for pitcher Nestor Cortes, infielder Jorge Quintana and cash. Lockridge, who hit .216 with five RBIs in 47 games with the Padres this season, was inserted into the leadoff slot Friday against the Nationals. ___ AP MLB:
