Lorenzo Cain defends Brewers’ pitching staff against critics
The Milwaukee Brewers have had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball this season, but many people think it’s only a matter of time before they implode. Lorenzo Cain doesn’t know what those people are talking about.
The Brewers pursued starting pitchers at the trade deadline on Tuesday but ultimately came up short. They reportedly inquired about top-line starters like Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. After the way Wide Miley pitched in a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cain feels Milwaukee doesn’t need any additional help.
“For me, the pitching has been carrying our team all year long,” the veteran outfielder said, via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “For me, that speaks for itself.”
Miley, a 31-year-old with a career 4.31 ERA who posted a 5.61 ERA in 32 starts with the Baltimore Orioles last season, lowered his ERA to 1.53 in six starts with the win over the Dodgers. He threw seven innings of two-hit ball against one of the better teams in the National League.
Critics will say Miley can’t keep that up, and they’re probably right. But the same has been said about Chase Anderson, Jhoulys Chacin, Junior Guerra, and Freddy Peralta, all of whom have ERAs in the threes. As a team, the Brewers rank seventh in the MLB in starting pitching with a 3.80 ERA. They’re fifth among teams in overall pitching with a 3.60 ERA.
The season is well beyond the halfway point, and the Brewers have been very good. There will certainly be questions about the sustainability of their rotation’s success heading into the postseason, but they made a nice addition to their bullpen and continue to get the job done. Unless something changes, Cain’s assessment is spot-on.
