Hangin’ with Havel

Chris Havel’s sports columns appear during the week on The FAN’s website. The columns are brought to you by these fine advertisers (click on hyperlink to go to their website/Facebook)

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Love rallies Packers to

35-25 win vs. Steelers

Monday, October 27th 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On a Sunday night replete with quarterback comparisons – some accurate, others forced – it turns out Jordan Love’s performance proved incomparable.

Love didn’t just outplay Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers’ quarterback beat him at his own game.

Love’s play was efficient, effective and at times effortless in Green Bay’s 35-25 win over the Steelers in front of 67,386 at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium.

Love, who succeeded Rodgers after his 18-year Hall of Fame stay in Green Bay, was okay in the first half (13 of 18 for 146 yards and a touchdown). He was insane in the second half.

Love completed 16 of 19 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns to finish with a 134.2 passer rating. He wasn’t sacked and seldom harassed while completing 20 straight passes at one point to tie Brett Favre’s team record for consecutive completions in a game. Rodgers had a 22-completion streak that spanned two games during his days in Green Bay.

That’s how near-flawless Love was Sunday night.

Micah Parsons came away suitably impressed.

“He’s showed he’s the successor,” the Packers’ defensive end said. “He’s the up-and-coming (QB). Like J-Love, talking about when I was coming here, I was like, ‘I know they’ve got a quarterback. I know I’ve got a quarterback.’ I’m just so proud of him, everything he’s been through, how he’s developed as a player, how he’s developed as a person, and he’s just playing some really good football right now.”

So is Parsons and the Packers’ defense.

Parsons had a sack and was constantly disruptive. Rashan Gary had two sacks and was emotional talking about how Parsons received a game ball, and promptly handed it to Gary, saying, “This is yours. You were the best player on defense tonight.”

And Love was clearly the best on offense.

He completed 11 of 15 passes for 183 yards against the blitz. Each of his three touchdown passes came when the Steelers elected to rush five or more.

Love said he learned a lot as Rodgers’ understudy.

“Obviously, being behind A-Rod for three years, being able to see him and just the high-level play that he was capable of going out there and doing and being able to put the ball on the money at all times was very cool for me to be able to see,” Love said.

Christian Watson, who played for the first time in nine months following knee surgery, was asked to explain the difference between the slow start in the first half and the 28-point second half explosion.

Watson credited his quarterback.

“He really took command,” he said of Love. “We knew that in the second half, we had to go out there and execute a lot better. I think he took the helm and just led us and put us in position to make plays, and that’s exactly what we needed from him. He was definitely huge.”

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was effusive in praising Love.

“He was on fire,” LaFleur said. “That’s why I kept wanting to throw the football.”

There’s that, of course, in addition to Watson’s return and Tucker Kraft’s incredible game on National Tight End Day.

Watson caught four passes for 85 yards, including second-half grabs of 33 and 28 yards that directly set up 10 points. The Steelers’ respect for Watson’s speed as a deep threat enabled Kraft to find soft spots in zone coverage.

And when Pittsburgh elected to play man-to-man coverage, Kraft merely outmaneuvered and out-muscled the defender.

Kraft had seven catches on nine targets for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He had a whopping 131 yards AFTER the catch, the most by an NFL tight end since the 49ers’ George Kittle had 135 yards after the catch in 2018.

Kraft’s touchdown catches were a 16-yard catch-and-run in the first half – the Packers’ lone first half TD – and a 24-yard grab in the fourth quarter to bump Green Bay’s lead to 10.

Love relishes having big No. 85 as a security blanket.

“He’s a big-time player and I think everybody’s seen what he’s capable of when he gets the ball in his hands, running people over, getting those extra yards,” Love said of Kraft. “He’s just an explosive play-maker. I’m glad that everybody’s kind of seeing what he’s all about now.”

In turn, Kraft is thrilled to be playing with Love.

“The legacy that (Rodgers) left, I would say Jordan’s filling those shoes,” Kraft said. “When you’re talking about Favre to Rodgers to Love, Jordan has stepped up and fulfilled his end of the bargain.”

Rodgers finished 24 of 36 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and a 101.5 passer rating. He was sacked three times and routinely under duress in part due to an ineffective run game. The Steelers rushed 18 times for 93 yards to no great effect. Pittsburgh was an awful 1-for-10 on third down conversions. They were 1-for-1 in the red zone, the point being they only got their once.

Meantime, Rodgers could only sit and watch as Love carved up the Pittsburgh defense.

“He played great, played fantastic,” Rodgers said of Love. “He’s had a really nice season. He’s been really efficient with the football. He’s opportunistic, though I felt like he was very patient tonight. He took the run solutions, he took the check-downs, moved in the pocket well.

“Thought he played really well.”

The same can be said of the Packers (5-1-1) who sit atop the NFC North and remain the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Packers were the NFC’s only team to win an inter-conference matchup after the AFC went 6-0 entering Sunday night’s game.

The Packers host the Carolina Panthers (4-4) in a noon game Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Crazy as it seems, the Packers’ most pressing question entering the Panthers’ game might be this: “Should they go with Brandon McManus or Lucas Havrisik as their kicker?”

The question is less about McManus’s two misses Sunday night and more about Havrisik, who hasn’t missed yet and hit a 61-yard field goal to set the franchise record a week ago.

It’s rare when a “kicker-related” question isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it was the poor footing. Maybe it was coming off a quad injury. Whatever it was McManus needs to figure it out because the Packers have another option.

In truth, I think McManus will be okay and Havrisik will be a full-time kicker somewhere else in the league.

Packers-Steelers game pits Love vs. Rodgers

Thursday, October 23rd 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’ll take a few snaps to get used to seeing anyone in the Steelers’ “throwback” uniforms, which bear a striking resemblance to Packers’ “throwbacks” of the past.

It’ll be especially strange seeing Aaron Rodgers in that getup.

It’ll add a layer to the “Rodgers vs. Packers” angle: It’ll be like “Rodgers’ old Packers vs. Jordan Love and the current Packers. It’ll be the aging legend vs. the young blood who replaced him.

On Sunday night, it’ll be Packers (4-1-1) at Steelers (4-2) with kickoff set for 7:20 p.m. at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium. Green Bay sits atop the NFC North, while Pittsburgh is in first place in an AFC North that’s seen the Bengals lose quarterback Joe Burrows for the season, the Bengals go without an injured Lamar Jackson for multiple weeks, and the Browns go with rookie Dillon Gabriel after trading Joe Flacco to … the Browns.

It’s a crazy division that AFC North, but not a lot crazier than the NFC North, where the Packers are first with four wins, percentage points ahead of the five-win Lions (5-2) and the Carson Wentz-led Vikings (3-3).

The Lions are on their bye week, while the Vikings are at the Chargers following a 28-22 home loss to Philadephia. Wentz will be making his fifth start in Thursday night’s game against the Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Bears (4-2) have won four straight games. They are at Baltimore to face the Ravens (1-5) and Jackson, who is still dealing with a hamstring injury, back at quarterback.

Chicago could be 5-1 and atop the NFC North if not for JJ McCarthy’s “Player of the Week” fourth-quarter rally as the Vikings edged the Bears 27-24 in Week 1.

Bears’ fans would be insufferable if that were the case.

I should say more insufferable.

I’ll pick the Chargers to edge the Vikings, 24-21, and the Bears to upset the Ravens, 19-17, in a defensive struggle. Jackson’s alleged limited mobility could be the difference.

That leads to the Packers at Pittsburgh.

Rodgers’ limited mobility but pinpoint passing will be put to the test by Green Bay’s defense and Micah Parsons, whose “get off” is nearly as quick as Rodgers’ release.

Rodgers, at 41, is having a good season.

He’s completed 118 of 172 passes for 1,270 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a passer rating of 105 and he’s been sacked nine times.

Jonnu Smith, Pat Friermuth and Darnell Washington are a versatile veteran trio of tight ends. The Steelers are fond of starting games with three tight-end personnel.

Friermuth and Smith are capable down-field pass catchers, while the big-bodied Washington is a strong in-line blocker and capable short to mid-range target.

DK Metcalf remains a dangerous downfield threat.

Rodgers said he’s focused on winning games, rather than dwelling on the past. And he certainly feels no resentment toward the Packers.

“I don’t have any animosity toward the organization,” Rodgers said this week. “This is not a revenge game to me. I’m just excited to see some of those guys.”

When asked if that was always his feeling about the Packers, who traded him to the New York Jets in 2023, Rodgers said, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, maybe.”

“I knew the writing was on the wall when Jordan (Love) was picked, and it was a matter of time.”

Jaylen Warren leads a middle-of-the-pack run game.

Meantime, Love is going to see a Steelers’ defense that isn’t quite as salty as in recent years. Nonetheless, it’s a unit that features a powerful front four with speed at linebacker backed by an inexperienced, underwhelming secondary.

If Love has time to deliver the football it may be a 300-yard day.

In 2023, Love’s “coming out party” occurred at Pittsburgh.

The Packers lost 23-19 but Love’s play was so “on point” that it’s generally referred to as a turning point early in in career.

Love completed 21 of 40 passes for 289 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating was just 71.8, but it was the way in which he answered every Steelers’ score with one for the Packers, it was fairly inspiring.

It also added credibility that it occurred on the road in a hostile environment against a strong Pittsburgh defense.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur discussed the Steelers’ defense and compared today’s versus two years ago.

“You can definitely see, there’s some similarities between two years ago,” he said. “I think they’ve upgraded some of the talent. They still got the front, which is phenomenal. It’s one of the best in football, but they’ve upgraded in some areas.”

Love may be reunited with receiver Christian Watson, who on Wednesday said “It’s my goal and I plan on playing” against the Steelers. Watson is in the midst of his 21-day window to return to the active roster. He has until Monday to be activated, so there’s still a chance he may not play Sunday.

Watson’s return would offset the absence of Jayden Reed, who is on injured reserve while recovering from foot surgery and a broken collar bone.

Watson and rookie speedster Matthew Golden would give the Packers a pair of the NFL’s fastest receiving threats to with Romeo Doubs, Malik Heath and rookie Savion Williams.

The Packers’ ability to force the Steelers to back off the line of scrimmage based on the deep threat may be critical Sunday night. That’s especially true considering what LaFleur had to say about Pittsburgh’s defense.

“I think they’ve gotten much more aggressive with their scheme,” he said. “A lot more man coverage than we saw a few years ago. So, it’ll be interesting to see how they try to attack us. They’re very competitive, and they’ve really feasted on sacks and takeaways. You see it in every game. There’s a lot of carnage in the backfield, and they do a great job of getting the ball out, whether it’s through interceptions or forcing fumbles. Their style of play is as good as it gets in this league.”

It sets up to be a legit challenge for the Packers, especially if T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and the rest get any traction against Green Bay’s offensive line.

I think it’ll be close, but I’m going …

PACKERS 27, STEELERS 24 …

Packers, Parsons find a way to save the day

Monday, October 20th 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Matt LaFleur did what good coaches do.

The seventh-year Packers’ coach instilled confidence in his players by expressing a great deal in them – not at practice or in a meeting – but during the game with the outcome in doubt.

The Packers responded to LaFleur’s emphatic “yes” vote of confidence with a hard-fought 27-23 victory over the Cardinals in front of 64,810 at State Farm Field in Glendale, Ariz.

Trailing 23-20 with 2:32 to play, the Packers’ Josh Jacobs was stymied for a 1-yard loss to set up fourth-and-2 at the Arizona 28-yard line.

LaFleur initially called on Lucas Havrisik to try a game-tying 47-yard field goal. But according to the coach, the expression on his quarterback’s face made him rethink it.

After a timeout, LaFleur elected to go for it.

What’s more he didn’t call a run play, especially after Jacobs had been stopped cold, he went with the dagger. He dialed up a pass play and Jordan Love delivered a strike to Tucker Kraft. The resulting 15-yard gain set up a refreshed Jacobs, who blasted into the end zone on his third straight run for the lead.

Micah Parsons and the Packers’ defense did the rest.

Love called it “big-time” when asked about his coach’s decision to trust in his offense.

“For Matt to decide to go for that right there in that situation, to have the confidence in the offense to go make a play … it’s going to suck if we don’t get it,” Love acknowledged.

“If you do, it pays off and you get the win.”

That wasn’t LaFleur’s only gutsy call.

The Cardinals held a surprising 13-3 lead with seven seconds to play in the first half. The Packers were sloppy and repeatedly hurt themselves with self-inflicted mistakes.

LaFleur could have told Love to take a knee, and then headed to the visitor’s locker room to try and figure it out. It would have seemed prudent, especially after the pre-halftime debacle at Dallas, when LaFleur called a pass with 23 seconds to play and Love was strip-sacked, which led to an easy Cowboys’ TD.

LaFleur hadn’t forgotten. He just wasn’t going to give in.

He called a pass play and Love delivered a 22-yard strike to Romeo Doubs with one second on the clock. Havrisik trotted in and delivered a franchise-record 61-yard field goal.

That made it 13-6. One swing of the leg effectively swung the momentum the Packers’ way after an underwhelming first half.

“That’s big-time right there to make that,” Love said of LaFleur’s decision and Havrisik’s bomb. “Those three points came back to be so beneficial in this game.”

LaFleur’s reaction was one of genuine satisfaction, undoubtedly in his decision and especially in his players’ response.

“Scared money don’t make money,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve gotta shoot. A 61-yarder, I didn’t envision that going into the game. Helluva job.”

That goes for the coach as well as the kicker.

In addition to the obvious gutsy calls, LaFleur also deployed several four-receiver, single-back sets. It’s a way to exploit the Packers’ significant depth at receiver. It’s also a way to spread out defenses and either have Jacobs in to pass protect, or slip out of the backfield as a would-be pass catcher.

He also ran some “hurry up” offense. It had little effect, which is to be expected given that it’s rarely utilized unless necessary. At the least it was an opportunity to appraise and assess the tactic.

The Packers’ win did illuminate some recurring problems.

Green Bay committed 10 penalties 94 yards. That’s almost one penalty for every 12 plays (52 on offense, 70 on defense) for nearly a football field worth of real estate.

It’s way too sloppy. That’s obvious. If only a solution were.

At some point, the Packers’ players must decide what type of team do they want to be? Are they going to continue to play undisciplined football and ultimately suffer the consequences?

LaFleur and his staff can only do so much.

The Packers gave the Cardinals’ Jacoby Brissett two free plays because of offside penalties, and they enabled Arizona to sustain drives because of defensive holding calls.

On offense, the pre-snap penalties are becoming insufferable, as are the seemingly automatic holding calls on kicks and punts.

LaFleur was particularly peeved at the offside penalties.

“We cannot do that,” he said. “We’ve done it way too many times. Trust me, it’s preached regularly every day. We’ve got to clean it up if we want to become the team I think we’re capable of being. Too many undisciplined plays, and we’re lucky it didn’t come back and bite us.”

It’s true the Packers’ self-inflicted mistakes ultimately didn’t cost them the win. But is there any doubt that won’t happen if the sloppiness continues?

On the bright side, the Packers’ offense – especially the left side of the line – is making progress. Rasheed Walker and Aaron Banks have the potential to be a reliable if not dynamic duo.

And defensively Parsons and friends keep getting better.

Parsons’ career-high three sacks made all the difference. He had two sacks on big third-down plays with Arizona in Green Bay territory. Both times the Cardinals had to settle for a field goal.

Parson’s hat trick occurred with 32 seconds to play. Arizona had driven to the Packers’ 26-yard line needing a touchdown to win. Parsons shot off the left edge and got Jacoby for a 9-yard sack.

That led to fourth-and-11 and a desperation end zone shot by Brissett that landed incomplete.

Love marveled at Parsons’ greatness.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I can’t say enough how fun it is just to have him on this team. I can’t say enough about how much of a playmaker he is.”

I’m guessing Parsons’ hope is that Love shows his gratitude by giving the “D” a double-digit lead to work with now and then.

All in due time.

Brewers on the brink

of elimination in L.A.

Friday, October 17th 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s “last call” for the Brewers.

Milwaukee is down to its final nine outs in what’s been an incredible, expectation-surpassing season – that is unless one of two things happens in Friday’s Game 4 at Dodger Stadium:

** No. 1 – They shut out the Dodgers’ MVP-laced lineup.

** No. 2 – They find a way to score more than one run.

The Brewers have done neither and trail 3-to-1 to the defending World Series champions in their best-of-seven NLCS series. With their backs to the centerfield fence, Milwaukee must find their offense against Dodgers’ right-hander Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani, 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in the postseason, will make his second start after striking out nine in six innings against the Phillies in the NLDS. Arguably the game’s best player, Ohtani was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts on Thursday. He has one home run and six RBI in nine postseason games.

The Brewers will counter with right-hander Chad Patrick, who was an early season revelation while enabling the team to survive despite an injury-ravaged rotation.

Then, Patrick went to the bullpen, where he quickly became one of manager Pat Murphy’s most trusted right-handers in high leverage situations.

Now, Patrick will try to come full circle in the first postseason start of his fledgling MLB career. After seeing the rookie pitch this season, it’s easy to have confidence that he’ll be ok.

The more troubling question is this: Will the Brewers score runs enough runs to win? The mismatch between Brewers’ hitters and Dodgers’ pitchers has been glaring.

Milwaukee has lost 2-1, 5-1 and 3-1 to the Dodgers.

Blake Snell and Yoshi Yamamoto were epic in back-to-back starts that were nothing short of dazzling. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow followed with it with the Dodgers’ third straight overpowering outing.

Glasnow scattered three hits over 5.2 innings while walking three and striking out eight. Four relievers followed with scoreless, one-hit ball over the final 3.1 innings to seal it.

Brewers’ third baseman Caleb Durbin was one of the few hitters who had good swings.

He drilled a triple and scored on Jake Bauers’ single to tie it 1-1 in the top of the second. He led off the seventh inning with a double but was stranded when Bauers flew out, Isaac Collins popped out and Jackson Chourio struck out.

Chourio grabbed his right hamstring after a violent swing-and-miss to go down 0-2 in the count. He exited the game and Blake Perkins finished the at-bat by striking out.

After the game, Chourio said it was only cramps and that he’ll be good to go for Friday’s Game 4. That’s one of the few bits of good news the Brewers had all day.

Now they face the daunting task of winning four straight to advance to the World Series.

“It’s going to take more than what we’ve shown so far,” Durbin said.

Christian Yelich, who managed an infield single, followed up.

“Obviously,” he said, “You can’t win four before you win one.”

Bauers has been one of the few hitters who has been able to muster competitive at-bats against the Dodgers’ arsenal of arms.

“It’s challenging,” he said. “These guys are the best in the world, right?” he said. “But that’s what you get when you get to this point in the season: the best arms that anybody has to offer.”

One of the best arms in baseball belongs to Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers’ rookie flamethrower, who was one of the few bright spots in Thursday’s 3-1 loss.

Misiorowski was charged with one earned run on three hits spanning five innings. He struck out nine of the 19 hitters he faced in what was an overpowering appearance.

Abner Uribe’s throwing error allowed the game’s final run and went down on Misiorowski’s stat line, but the young right-hander was outstanding nonetheless.

He came out throwing 101 mph fastballs that started on a sunlit mound and seemed to disappear as it entered the shadows that engulfed home plate. He threw strikes on 51 of his 73 pitches and blended his fastball, slider and curve.

At times, Misiorowski was straight up unhittable.

Who knows? If the Brewers find a way to survive Friday’s Game 4 and something magical happens in Game 5, Milwaukee would find itself in a Game 6 at American Family Field.

It’s a longshot, to say the least, but nothing is impossible. If Patrick, Jose Quintana and Freddy Peralta come up big, Misiorowski still might factor into this series.

“If we can do something extraordinary,” Murphy said, “he’s lined up to pitch the last game.”

The Brewers and their fans will keep their fingers crossed.

No matter what happens there’s no crying in baseball, tears of joy notwithstanding.

Brewers outslug Cubs 

to advance to NLCS 

Monday, October 13th 2025

By Chris Havel 

Special to The FAN 

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Milwaukee’s 100th win was the charm. 

After posting a franchise record and MLB-best 97 wins in the regular season, the Brewers reached the century mark with a 3-1 victory over the Cubs in a decisive Game 5 of the NLDS Saturday night at American Family Field. 

A standing-room-only crowd of 42,743 went wild as the Brewers’ William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn and Brice Turang outslugged the Cubs and Seya Suzuki, 3-to-1, to advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2018. 

The victory snaps a streak of six straight playoff series losses for Milwaukee, and puts them four wins away from the second World Series berth in franchise history. 

It also sets up a tantalizing NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers in a best-of-seven series. Game 1 is scheduled tonight with the first pitch set for 7:03 p.m. at American Family Field. 

“It takes every single one of these guys in the locker room, and they’ve done it,” Turang said. “We’ve got to keep it going.” 

To keep it going the Brewers must get past the Dodgers – the team that eliminated them in a heartbreaking Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS. Milwaukee swept Los Angeles, 6-0, in the season series, but getting past the defending champions won’t be easy. 

The Dodgers, who eliminated the Phillies to advance, will start left-hander Blake Snell in the opener. Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 2 for the Dodgers. 

The Brewers have yet to name a Game 1 starter. 

They have three true starters, but plenty of options. 

Freddy Peralta will start Game 2, leaving Quinn Priester, Jose Quintana or an “opener” as Game 1 possibilities. 

The Dodgers’ lineup frequently features left-handed hitters Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman among the first three hitters. That means left-hander Aaron Ashby or lefty Rob Zastryzny could be used as the “opener” with Priester or Quintana to follow depending on who’s on deck and in the hole. 

Meantime, the Brewers’ pitchers neutralized the Cubs’ potent bats for much of the five-game series. 

Suzuki’s solo home run to lead off the second inning made it 1-1 after Contreras’ 389-foot blast off Drew Pomeranz in the first. The Cubs failed to score over the final 24 outs. 

Vaughn’s home run in the fourth inning gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead and Turang’s 416-foot blast off Andrew Kittredge in the seventh provided an insurance run. 

“We fight back. That’s our mentality,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to punch someone else. We’re going to throw it right back.” 

The fact that the Brewers eliminated the Cubs, their NL Central rivals, wasn’t lost on the players. 

“This was more than the usual Division Series,” Christian Yelich said. “Everyone wants to point to past postseasons, but the majority of these guys weren’t even here for that. So, you try to downplay it going into this series against the Cubs and call it any other Division Series, you say you just want to advance. 

“But the rivalry between these two teams – I feel like it’s been our two teams going at it the last eight years … all of the storylines there. We just really wanted to perform for our city and this organization, and our fan base. 

“We knew it meant a little bit extra.” 

Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who is the winningest manager in Brewers history, said he was sad and disappointed. He also had high praise for his former organization. 

“It’s a team that deserves and earned their way for the right to go to the World Series,” Counsell said of the Brewers. “That’s a good baseball team.” 

The Brewers used five pitchers – including All-Star closer Trevor Megill as the “opener” – and allowed six baserunners on four hits, a walk and a hitter batter while striking out eight. 

Rookie Jacob Misiorowski notched his second win of the postseason by pitching four innings of one-run, one-hit baseball while walking no one and striking out three. 

Aaron Ashby, Chad Patrick and Abner Uribe covered the final four shutout innings, with Uribe getting the first two-inning save of his MLB career. 

Misiorowski was impressive on several levels. 

He stayed calm and focused despite surrendering the leadoff home run to Suzuki to open the second. He easily could’ve gotten rattled and started overthrowing. 

Instead, he settled in and pitched scoreless baseball after that. 

“It’s been crazy,” Misiorowski told reporters after the game. “It’s been a whirlwind and it’s been fun.” 

The Cubs’ best threat came with two on and nobody out in the sixth inning of a 2-1 game against Ashby. Michael Busch led off with a single and Nico Hoerner was hit by a pitch. 

Ashby stayed in to face left-handed hitter Kyle Tucker and it paid off as he fanned him on a 3-2 pitch. Chad Patrick came in and struck out Ian Happ after inducing Suzuki to fly out. 

Turang’s home run in the seventh made it 3-1. 

The Brewers went into the ninth inning with a two-run lead just as they had in last year’s Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the Mets. The Mets rallied for the victory. 

That was then and Devin Williams. 

This was now and Uribe. 

“We talked about it before the game,” Murphy told reporters. “It absolutely entered my mind. We talked about it at the end of the last season. We sat down in the room. We were all shell-shocked. And I said, ‘Guys, I don’t know what to tell you. Somehow this is going to help us.’ And sure enough, it was prophetic.” 

Brewers on the brink

as Cubs come to town

Friday, October 10th 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s decision to start Freddy Peralta on four days rest was a hot topic entering Thursday night’s Game 4 of the NLDS against the Cubs.

It turns out it didn’t matter.

The Brewers’ bats failed to deliver in the clutch. Check that. They failed to deliver … period.

Cubs’ starter Matthew Boyd and a quartet of relievers combined on a three-hit shutout in Chicago’s 6-0 victory at Wrigley Field to draw even in the best-of-5 series.

Now the NL Central rivals return to Milwaukee for Saturday’s decisive Game 5 with the first pitch set for 7:08 p.m. The winner will advance to the NLCS to face the Dodgers, who eliminated the Phillies 2-1 in 11 innings earlier Thursday.

The Brewers’ 2-0 series lead couldn’t have been more inspiring. Then it vanished in what felt like the blink of an eye.

The Cubs put up four runs in the first inning of Wednesday night’s win and held on for the 4-3 victory. It was more of the same the following day as Chicago hit Peralta for three runs in the first thanks to Ian Happ’s three-run home run.

The Brewers’ starters were bad in Games 3 and 4.

Murphy put up a brave front after Thursday night’s loss, which was preceded by Wednesday night’s agonizing 4-3 setback.

“The Cubs earned it,” he said. “They had their backs against the wall and they played great these last two games. They pitched great. They played great. They played great defense. They hit in the clutch. They hit homers.

“Yeah, they’re built to be great, and they played great these two games. Hopefully the tables will turn when we get into Game 5 at our place. But we have to find out how bad we’re going to fight back. We have all season.”

The Brewers have been clutch at the plate all season. They delivered seven two-out runs in last Saturday’s 9-3 victory in Game 1. They plated four two-out runs in a 7-3 win in Game 2.

Milwaukee didn’t muster a single two-out run in the two losses.

Sal Frelick’s double was the lone extra-base hit Thursday night. Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn added singles.

That was it for the Brewers’ offense.

Milwaukee was 9-for-20 with runners in scoring position in Games 1 and 2. They cooled off in Chicago, where they’ve gone a dreadful 2-for-13 in Games 3 and 4.

That includes promising rallies that fell short in both losses.

Now it’s Cubs-Brewers in an elimination game. According MLB.com’s Adam McAlvay, of the previous 35 teams to win Games 1 and 2 in a Division Series under the current 2-2-1 format, only five teams ended up in a winner-take-all Game 5.

Three of those five teams lost.

Christian Yelich alluded to the inevitability of a Game 5 between the Cubs and Brewers. He talked about critical moments presenting themselves in the playoffs.

How you respond is what matters.

“It’s part of the story, man,” Yelich said. “Sometimes you’re going to have to win some big games. You face some adversity in the postseason and you have to keep going. We played well at our own field and they took care of business here.

“We’ll go back and get ready for Saturday and make sure we play well.”

It’s uncertain who will start Game 5 for the Brewers.

Quinn Priester seems the logical choice. Priester had a disastrous start in Game 3, but he has been really good all season. The Brewers set a franchise record with 19 straight wins in games that he pitched in during the regular season.

Priester taking the baseball and the Brewers winning isn’t new.

Nevertheless, if Milwaukee is going to advance it’s going to need a strong start by whomever Murphy calls upon.

William Contreras was asked if he knew the identity of the Brewers’ Game 5 starter. He seemed more focused on “how” (they pitch) rather than “who” pitches.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I don’t know who’s going to start. I don’t know what the pitching plans are. But I know whoever is needed will be ready to go and ready to pitch that game. If we need to start (closer Abner) Uribe, I’m sure Uribe will be ready to make that start.”

Murphy was being second-guessed for starting Peralta even before the smoke cleared in the Cubs’ three-run first inning. The fact is the Brewers have to score AT LEAST one run to win.

They didn’t even come close.

Peralta was disappointed in himself. That the poor start occurred against the Cubs – a team he has owned during his career – and in the playoffs made it especially difficult.

But Murphy wasn’t going to play the second-guessing game.

“You think about everything this time of year,” Murphy said. “You just want to win. With our starting pitching the way it is right now – we’re limping in with the starting pitching. It hasn’t been our strong point. But we’re playing to win it all (Thursday). We’re all in to win it all. In order to have Freddy sure for two times in the next series, it was imperative – best available pitcher, let’s go.”

Milwaukee comes out

swinging versus Cubs

Monday, October 6th 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – How would the Milwaukee Brewers’ brand of baseball play in the playoffs? It was the pre-eminent question entering Game 1 of the Cubs-Brewers NLDS matchup.

The Brewers’ answer was an emphatic 9-3 blowout win on a hot, steamy and totally amazing Saturday afternoon in front of 42,678 fans at sold out American Family Field.

Chicago out-homered Milwaukee 3-0.

The Brewers outplayed the Cubs in every other facet on their way to a 1-0 edge in the best-of-five series. Game 2 is Monday night with the first pitch set for 8:08 in Milwaukee.

The Cubs will start left-hander Shota Imanaga (9-8, 3.73 ERA) after a four-inning stint in Wednesday’s Game 2 of the Wild Card Series versus San Diego. The Brewers will counter with lefty Aaron Ashby (5-2, 2.16) as an opener.

Ashby had one start and three saves during the regular season. He pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings with a strikeout Saturday. Brewers manager Pat Murphy declined to speculate on who will be the first pitcher out of the bullpen.

Quinn Priester is the likely choice, but Murphy could go with righty Chad Patrick or left-hander Robert Gasser based upon how the game is playing out early on.

If it’s anything like Saturday’s wild Game 1 early on, Murphy just might hold back Priester for Game 3 at Wrigley Field.

In fact, Saturday’s first inning was as wild as it gets.

Michael Busch greeted the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta with a home run to give the Cubs a brief 1-0 lead after a half-inning.

Milwaukee’s retort was immediate and impressive. It seemed as if the Brewers’ six-run bottom of the first was underway almost before Busch touched home plate.

It was that stunning of a quick-strike response.

Milwaukee sent 11 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the first.

They sent Cubs’ starter Matthew Boyd to the showers before he could record the third out. Boyd surrendered doubles to Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang and William Contreras to make it 2-1 Brewers before Christian Yelich made the first out.

After Andrew Vaughn walked, Sal Frelick reached on a rare error by Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, allowing Contreras to score. After Caleb During struck out, Blake Perkins singled to cap an 11-pitch at-bat that plated another run.

Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell was greeted by massive boos as he emerged from the visitor’s dugout to take the baseball from Boyd after Perkins’ magnificent at-bat.

“Bottom line, they had really good at-bats,” Counsell said after the loss. “They hit balls hard. They spoiled pitches. The Perkins’ at-bat was just a great at-bat. You’ve got to give him credit.”

Michael Soroka followed Boyd but was equally awful.

Soroka walked Joey Ortiz and Chourio followed with a two-out, two-run single to give the Brewers a 6-1 lead.

Contreras, Yelich and Vaughn singled to open the Brewers’ half of the second before Sal Frelick lined out. Durbin followed with a two-run single, and Chourio legged out an infield hit to drive in Vaughn and make it 9-1.

Chourio’s infield single may prove costly, though, as the Brewers’ slugger pulled up after crossing first base as he grabbed for his right hamstring.

After setting a MLB record with three hits in the first two innings of a playoff game, he exited in hopes that it was only a minor re-aggravation of the hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for more than a month.

On Sunday, it was reported that Chourio’s MRI came back inconclusive, and that Brewers manager Pat Murphy planned to make a game-time decision in Game 2.

Aside from Chourio’s exit it was an otherwise perfect day.

“It was loud,” Turang told MLB.com afterward. “I heard the Brewers’ fans. I didn’t hear anything else. It was a good time.”

Boyd’s ill-fated outing was the shortest by any Cubs’ starting pitcher in the postseason since 1945.

“It was an electric atmosphere, especially the first couple innings there,” Yelich said. “Those games are awesome. We live for playing in games like that.”

The Brewers’ 97-65 record was the best in baseball, but they entered the Cubs’ series with a 2-11 mark in their last 13 postseason games.

Peralta reversed that trend with an outstanding start.

The Brewers’ ace scattered four hits over 5 2/3 innings while allowing a pair of solo home runs. He walked three and struck out nine to tie Brandon Woodruff, Yovani Gallardo and Don Sutton for the most strikeouts in a playoff game in team history.

“Tremendous,” Contreras said. “The same Freddy we’ve seen all year long.”

Peralta returned the compliment.

“It wasn’t just me,” he said. “It was me and William … he called a great game for us.”

Peralta (17-6) led MLB in wins while posting a 2.70 ERA. He had a team-high 33 starts and 204 strikeouts in 176 2/3 innings.

Brandon Woodruff, who is sidelined with a “lat muscle” injury, appreciated Peralta’s start from the home dugout.

“I was thinking about it today – he’s going to drive the bus for us,” Woodruff said. “We need to win every game he starts, we really do. Then we can piece stuff together. But if he can drive the bus for us, it’s going to take us a long ways.”

For a historical perspective, teams that win Game 1 at home have advanced 40 of 54 times (74.1 percent) in the Division Series since the current 2-2-1 format was adopted.

If you liked the Brewers’ chances before the series, you’ve got to love them entering Monday’s Game 2.

It’s only one game, but so far the Brewers’ brand of baseball plays pretty darn good in the postseason.

Brewers to face Cubs

in NLDS showdown

Friday, October 3rd 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It is easy to gain a deep appreciation of the Brewers’ style of play during the course of a full season.

Their selfless at-bats, timely hitting, superb defense and stellar pitching are admirable, if not rare, in this day and age.

That’s the fairly obvious stuff.

What makes them truly special is all of that in addition to their aggressive base running and relentless hustle. They play hard all day, every day, whether it’s the season’s opener or the finale.

Manager Pat Murphy has affectionately referred to his team as “a bunch of Joes.” In fact, they’re a bunch of Charlie Hustles, minus the gambling.

It was evident while watching – of all things – Game 3 of the Padres-Cubs NL wild-card game Thursday.

The Cubs led the decisive game 2-0 entering the top of the 6^th at Wrigley Field. The Padres’ Luis Arraez led off with a line drive to the left of Cubs’ shortstop Dansby Swanson. The two-time Gold Glove winner made a diving stop, bobbled the baseball, picked it up, whirled and threw out Arraez by a step.

Actually, it was by a full step and not even close.

Arraez, a left-handed hitter, appeared to be jogging toward first base until he saw Swanson’s rare mishandling of the baseball. That’s when he turned on the jets and tried to beat the throw.

It was too late.

Manny Machado followed the groundout with a walk. Instead of having runners at first and second with nobody out, Jackson Merrill stepped to the plate with one on and one out.

Merrill promptly hit into an inning ending double-play.

The Cubs went on to win 3-1 to advance to the NLDS where they’ll face the Brewers in Game 1 on Saturday. The first pitch of the best-of-five is set for 1:08 p.m. at American Family Field.

While watching Arraez lackadaisical trot down the baseline, I couldn’t help but think, “How many times have we seen Christian Yelich, or Brice Turang, or even William Contreras beat out that same throw with all-out hustle?”

And then I thought, “And how many times has that prevented an out, extended an inning, and led to a crooked number?”

It’s the difference between the Brewers and the rest.

Milwaukee (97-65) owns the best record in baseball and the talent to go with it. They also have a team in the truest sense of the word. They play with and for each other, and they exude the enthusiasm of a wide-eyed Little Leaguer on every play.

If they don’t there’s a chance Murphy will sit them down as a not-so-gentle reminder of the right way to play baseball.

It’s why the 2025 Brewers aren’t only the franchise’s winningest team of all time, but also why they’re one of the most adored teams in Brewers history.

Now they have a chance to make more history.

The Brewers host the Cubs in the NLDS with Game 1 featuring the postseason return of ex-Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell, who calls the shots for the Cubs now.

The Murphy-Counsell relationship dates back to Counsell’s days as a player at Notre Dame, where Murphy was the baseball coach. Murphy later became Counsell’s bench coach for either seasons, and then succeeded him as Milwaukee’s manager.

Now they square off with a trip to the NLCS at stake.

The Cubs won the season series, 7-6, but the Brewers won the division for a third straight year and have home ballpark throughout the postseason.

Chicago is expected to start Colin Rea, the ex-Brewers pitcher, or Javier Assad. Both right-handers are familiar with Milwaukee’s lineup and vice-versa.

Milwaukee is going to counter with right-hander Freddy Peralta, the MLB’s wins leader with 17. Peralta, the Brewers’ ace, has been dynamite at American Family Field this season.

So have the Brewers, who look to advance out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in what seems like forever.

Milwaukee features a deep lineup that’s especially effective against left-handed starters. They’re likely to see Matthew Boyd and/or Shota Imanaga in Game 3.

The Brewers’ two biggest advantages are their bullpen and the bottom third of their batting order. Postseason baseball is a different animal in terms of pinch hitting, moving runners over and use of the bullpen.

Baseball’s a crazy game, and anything can and often does happen, but I like the Brewers to advance, 3 games to 2, and face the Phillies-Dodgers winner in the NLCS.

Packers fit to be tied 40-40 in OT at Dallas 

Monday, September 29th 2025

By Chris Havel 

Special to The FAN 

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ highly unusual and improbable 40-40 tie at Dallas on Sunday night was: 

** A: Extremely disappointing. 

 ** B: Encouraging in some areas. 

** C: Better than a loss … sort of. 

** D: All of the above. 

The correct answer is “D: All of the above.” 

The Packers’ first tie in head coach Matt LaFleur’s tenure was unexpected because his team was unexpectedly bad. The defense was a sieve from the first half’s final minutes to the end, and the offense sputtered, caught fire and ultimately flamed out. 

 “Obviously, we didn’t come down here to tie a football game, but that’s what happened,” LaFleur said. “It’s disappointing in regards to too many critical mistakes that led to that tie.” 

Jordan Love was more succinct. 

“It sucks,” the Packers’ quarterback said. “It doesn’t feel good. It feels kind of weird.” 

The Packers (2-1-1) were in control for much of the first half while building a 13-0 lead five minutes into the second quarter. Green Bay seemed on the verge of a blowout win. 

Then stuff happened. 

The Packers had their second kick blocked in as many weeks. Last week it was a field goal attempt in Cleveland. Last night it was a blocked PAT that the Cowboys returned for 2 points. 

Then the Cowboys put together an 11-play, 95-yard drive to make it 13-9 with 41 seconds remaining in the first half. 

LaFleur elected to get cute rather than run out the half. 

The Packers paid a heavy price when Love was strip-sacked by Dallas’ James Houston at the Green Bay 15 with 13 seconds still on the clock. The Cowboys only needed four ticks to hit a Prescott-to-George Pickens 15-yard touchdown pass. 

That gave Dallas a 16-13 lead at half and appeared to make the Cowboys realize they could win this game. 

LaFleur’s poor decision opened the door and Dallas walked in. 

“We tried to be aggressive at the end of the first half and it bit us in the butt,” LaFleur said. “It backfired. It killed us.” 

The blocked PAT and 2-point return didn’t help, either. 

Packers’ kicker Brandon McManus hit a 53-yard field goal to tie it at 37 at the end of regulation. He also drilled a 34-yard field goal at the end of overtime to seal the 40-40 tie. 

But the blocked PAT stands out. 

“My vantage point, I’m looking down at the ball to kick it,” McManus said. “Points are at a premium in this league and anytime I go out on the field, I expect to make it. It sucks it happened again.”  

Packers’ special teams’ coordinator Rich Bisaccia needs to figure it out during the bye week. Either that or start looking for a new line of work, because right now Green Bay’s “teams” is awful and arguably cost them two wins. 

The game’s bizarre nature in many ways overshadowed all the hype regarding Micah Parsons’ homecoming after being traded from Dallas to Green Bay just days before the season opener. 

Parsons had a sack, three tackles and three quarterback hits on the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott. The sack may have saved a touchdown run by Prescott, but otherwise it was a heavy dose of double- and triple-teams that kept Parsons at bay. 

Clearly, the Cowboys felt they had a better chance 8-on-10 (when they triple-teamed Parsons) than they did straight up. 

Dallas’ educated guess was the correct one. 

Prescott finished 31 of 40 for 319 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 118.1 passer rating. Javonte Williams rushed 20 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. 

With All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb sidelined by injury, the Cowboys’ George Pickens had a terrific night. He hauled in eight passes (11 targets) for 135 yards and two touchdowns. 

The Cowboys gained 436 yards and put up the 40 points. 

In turn, the Packers rolled up 489 yards in total offense on their way to the 40-point explosion. 

Love’s stat line was nearly identical to Prescott’s. 

Love was 31 of 43 for 337 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 124.9 passer rating. Josh Jacobs rushed 22 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Emanuel Wilson spelled him at times and gained 44 yards in eight carries. 

The most obvious difference offensively was the Packers’ lone turnover, which the Cowboys converted into seven points. 

The Packers have two interceptions through four games. They also haven’t forced a single fumble after making that a huge emphasis throughout training camp. 

“Giving up 40 points, bro, I don’t care where we’re playing,” Parsons said. “That’s just unacceptable for me and everyone. I’m not even pointing fingers, just like, we got to find a way to get off the field, and we didn’t do a great job of that tonight.” 

LaFleur put it in perspective. 

“They made some big plays, they executed, we missed a lot of tackles,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way somehow, some way, to generate some takeaways.” 

Right now, the Packers’ biggest “takeaway” is that they’re nowhere near a finished product. They blew a game they should’ve won at Cleveland, and were fortunate to escape with a tie after dominating early in Dallas. 

Furthermore, the Packers’ special teams units have provided the spark both the Browns and Cowboys needed in order to believe they could stay with Green Bay right to the final gun. 

The Cowboys’ 14 points in 41 seconds late in the first half had a lot to do with Dallas’ resiliency, but the Packers were guilty of aiding and abetting the home team. 

LaFleur appeared to have smoke coming out of his ears during the end-of-half interview. He was steaming mad – mostly at himself – for being overly aggressive before the half. 

“We talked about it at halftime – that it’s an extremely deflating situation,” LaFleur said. “The key to this game, as in life in my opinion, is you’ve got to have resiliency. 

“As deflating as it was, you’ve got to find a way to overcome it. I thought our guys battled back from it, just obviously didn’t do enough to get the win.” 

The Packers’ upcoming bye week should give them ample time to heal up along the offensive line. Left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom presumably should be good to go when the Packers host Cincinnati in two weeks. 

Furthermore, receiver Christian Watson also might be ready to come off the injured list and help Doubs with the heavy lifting. 

The Packers also need to reflect on exactly what their identity is going to be this season. Both the offense and defense have ample talent and proven play-makers. 

Right now it’s not coming together. 

Is LaFleur going to keep putting his defense in harm’s way for no good reason? Is the kicking game going to continue to take points off the board, as opposed to putting them on it? 

There’s a lot of work to be done. 

It’s a cliché for a reason: The bye comes at a good time. 

Brewers closing in on NL’s #1 playoff seed

Thursday, September 25th 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Many MLB know-it-alls saw the Brewers as a mediocre, middle-of-the-pack ball club entering the season.

The reasons for their dismissive opinions were unassailable … but only through April.

The “experts” admitted the Brewers’ defense was A-plus but they quickly predicted the pitching – particularly the starting pitching – would be ho-hum and the bats would lack punch.

Those weaknesses were laid bare in a disastrous weekend in the Bronx during which the Yankees belted 15 home runs while outscoring Milwaukee 36-14 in a robust three-game sweep.

The Brewers extended that three-game losing streak to four after an 11-1 loss to Kansas City in the home opener. They stumbled to another four-game losing streak by month’s end after not having a single four-game losing streak in all of 2024.

It’s no wonder manager Pat Murphy called last April the longest year of his life, or something to that affect.

The Brewers were still four games below .500 on May 17.

They are 75-38 (.663) since then.

By any measure the Brewers (96-63) have put together an amazing season.

They had a franchise-record 14 game winning streak in August, in addition to an 11-game winning streak earlier in the season.

They have 38 comeback wins to 28 blown leads.

They have 11 walk-off wins to 6 walk-off losses.

They are 46-35 against teams that were .500 or better. They are 37-16 in blowouts (decided by 5-plus runs). They are 28-20 in one-run games. They are 29-17 versus left-handed starters. Their run differential is an MLB-best plus-131.

In March, the notion of the Brewers’ magic number being 1 to clinch anything (except playoff elimination) was preposterous.

And that’s not just to clinch an NL wild-card berth or even the NL Central title for a second straight season under Murphy. The Brewers’ magic number is 1 to be the NL’s top playoff seed.

Any combination of a Philadelphia loss or a Milwaukee win means the Brewers get a first-round bye and home ballpark throughout the NL playoffs.

Here is a “Hanging with Havel” recap of an amazing season … with the best to come.

MARCH 31

Bronx Bombers roll in Brewers’ lost weekend

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Those weren’t batter’s boxes on each side of home plate last weekend at Yankee Stadium. They were NASA launching pads tailor-made to suit the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees sent a Major League record-tying 15 pitches into orbit in their season-opening three-game sweep of Milwaukee as Brewers pitchers were buried beneath an avalanche of homers.

New York notched wins of 4-2, 20-9 and 12-3 in the barrage.

Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy could do little but tip his cap to the Sultans of Swat after the 20-9 loss on Saturday.

The Yankees hit three home runs on three pitches – an MLB first – against former teammate Nestor Cortes to start the game. New York belted another six home runs in the blowout win to finish with nine home runs – one shy of the NL/AL record.

“You think you’ve seen it all, and you haven’t,” Murphy said. “Because we saw it today: Three pitches, three homers. It’s like, really? Usually you wake up from that, you know what I mean? You go, ‘Ah, that can’t ever happen.’ ”

And yet it did.

Brewers’ first baseman Jake Bauers came in to pitch the eighth. He needed 15 pitches to get through it unscathed. Bauers was the only Brewers’ pitcher to not allow a run in the game.

APRIL 10

Brewers stay red-hot to regain footing

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio dig into the batter’s box with a Louisville Slugger in their hands opposing pitchers should treat them as “armed and dangerous.”

The Brewers’ 25-year-old second baseman and 21-year-old left fielder are hitting like every at-bat is an opportunity to drive in the winning run in Game 7 of the World Series.

That is why it’s no surprise the Brewers’ 17-2 bludgeoning of the Rockies Wednesday night at Coors Field was keyed by the hard-charging Brewers’ two youngsters.

Turang, who is hitting .325, went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Chourio (.315) also went 2-for-5 with three runs scored, a home run and five RBIs.

After being outscored 47-15 through four games the Brewers have outscored opponents 51-20 in the next eight games.

Milwaukee (7-5) has won seven of its last eight to close within a half-game of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs (9-6).

When asked what led to the Brewers’ abrupt offensive turnaround, Yelich shrugged his shoulders and said, “Yeah, it’s just good at-bats. It’s (just) how baseball goes, you know?

“A week ago, everyone thought we were the worst team that’s ever played baseball. And this week, we’ve turned it around and played a lot better and kind of salvaged where we’re at early in the season.”

It’s one reason the even-keeled Yelich doesn’t get too worked up about a handful of bad days at the ballpark.

“There are going to be points in the season where you’ve got to deal with adversity,” he said. “You’re not gonna have all your guys and you’re gonna need people to come up and do their part. Guys have done a great job, and hopefully we continue to play well.”

MAY 2

Brewers back to .500 with Cubs waiting on deck

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It feels like Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy and his resourceful Brewers have dealt with enough adversity through April to cover an entire season.

If only that were true because, as they say, it’s a long season.

At 16-16, the Brewers managed to survive what felt like the longest four games and a month of Murphy’s entire career.

Some Brewers’ fans are disappointed with the .500 record, and harken back to Milwaukee’s 20-12 mark and first-place perch atop the NL Central standings at this point last season.

Those fans need to be reminded of another old saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

The 2024 season was special unto itself.

Enjoy the memories.

The Brewers finished 93-69 to win the NL Central. Their longest losing streak was three games. They started 4-0. They never fell below .500. The farthest they trailed in the division standings at any point was a measly two games on April 8.

In 2025 they started 0-4, trailed the Chicago Cubs by four games in the division standings as recently as six days ago, and have absorbed not one but two four-game losing streaks.

Centerfielders Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins are on the IL, in addition to six pitchers who figured into the starting rotation.

One shudders to think what might be if Jose Quintana wasn’t signed, Abner Uribe didn’t develop a slider and Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins hadn’t delivered.

Baseball’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and given all the extenuating circumstances, it could be a whole lot uglier.

JUNE 2

Brewers sweep Phillies to run win streak to 7

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The good vibes throughout Milwaukee’s current seven-game winning streak – the longest such streak in baseball – might’ve been dampened by a single pitch.

Fortunately, the Brewers’ lone negative during their three-game sweep at Philadelphia – the X-Rays of Christian Yelich’s right hand – turned out to be a positive.

Yelich, the Brewers’ hottest hitter, was struck by a Ranger Suarez fastball in the first inning of Sunday’s 5-2 victory at Philly. Yelich took first base. Then he took a right turn into the visitor’s dugout and then to the clubhouse to be examined.

After the Brewers wrapped up the win, Yelich met the media to bring more good news: The X-Rays were negative.

The Brewers (32-28) have won 11 of 14 games to move to a season-best four games above .500. They trail the Cubs (37-22) by 5.5 games with second-place St. Louis (33-26) at four back.

The Brewers hadn’t swept the Phillies at Philadelphia since June 29-July 2, 2015, when they completed a four-game sweep.

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy threw out the first bouquet at his postgame news conference.

“If you want to be a good team, you’ve got to stay relentless throughout the game and look for opportunities; every pitch counts,” he told MLB.com. “This is a really good team, best record in the National League. It was a really nice series.”

JUNE 13

‘The Miz’ electric in AmFam MLB debut

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – From Walter Johnson to Randy Johnson, baseball fans have been eternally infatuated with flamethrowers.

That big-time fastball equates to strikeouts, wins and nicknames ranging from the “Big Train” and the “Big Unit” to “Bullet” Bob Feller and the “Ryan Express” aka Nolan Ryan.

Now along comes “The Miz!”

The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski cut loose with 14 pitches of at least 100 mph in his Major League debut on Monday night in front of a fired-up crowd of 27,687 at American Family Field.

“The Miz” threw five innings of hitless baseball before exiting three pitches into the sixth with cramps in his right calf. Coming into the game, all Brewers starters had combined for eight pitches of 100 mph or more since pitch tracking began in 2008, according to MLB.com. Six of those eight belong to Trevor Megill when being used as an “opener.”

Misiorowski’s five innings of hitless baseball, which included four walks and five strikeouts, is one of only NINE MLB debuts in which a pitcher threw that many innings of no-hit baseball.

Clearly, Miz’s much-anticipated MLB debut didn’t disappoint.

The Brewers’ 6-0 victory over St. Louis saw Misiorowski, Nick Mears and Aaron Ashby combine on a three-hit shutout. The Cardinals’ first hit was a seventh-inning “seeing eye” ground ball by Wilson Contreras that found its way through the infield.

JUNE 23

Brewers channel inner Harvey’s Wallbangers

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For three magical days the Brewers rekindled fond memories of a bygone, baseball-bashing era.

Thoughts of “Harvey’s Wallbangers” and “Bambi’s Bombers” were conjured by Milwaukee’s current iteration affectionately known as “Murph’s Smurfs.”

The Brewers completed a surreal three-game weekend sweep of Minnesota with a 9-8 nail-biter Sunday at Target Field.

It capped a weekend series in which the Brewers won 17-6 on Friday and 9-0 on Saturday.

Jacob Misiorowski (2-0) was absolutely amazing in the opener.

The 6-foot-7 rookie right-hander threw six perfect innings at the frequently befuddled Twins’ hitters.

The Miz was unhittable … period … until a lengthy Brewers’ top of the seventh saw him perched atop perfection for nearly a half-hour before the Brewers’ five-run half-inning ended.

He issued his lone walk to Byron Buxton to open the seventh. That ended his perfect game. Then he yielded Matt Wallner’s two-run home run. That ended the no-hitter and the shutout.

It also ended his evening to wild applause as he tipped his cap on his way to the visitor’s dugout.

JULY 7

Brewers’ Woodruff is razor sharp in return

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s a great day to be a Brewers’ fan.

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy has made that declaration twice this season. The first was after rookie Jacob Misiorowski’s 6-0 victory over St. Louis in his MLB debut. The second occurred Sunday after Brandon Woodruff’s incredible MLB comeback.

Woodruff (1-0) threw six strong innings to lead Milwaukee to a 3-1 victory at Miami. It enabled the Brewers to claim the series, two games to one, and reach the 50-win plateau.

More important it was “Exhibit A” in the case for Woodruff making a successful comeback after being sidelined for 652 days following major surgery on his right shoulder.

Big Woo struck out eight, didn’t walk anybody and threw strikes on 53 of his 70 pitches.

It was a clean, command performance that would’ve made Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux proud. Only Woodruff’s fastball has considerably more giddy-up than Maddux’s ever did.

Woodruff’s four-seamer reached 96 mph in the third inning, and he was throwing strikes on the corners all day. He also relied on a changeup that he said wasn’t very good in the minors.

Indeed, it all came together on one glorious afternoon. It was the wages of two years hard labor being paid off for all to see.

“Honestly, I had no expectations. I had none at all,” Woodruff told reporters after the game. “There were different waves of it. I’d be sitting here, and it’s like, ‘Man, I’m about to throw my first game in two years.’ And just quietly think to myself, like, ‘This is such a cool deal.’ ”

It was a cool deal for everyone who played a role in Woodruff’s painstaking comeback. His family, his medical team, his manager, coaches and teammates – they all had a hand in it.

Woodruff, 32, definitely brought back memories of the big right-hander in his prime.

He struck out two hitters in a 1-2-3 first inning. He added another K with a 95.7 mph fastball that left Marlins center fielder Dane Myers shaking his head in disbelief.

JULY 10

Brewers take Dodgers to task in series sweep

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers are on a four-game heater, which is terrific for any team and its fans, but this is different.

Its significance extends far beyond a four-game uptick that has Milwaukee (53-40) within 1 ½ games of the Cubs (54-38) and a cool four games up on second-place St. Louis (49-44) in a highly competitive NL Central.

It began with Brandon Woodruff’s razor-sharp return in the Brewers’ 3-1 victory at Miami on Sunday. It continued with sensational starts by Freddy Peralta, Jacob Misiorowski and Jose Quintana in a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was set up by Trevor Megill’s three-strikeout shutdown top of the 10th and capped by Jackson Chourio’s walk-off single in the bottom of the frame for a 3-2 win Wednesday afternoon.

It was an extra-innings, extra-special victory.

It meant the Brewers had swept the NL West-leading Dodgers (56-38) in Milwaukee for the first time in franchise history.

It also doubled as a 2025 mission statement: Fear nobody.

“It was an incredible moment,” Chourio said. “I’m happy that we were able to finish the sweep off with that hit. It’s special. It’s a great group of guys here.”

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy sounded like a proud papa.

“I just really like a lot of this team,” he said. “I really like how they keep grabbing their identity. It’s pretty cool. And to be honest with you, these three days, the crowd made a difference.”

The Brewers-Dodgers pitching matchups drew fans from every corner of the state like moths to a lantern.

The 107,147 paying customers saw the type of high-quality baseball they’ll be telling family and friends about for years.

AUGUST 14

Brewers win burgers with 12th straight ‘W’

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers’ future looked bleak after they opened the season with four straight dreadful losses.

By June 1 they had clawed back to three games above .500.

By the time they scored a 3-2 walk-off win to complete a sweep of the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on July 9, they were drawing mild national interest. Much of it stemmed from baseball fans’ curiosity regarding pitcher Jacob Misiorowski.

When the Brewers’ 12-5 blowout victory over Pittsburgh ended Wednesday, they had won 12 straight and counting to score free hamburgers at George Webb restaurants for their fans.

Today, they are all the rage in the Major Leagues.

It is one of the most amazing turnarounds in baseball history.

AUGUST 18

Brewers fall at Cincy as win streak ends at 14

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Based on the Brewers’ payroll and postseason history, the team in MLB’s smallest market has come to realize there are some luxuries it simply cannot afford.

Getting down after a mid-August loss – even one that halts a franchise-record 14-game winning streak – ranks near the top.

Besides, it’s not the 2025 Brewers’ style, especially when it comes in the tsunami-sized wake of such unprecedented success.

Milwaukee’s 3-2 extra-innings loss to the Reds Sunday at Great American Ball Park was disappointing, to be sure, but it says a lot about where the Brewers are … and where they’re headed.

Where they are is atop the NL Central. Where they’re headed is Chicago for a five-game series against the second-place Cubs that begins with a Monday double-header at Wrigley Field.

The Brewers hold an eight-game lead over the Cubs.

Adam McCalvy, who covers the Brewers for MLB.com, got a glimpse into Milwaukee’s mindset by an unnamed player who described the scene in the visitor’s clubhouse after the loss.

It was so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop, or even a tear drop, for that matter, until Christian Yelich broke the silence.

“F*** it,” he said. “Let’s come back and do it again tomorrow.”

With that music began to blare, according to McCalvy’s source, and it was time to get over it and get on with it.

Browns shock poorly coached Packers 13-10

 By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

Monday, September 22nd 2025

 GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers’ offense was as ill-prepared before – and poorly coached during – Sunday’s 13-10 loss at Cleveland as any in head coach Matt LaFleur’s seven seasons.

Green Bay’s offensive line was an injury-racked mess going in. It looked even worse going out. High-priced free agent Aaron Banks debuted at left guard. You only get one chance to make a good first impression, as the saying goes, and Banks whiffed.

Right tackle Zach Tom was medically cleared to play – presumably by someone with a background in medicine – but still reinjured his oblique on the first snap.

Jordan Morgan replaced him at right tackle, a position he’d never played in the NFL until Sunday, and he was wretched.

Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins and Sean Rhyan had to be wondering why Morgan wasn’t at left guard and Darian Kinnard and/or Anthony Belton weren’t at right tackle.

The ill-advised, last-second game of musical chairs up front was an unmitigated disaster. What happened after this most recent iteration of “the best five play” was painfully predictable.

Jordan Love absorbed seven hits and was sacked five times.

Josh Jacobs carried it 16 times for next to nothing. The Packers’ marked man eked out 30 yards, a measly 2.6 average, against a Cleveland defense that racked up six tackles for loss.

The Packers finished with more penalties than points.

Still, almost entirely thanks to Green Bay’s defense, the Packers held a 10-0 lead with less than four minutes to play.

That’s when the Packers’ many mistakes caught up with them.

The Browns’ Andre Szmyt hit a 35-yard field goal to cut the Packers’ lead to 10-3 with 3:38 to play.

On the Packers’ next possession, LaFleur’s ill-fated play call and Love’s god-awful decision to try to squeeze the football in to Dontayvion Wicks, didn’t account for Grant Delpit. The Browns’ safety swooped in from the flat for the interception.

“I never saw him,” said Love, restating what looked obvious.

“That’s a bad play call,” LaFleur said. “I shouldn’t have called that play. That’s on me. Our defense was doing so well. We knew we couldn’t make the deadly mistake like that offensively to give them a short field and that’s exactly what happened.”

Cleveland’s Quinshon Judkins barreled in for a 1-yard touchdown on the next play to make it 10-10 with 3:01 to play.

The Packers methodically moved to within field goal range, but the Browns’ Shelby Harris crashed the party – and the offensive line – to block Brandon McManus’ 43-yard field goal attempt that would’ve given Green Bay a 13-10 lead with :25 to play.

Instead, the Browns’ Joe Flacco completed an 8-yard pass to tight end David Njoku to set up Szymt’s 55-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

“That was extremely disappointing, obviously to be in a position to win the game and have the script totally flip on you,” LaFleur said after the game. “It’s tough to deal with.”

Indeed, it was a shocking loss to an underrated opponent and the Packers have no one to blame but themselves.

“Sometimes, just like today, you s— the bed,” the Packers’ Micah Parsons said. “That’s just the reality of it. It happens to the best teams. Even the best Super Bowl champs make mistakes, and they pay for it early.”

The best Super Bowl teams also learn from it.

The Packers’ 14 penalties for 75 yards – a 15^th was declined when Green Bay was offside on the final play – was the team’s most since 2010 when it committed 18 penalties in a 20-7 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Clearly, head coach Mike McCarthy’s team learned from it. They went on to beat Pittsburgh 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV.

“You go back to the history of the champions and who they’ve played and games they should’ve won,” Parsons continued. “It’s just that competitive. It’s that hard to win. It’s hard as hell to win football games. When you win football games it’s a celebration. But when you lose, it sucks.”

Parsons went on to accept the blame for a 5-yard offside penalty that moved the Browns that much closer to what proved to be the game-winning field goal.

But Parsons isn’t the only one who deserves blame. In fact, he wouldn’t make my “Top Ten” list of who’s most to blame.

LaFleur is at the top. He and his staff need to settle on an offensive line and stick with it. Injuries have complicated matters, but that’s no reason to start Morgan at right tackle when he’s so clearly ill-equipped to handle the job.

It’s early in Banks’ time in Green Bay, but as it stands right now the $77 million left guard is a bust. He’s been injured almost since the day he signed here in free agency.

The Packers’ Tucker Kraft played despite battling a left knee injury incurred in Thursday’s practice. Kraft didn’t look like himself for most of the game.

Clearly, there was ample evidence to suggest neither Kraft nor Tom should’ve been on the field.

The process of LaFleur meeting with the team’s medical staff and making game-time injury decisions needs to be reviewed.

So does the way LaFleur and his staff are conducting practice. Are they demanding enough? Is there enough attention to detail? Is there too much, “We’ll get it right on game day,” occurring?

LaFleur knows there’s plenty of work to do.

“One thing that we have to get corrected it, when you have 14 penalties in a game, it’s going to be tough to overcome that,” he said. “We’ve got to do a much better job of coaching the fundamentals, the details, and then we’ve got to lock in at a higher level in regards to some of the controllable penalties, whether it was false starts or offside or whatever you have.

“But ultimately, this is a total team sport. I thought we played well enough defensively to win the game and didn’t do a good enough job on offense and on special teams.”

That much is obvious.

The question is this: How do you get that fixed?

Right now, I’m guessing LaFleur and his staff is diving into the nitty-gritty details early Monday after a long night of analyzing, second-guessing and reassessing the process and the result.

Neither was good enough last week.

Packers look to go 3-0 

with win at Cleveland 

Thursday, September 18th 2025

By Chris Havel 

Special to The FAN 

GREEN BAY, Wis. – An 11th-hour trade for Micah Parsons and back-to-back blowouts of NFC elites Detroit and Washington has made the Packers serious Super Bowl contenders. 

This week’s ESPN Bets has Buffalo (2-0) and Baltimore (1-1) at +550 with the shortest odds to win Super Bowl LIX. 

The Packers at +650 and the Eagles at +700 are the next closest. 

It’s interesting that Green Bay (2-0) only needed two weeks to leapfrog Philadelphia (2-0) as the NFC’s favorite despite the defending Super Bowl champion’s win over Kansas City (0-2). 

Speaking of the Chiefs, head coach Andy Reid’s team is next at +900, followed by the Lions (1-1) and 49ers (2-0) at 16-1 and the Chargers (2-0) at 18-1. 

The season is still in its infancy, but the Packers’ impressive wins against two of the conference’s top teams – and especially their defensive dominance – has gotten the league’s attention. 

Most NFL observers believed Green Bay would compete for the NFC title this season BEFORE the Parsons trade. His arrival elevated expectations – and the pulses of Packers fans – instantaneously. His performance in Week 1 and Week 2 wins against top-notch teams cemented Green Bay’s top-tier status. 

Now, the Packers must work to retain it by refining what they do well and refraining from what gets them in trouble. 

The Packers’ “To Do” list seems fairly obvious. 

** No. 1 – No self-inflicted wounds such as pre-snap penalties, needless holding penalties on run plays, blown routes, drops and generally undisciplined play. 

** No. 2 – See No. 1. 

Green Bay is that good. If the Packers don’t self-destruct – and there’s scant evidence to suggest it – they’ll be there at the end. Whether that means advancing to and winning the Super Bowl is anyone’s guess. But its strongly suggests the Packers will be playing meaningful football deep into January. 

The journey continues Sunday at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field against Myles Garrett and the winless Browns. 

Garrett, a future Pro Football Hall of Fame lock, is one of the NFL’s most feared pass rushers. Whether he lines up over the Packers’ left tackle, Rasheed Walker, or right tackle (question mark), at high noon, rest assured the battle will be enjoined. 

Garrett’s a man-eater. He doesn’t appear to play for the joy of the game. He seems to play it for the love of combat and the sheer pleasure of physically and mentally crushing the foe. 

What makes Garrett so lethal is the difficulty offenses have trying to neutralize his unyielding seek-and-destroy mentality with the physical prowess to pay it off. 

The Packers’ offensive line has been effective despite being without starting left guard Aaron Banks and starting right tackle Zach Tom for all or some of the first two games. 

Jordan Morgan has been decent at left guard while the rotation of rookie Anthony Belton and veteran Darian Kinnard at right tackle has been a work in progress. Kinnard is savvy enough to battle through his physical limitations. Belton is immensely blessed in terms of raw talent, but that’s exactly what it is: raw. 

Belton was flagged for holding to nullify Jayden Reed’s touchdown catch against Washington. He also surrendered a sack that ruined what was a promising Packers’ drive. 

The hope is that Tom returns to anchor right tackle, which would allow Morgan to hunker down at left guard if need be. Based on Wednesday’s locker room interviews, it seems likely Banks will be at left guard, Morgan at right tackle and Tom out. 

When asked about their optimism in terms of playing Sunday at Cleveland, Banks quickly replied, “I’m playing!” 

That was news to the assembled media. 

When asked the same question, Tom replied, “Ask me again tomorrow.” 

That strongly suggests he isn’t going to play. If the Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur elect to rotate Belton and Kinnard, rather than start Morgan at right tackle, I’ll be flabbergasted. 

I suspect LaFleur can’t be that foolish. Besides, if the rule of thumb is that the “best five” play in the O-line then it has to be Walker, Banks, Jenkins, Rhyan and Morgan (if Tom’s out). 

At receiver, the Packers will be without Reed for a lengthy stretch after he underwent surgery to repair his foot and clavicle. 

“He’s going to miss a lot of time,” LaFleur told reporters. “We’ll see how fast he can recover and heal, and certainly I would expect him back at some point this season, but obviously it’s a big blow to us.” 

Reed has led the Packers’ receivers in catches and yards each of the past two seasons. His absence will be notable. 

The Packers will try to offset it by utilizing rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams on more snaps, particularly Golden as regular member of the three-receiver sets. 

Williams, like Golden, possesses terrific speed and will be lined up in the backfield while being used on sweeps and screens. 

Offensively, the Browns (2-0) rely on veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who won a Super Bowl once-upon-a-time in Baltimore. Flacco still has just enough mobility to protect himself and his accuracy and arm strength are good enough to make the throws. 

The problem is Flacco is zero threat to run. He’ll try to buy time in the pocket, and he’s still pretty nimble, but when’s under pressure he’ll either be sacked or forced into an incompletion. He’s simply not going to take off and hurt you with his legs. 

The Browns’ troubles also include a so-so O-line and what to this point has been an ineffective run game. 

The Packers’ pass rush should feast. 

Meantime, the Green Bay offense should view the Browns as a great opportunity to get the run game firing on all cylinders. Josh Jacobs has been good through two weeks, and his mere presence forced the Lions and Commanders to load the box early in games, which has opened up the passing attack. 

At Cleveland, I suspect LaFleur will continue to bang away on the ground until the Browns’ run defense ultimately cracks. 

PREDICTION: Packers 27 (until they don’t), Browns 12 

Lions eat Bears alive,

Vikings fall to Falcons

Monday, September 15th 2025

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Detroit Lions needed more than 50 plays and three quarters to score a touchdown in a 27-13 Week 1 blowout loss at Green Bay.

On Sunday, the Lions needed just five plays and fewer than three minutes to get into the end zone against the Chicago Bears.

Chicago responded on the next drive to tie it at 7-7 midway through a wild first quarter.

That was the Bears’ last hurrah, as it turned out.

The Lions (1-1) proceeded to outscore the winless Bears 45-14 the rest of the way to score a 52-21 rout at Ford Field.

After the first matchup of former co-coaches – the Lions’ Dan Campbell and ex-offensive coordinator/new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, the scoreboard reads: Campbell 1, Johnson 0.

The Lions were salty after getting a butt-kicking at Green Bay. Apparently they elected to take it out on the Bears.

“I knew the guys would respond,” Campbell said.

The Lions rolled up more than 500 yards with Jared Goff throwing for five touchdowns – including three to Amon-Ra St. Brown – and Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery each adding a rushing TD while running for a combined 151 yards.

Some questioned whether the Lions’ record-setting offense of a year ago would be as dynamic without Johnson calling plays. John Morton, the Lions’ new coordinator, did a nice job Sunday.

But Campbell was quick to take an indirect shot at Johnson.

“This train keeps rolling and it’s always going to start with the players,” he said.

Translation: If you have first-rate thoroughbreds you’ve got a great chance to win the race, regardless of the trainer or jockey.

Meanwhile, the Bears’ train got derailed a second straight game.

Chicago (0-2) turned it over on downs in each half, committed eight penalties and allowed four sacks. Caleb Williams was 19 of 30 for 207 yards with two touchdowns to Rome Odunze.

Williams, the No. 1 pick a year ago, also threw an awful interception midway through the fourth quarter.

Tyson Bagent replaced Williams on the next series.

Afterward, Johnson was asked if Williams’ benching was due to his poor play. The Bears’ coach, perhaps trying to pre-empt a negative narrative, chalked it up to the game being out of reach.

Hey, it’s Johnson’s dumpster fire. He can try to extinguish it any way he chooses. After all, he lit it.

Where the Bears go from here is anyone’s guess.

My guess is downward.

Chicago faces an invigorated Cowboys team coming off a crazy 41-38 victory against the New York Giants.

As for the Lions, they’re off to Baltimore to face the Ravens in a matchup of 1-1 teams with Super Bowl aspirations.

Later Sunday night, Vikings’ fans and ex-Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins spent the evening doing the same thing. They spent it watching the Falcons’ defense make J.J. McCarthy look like the first-year starter that he is.

The Falcons sacked McCarthy six times – five in the first half alone – to lead Atlanta to a 22-6 victory over the Vikings.

McCarthy was named the NFC “Offensive Player of the Week” after a 27-24 win at Chicago in Week 1.

Some said it was a farce for McCarthy to win the award because he was awful for three quarters. They were right, of course, and that opinion was confirmed against the Falcons.

Atlanta’s defense got so far inside McCarthy’s helmet I expected the Falcons’ logo to come flying out of one of his ear holes. An array of five- and six-man defensive fronts – coupled with a mix of zone and man-to-man coverages – was stifling.

Without doing any research, I write with confidence that McCarthy’s absolutely awful performance Sunday night was THE WORST encore by any NFC “Offensive Player of the Week” winner in the award’s history.

On the other hand, McCarthy’s showing had to be the most “offensive” by any NFC quarterback this weekend, which makes him the back-to-back “offensive” winner, so to speak.

McCarthy was 11 of 21 for 158 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 37.5. He was absolutely in over his head against a middle-of-the-road defense.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is a terrific teacher. He worked wonders to help Sam Darnold turn his career around while leading Minnesota to a 14-2 record last season.

Nevertheless, Minnesota lost in the first round of the playoffs.

That prompted some Vikings fans to call for Darnold to be replaced by the first-round quarterback out of Michigan. Some even deluded themselves into believing he is the second coming of Tom Brady. While it’s true they both played quarterback for the Wolverines in college, that’s where the similarities end.

Today, many of those same Vikings’ fans will be wailing and gnashing their teeth and wishing Darnold was still the QB. Naturally, they conveniently forget they wanted him out after the Vikings fell to the Rams 27-9 in the wild-card round.

So what does all of this mean for the Packers (2-0) as they prepare for their upcoming game at Cleveland?

Clearly, the NFC North has two frontrunners and two also-rans.

The Packers and the Lions look like they’ll be fighting it out for the division title, while the Vikings and Bears struggle mightily.

On the other hand, if Green Bay’s defense can dismantle Detroit like it did in the opener, it’s difficult to see the Lions successfully defending their division title.

Jordan Love and Goff are the two best quarterbacks in the division, and Matt LaFleur and Campbell are the top two head coaches in the NFC North despite the fact that the Vikings’ O’Connell was named “Coach of the Year.”

Of all the storylines, my favorite might be Johnson and the Bears playing the Packers on Sunday, Dec. 7, at Lambeau Field. It’ll be the first meeting between the teams since Johnson became the Bears’ head coach.

I recall Johnson saying something about how much he’ll enjoy continuing to beat LaFleur’s Packers – like he did with the Lions – at his introductory news conference.

Yeah, right. Johnson’s wins over the Packers all occurred with him standing squarely in Campbell’s shadow.

We’ll see if Johnson’s Bears can cash a check that was written by their first-year head coach’s big mouth.

It remains to be seen how the season plays out, but as it stands it sure looks like Johnson didn’t do his Bears any favors.

It also looks like the Packers – who know there’s a mountain of work still to be done – are well on their way to displacing the Lions as the king of the NFC North.

Friday, September 12th 2025

Packers’ ‘D’ hammers

Commanders in win

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers and their defense set the tone for the next five months in as many days.

The Micah Parsons-led barrage saw Green Bay hit, hammer and harass Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels wire-to-wire in a convincing 27-18 victory Thursday night at Lambeau Field.

The Packers’ dynamite defense kept the Commanders out of the end zone for three quarters, just as it had in a 27-13 victory over the Detroit Lions in Sunday’s season opener.

In two games, the Green Bay defense has allowed 97 yards rushing on 41 attempts for a 2.4 average per carry. It’s all the more impressive considering the opposing offenses.

The Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs was the centerpiece of the most potent offense in Lions history last season. He was stifled last week.

The Commanders’ Daniels entered Thursday night’s game needing 41 yards rushing to become the NFL’s fastest quarterback (19 games) to reach 1,000 yards. He exited the game still 24 yards shy of a grand.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was asked what adjective he’d use to describe defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unit.

“Relentless,” he replied without hesitation.

“Just physical, aggressive, attacking … The play style is exactly what we want from these guys, and it always starts with the energy and effort. That’s going to get you through and can overcome some of the mistakes.”

What mistakes? Oh, I’m certain there were several by the Packers’ defense, but not very many.

Keisean Nixon was a beast against the run, and Javon Bullard had his best game as a pro. Bullard had five tackles including several where he was a heat-seeking missile blowing up ill-fated receiver screens. The eternally physical Nixon had two tackles, which isn’t big news, but he also defended five passes. He looked every bit the part of a CB1.

Speaking of which, free agent acquisition Nate Hobbs debuted at cornerback for the Packers and looked good.

Lukas Van Ness consistently generated pressure, including several times where his “get off” was stunningly quick. Rashan Gary added another sack to make it 2.5 through two games.

It appears that Parsons’ arrival was the key to unleashing four first-round defenders: Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Gary and Van Ness. Each one of them has looked better through two games than they have at any two-game stretch in Green Bay.

Gary may have had more sacks in any given two-game stretch, but he’s never been this down-in, down-out dominant. That’s not to mention great work by Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks and Wyatt in terms of run defense and collapsing the pocket.

All of that is made much easier when Parsons is the key chess piece up front, and Xavier McKinney is that on the back end. McKinney had a nice pass breakup to go with three tackles. He kept the Packers’ linebackers and corners on point all night.

The Packers haven’t blown a coverage in two games.

Daniels completed 24 of 42 passes for a mostly nondescript 200 yards with two touchdowns for an 85.4 passer rating. He was sacked four times – just like Goff – and never got comfortable.

The Commanders’ running game pounded out 51 yards in 19 carries for a 2.7 average with a long run of 8 yards. Gibbs had a long of 14 yards to finish with 19 yards last Sunday.

That’s crazy good run defense in addition to a lethal pass rush.

The Packers have eight sacks through two games and that’s with precious little time to integrate Parsons. It didn’t matter. Hafley already ingrained the need to rally to the football, do the “Peanut Punch” when possible, and to play with and for your teammates.

Hafley’s crew is doing all of that and then some.

“That’s a helluva day defensively,” LaFleur said of Daniels rushing seven times for a mere 17 yards. “If you told me that’s what it was going to be after the game, I’d say advantage us.

“Our players are doing a great job feeding off one another, and it’s definitely exciting to watch our defense go out there and perform, because they allow us to get up on somebody.”

Getting up on somebody is coach slang for getting the lead.

The Packers haven’t trailed this season.

That will become a talking point if it continues with the obvious storyline line being, “Green Bay’s defense is terrific,” with the next question being, “But can the offense come from behind?”

It’s a fair question. It may seem a foolish one sooner than later.

The Packers play four of the next five games on the road. Certainly fan hostility and unfamiliar terrain can help the home team grab a lead, but all Jordan Love does is respond.

Love was 19 of 31 for 292 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked twice, but also rushed three times, including a sensational 14-yard gain along the sideline in which he ran over one defender and side-stepped another.

Love didn’t have that mobility due to injury last season.

Now, it’s another fail-safe weapon when the Packers’ offense has nowhere else to turn.

Love’s completions including a brilliant sideline throw to Jayden Reed for a touchdown at the pylon. The play was nullified due to an Anthony Belton holding penalty, and Reed broke his collarbone on the play, but it was a great throw-and-catch all the same.

Love’s big night included hitting Tucker Kraft for a 57-yard gain up the seam. It led to the Packers’ first touchdown. He also connected with Kraft for an 8-yard touchdown later on.

Kraft had six catches (seven targets) for 124 yards – his first 100-yard day as a pro – for a whopping 20.7 yards per catch.

“That’s what Tuck is every day,” Love said. “I don’t think it’s a secret for him to go out there and ball like he does. Tuck’s a guy that’s going to have a big year.”

Kraft was integral during the Packers’ two 90-yard plus scoring drives. That’s a first in the LaFleur Era.

The lengthy scoring drives were especially impressive considering Green Bay was without two of its starters along the offensive line. Aaron Banks (ankle) was out at left guard and right tackle Zach Tom (hip) also wasn’t activated.

The Packers played Jordan Morgan at left guard and alternated series with Anthony Belton and Darian Kinnard at right tackle. Kinnard played well. Belton didn’t. The rookie committed a holding penalty that wiped out Reed’s touchdown, and he allowed a sack that killed a promising Green Bay drive.

The Packers won despite Belton’s mistakes, but if Tom is unable to play in 10 days at Cleveland, it’ll be interesting to see if LaFleur still alternates at right tackle. That’s because the Browns’ left end, Myles Garrett, is a man eater. He’s already being fitted for a gold jacket and he’s as dynamic a pass rusher as Parsons. Some might even say Garrett is better.

At any rate, he’s going to be handful (and I don’t mean holding) for whoever has to line up across from him.

Oh, well, there’s plenty of time to fret over Garrett – and get Tom healthy.

Meantime, the Packers have shown themselves to be serious Super Bowl contenders in just five days and two games.

It’s an amazing start to what they hope is a super season.

Monday, September 8th 2025

Packers feel Parsons’ presence intro to exit

 By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

 GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay’s greatest edge Sunday was the one its defense played with in a dominant, double-digit takedown of reigning NFC North champion Detroit.

The Packers’ 27-13 victory over the Lions featured the debut of Micah Parsons, whose presence was felt from his intro to exit.

When No. 1 was the home team’s final defender introduced, the 77,239 fans erupted inside Lambeau Field. They did likewise when he chased down Jared Goff late to earn his first sack.

On his first snap, Parsons hurried Goff into completing a pass short of the sticks. On the Lions’ third drive, he forced Goff into a poor throw that safety Evan Williams parlayed into a nifty interception at the Green Bay 13.

It halted what looked to be a promising 13-play drive by Detroit.

The Packers’ defense – featuring its new “Cheetah” package under coordinator Jeff Hafley – registered four sacks while generating constant pressure. Hafley deployed Parsons and Rashan Gary (1.5 sacks) on the edges, with Lukas Van Ness (1/2 sack) and Devonte Wyatt (1 sack) lining up inside.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur praised his defense’s edge.

Clearly, Parsons’ presence elevates his teammates.

“He definitely has an aura about him,” LaFleur said. “They all benefit from that.”

The pass rush was consistent, but just as important was Green Bay’s ability to stifle the Lions’ vaunted running attack.

Colby Wooden (six tackles) also had a strong game while making his first NFL start in place of the departed Kenny Clark.

The Lions mustered just 46 yards rushing on 22 carries. That’s scarcely more than 2 yards per feeble attempt. The dynamic Jahmyr Gibbs had a 14-yard run. The other eight went for 5.

“They key to the game was just holding this offense to 46 yards rushing,” LaFleur said. “That’s typically how they operate. They’re a tough team to stop the run against. That’s just great run defense and … sets you up for a lot of success.”

Gibbs also caught 10 passes for 31 yards with a long of 7.

When the Packers’ defense wasn’t swarming, the offense was scoring on its first three possessions. For all of the fanfare of Parsons’ arrival, the greatest difference from last season to Sunday was that the Packers’ offense got a lead.

Green Bay played fast and clean.

The Packers didn’t have a turnover, looked to have only one dropped pass and committed just four penalties for 40 yards.

LaFleur was pleased.

“Our guys were dialed-in,” he said. “(They were) locked into the game.”

Jordan Love directed three straight scoring drives to open a 17-3 halftime lead. Last season, in a monsoon, the Lions led 17-3 and pushed it to 24-3 early in the second half.

The Packers flipped the script, and the offense did its part.

The opening drive was a 12-play, 83-yard masterpiece capped by Love’s 15-yard laser to Tucker Kraft for the touchdown. Kraft beat Lions safety Brian Branch for the score, just moments after Branch was penalized 15 yards for ripping off the tight end’s helmet and throwing it.

Kraft and the Packers proved frustrating for the Lions early on.

Detroit’s intentions were clear at the outset: Its defense was going to load the box to stuff Josh Jacobs and force Love to beat them through the air.

Love appeared to shrug his shoulder pads and say, “Ok, fine.”

He completed 16 passes to 10 different receivers for 188 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 128.3 rating. Love was fortunate to have a Detroit penalty wipe out one interception while Lions’ linebacker Alex Anzalone dropped another.

Nevertheless, he came out razor sharp and entirely on point.

Love’s second drive featured a 26-yard catch-and-run by Jayden Reed to set up Brandon McManus’ 34-yard field goal. His third was highlighted by a bit of both Reed and Doubs.

After Detroit cut Green Bay’s lead to 10-3, the Packers’ offense struck lightning fast. Love hit Doubs on a terrific 48-yard completion. He hit Reed for a 17-yard touchdown the next play.

“Those money downs,” LaFleur said. “(Love) definitely delivered in those clutch, critical situations.”

Love wasn’t sacked and scarcely pressured.

It wasn’t because the Lions were back on their cleats do to play-action passes. It was because the Packers’ offensive line – despite two in-game injuries – was that much better.

Right tackle Zach Tom exited with a hip injury and was replaced by the recently acquired Darian Kinnard, who stepped in and played well in place of Tom. Also, Jordan Morgan handled left guard when Aaron Banks exited with an ankle injury. Morgan also rotated some at right guard with Sean Rhyan.

“The O-line did great today,” Kraft said. “They were passing stuff off early. They were doing great with picks. They were getting depth. They were using their eyes, their hands … It was just the front seven, front eight up there just trying to contribute and keep the quarterback safe.”

The Lions’ strategy thwarted Jacobs throughout the first half, but the powerful back still got 66 yards on 19 carries (3.5). He also scored on a 3-yard run with 7:57 to play in the fourth quarter to boost Green Bay’s lead to 24-6.

Jacobs has scored a touchdown in a franchise-record nine straight games. He didn’t realize it was a record, he said, or he would’ve retrieved the football after the play.

It’s Ok. Jacobs won’t have to wait long for a chance to extend his touchdown streak to 10 straight games. The Packers (1-0) play host to the Commanders (1-0) on Thursday night.

Washington defeated the Giants 21-6 on Sunday by literally running them over. The Commanders rushed 32 times for 220 yards – a 6.9 average – and two touchdowns.

Green Bay’s defense also gets to test itself against the elusive Jayden Daniels, who threw for 233 yards and rushed for 68 in Sunday’s win.

LaFleur intends to give his team all the time to regroup it needs.

“I told the guys, you can enjoy this for about five minutes, or five hours,” he said. “We’ve got a quick turnaround.”

Thursday, September 4th 2025

Lions looking to end

Packers’ home streak

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Hate is too strong a word.

Let’s just say I intensely dislike writing NFL preview/prediction columns. The storylines, stats and matchups going into a game offer a measure of insight, and can be enlightening as well as entertaining, which is always welcome.

But to proceed believing one can routinely and accurately predict the outcome of NFL games is embarking on a fool’s errand. It can’t be done. The parity is real. So is the inconsistent officiating, impact of inclement weather and a thousand other variables that come with any given matchup.

Fortunately, all of the above rarely prevents sports writers – yours truly guilty as charged – of thinking at least for a fleeting moment, “What if?” Suppose I start the season 1-0, 2-0 and then 3-0 and 4-0 – unbeaten entering October – on Packers’ picks?

Rest assured it would be cited during Sports Line on The Fan.

Such a streak – should it near double-digits – may draw national interest. Who knows where it might end?

I do. I know where it ends. I’ll continue to pursue perfection, knowing full well it isn’t attainable … thanks to my Week 1 prediction of the Packers’ painful loss to the visiting Lions.

Detroit 28, Green Bay 23

I take no delight in taking the Lions and the money line. Truth told I feel like a traitor, a non-believer among devout Packers faithful, if I choose to predict a Green Bay loss.

But that’s where I’m at this week.

While it’s true the Packers have won 12 straight home openers – season openers or otherwise – it’s also true that neither of these teams has ever met in a single one of those delightful dozen.

The 49ers in 2012 were the last team to knock off the Packers in their season opener at Lambeau Field. Quarterback Alex Smith led the 49ers to a 23-7 edge entering the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers could only muster a TD pass to Jermichael Finley through three frustrating quarters.

That’s when a thunderbolt struck as the Packers’ Randall Cobb returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, and Rodgers found James Jones for a 10-yard TD to make it 30-22 but that was it.

Thus the winning streak was born.

Starting in 2013 with Washington, the Packers continued the streak with home-opening wins against the Jets (2014), the Seahawks (2015), the Lions (2016), the Seahawks (2017), the Bears (2018), the Vikings (2019), the Lions (2020), the Lions (2021), the Bears (2022), the Saints (2023) and the Colts (2024).

The Lions have been the victim not once, not twice but thrice during the Packers’ streak. The Bears and the Seahawks have twice obliged the Packers in their home openers.

On Sunday, the Lions just might lose to the Packers in Green Bay’s home opener for a fourth time. There are plenty of reasons to believe Matt LaFleur and his Packers get it done.

Jordan Love – his left thumb aside – was more accurate as a passer, more vocal as a leader, and more comfortable in his role as “The Guy” in the Packers’ offense.

First-round pick Matthew Golden, good old number 0, has been nothing short of sensational. He appears to be one of those rare plug-and-play receivers who dazzles from Day One. The prevailing wisdom suggests he’ll do likewise in Week One.

Not to bury the headline, but Micah Parsons’ arrival instantly changes how the Packers are viewed, and more important, how the Packers view themselves.

Love didn’t try to hide his excitement at Parsons’ presence.

“It gives us a big jolt,” Love said of acquiring Parsons. “Everybody was excited, just because we know what type of player he is. Some exciting things can happen.”

The Packers’ offensive line also will be interesting to follow as Elgton Jenkins has been struggling with a hip issue. The Packers’ new center still isn’t a sure thing to play Sunday. That means it’ll be Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Aaron Banks at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jordan Morgan at right guard and Zach Tom at right tackle.

Jenkins’ absence, if it goes that way, severely curtails the Packers’ O-line depth. After the starting five it’s a lot of unknowns and question marks.

The Packers’ tight ends should provide trouble for the Lions’ defensive secondary. As good as Detroit’s defense is, especially with Aidan Hutchinson’s return, Tucker Kraft and an emerging Luke Musgrave size up as a formidable one-two punch.

Josh Jacobs is a beast and Emanuel Wilson runs like his hair is on fire.

The Packers’ defense with Parsons is another matter. While I like hearing Love talk so excitedly about their new pass rusher, I’m just not sure he’ll be that impactful in Week 1.

Certainly he could go the way of Khalil Mack in Week 1 as the Bears’ new pass rusher. Mack almost single-handedly ruined the Packers’ evening in that home opener in 2018.

The problem is the Lions’ offense.

Quarterback Jared Goff is a statue, but he’s got the most accurate throwing arm in the history of statues. He carved up the Packers without being inconvenienced. He’s had more challenging practices, I’d wager.

Amon-Rah St. Brown remains one of the NFL’s pre-eminent weapons at wide receiver, and Jahmyr Gibbs is likewise at running back, where he’s spelled by David Montgomery.

The Lions’ interior of their offensive line is new, and the loss of center Frank Ragnow is considerable, so it’ll be interesting to see if Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley rushes Parsons on the interior at times, and whether Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks can generate pass rush against the guards and center.

At the end of the day, I believe the Packers are a serious Super Bowl contender. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they get there. All the pieces are in place. They already got one massive break when Parsons became available and was acquired.

The significance can’t be overstated.

In addition, the Packers’ running game should be even better than it was in 2024. And it was devastating last season.

With all that, I still can’t pick the Packers to defeat the Lions until I’m convinced that the self-inflicted wounds are a thing of the past. The pre-snap penalties, holds on run plays, dropped passes and poor execution have been lingering problems.

If that gets cleaned up, and stays cleaned up, the Packers can beat anyone, including these Detroit Lions.

I’ve just got to see it before I believe it.

Tuesday, September 2nd 2025

Brewers tread water;

Reset for stretch run

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Manager Pat Murphy and the Brewers have endured two particularly challenging stretches this season.

Back in late April, the National League’s reigning “Manager of the Year” called it “the longest month of his career.” Milwaukee started 0-4 but rallied to finish 16-15 by month’s end.

On Monday, the Brewers’ 10-8 loss to Philadelphia in a wild Labor Day affair at American Family Field capped a stretch that saw Milwaukee go 9-10 in 18 days.

Despite short stints by the starters and a drained bullpen, Milwaukee still came out the other end in decent shape. They battled the Blue Jays on Sunday before losing and they did the same against the Phillies the next day.

Milwaukee (85-54) led the Phillies 4-0 early and 5-1 entering the fifth inning with rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski pitching wonderfully. Then disaster – and the Phillies’ big bats – struck to grab an 8-6 lead in the top of the eighth.

No matter. The resilient Brewers rode Isaac Collins’ two-run single to an 8-8 tie entering the ninth. That’s when the umpires appeared to blow several “check swing” calls, which led to Murphy blowing his cool and getting ejected.

The Phillies ended up winning, 10-8. Murphy didn’t like it, but he took it in stride.

“I guess I need to realize that,” he said. “I’m disappointed about today, but you’ve got to credit the Phillies. They’ve got a great club and we swept them (in Philadelphia). They remember it.”

The Phillies (80-58) trail the Brewers by 4.5 games in the chase for the National League’s No. 1 playoff seed. The Los Angeles Dodgers (78-59) sit six games behind the Brewers.

Milwaukee holds a 5.5-game lead over the second-place Chicago Cubs (79-59) in the NL Central.

Interestingly, the Brewers have played their best baseball against the MLB’s division leaders. Milwaukee is 15-4 against other first-place teams: Blue Jays (2-1), Tigers (2-1), Astros (2-1), Phillies (3-1) and Dodgers (6-0).

On the season, the Brewers are an MLB-best 43-30 against teams that are .500 or better when they play.

It’s quite an accomplishment considering the challenges they’ve had to face, especially with injuries to the pitching staff.

Relievers Shelby Miller (elbow – no return date) and Trevor Megill (right flexor strain – Sept. 9 earliest return date) are difficult to replace. Grant Anderson, a third reliever, is out with ankle tendinitis until Sept. 8 at the earliest.

Fortunately, Megill is expected to return healthy.

In addition, reinforcements have returned with more help on the way.

The biggest development during the weekend was Jackson Chourio’s sizzling return to the lineup. He picked up right where he left off, despite a 19-day layoff, and carried the Brewers at Toronto. He is critical to their playoff success and after seeing what he did the past few days, it’s even more amazing Milwaukee was able to win 14 straight games without him.

First baseman/DH Rhys Hoskins is due back soon, perhaps just in time to give Andrew Vaughn a breather and a push (wink, wink). And Joey Ortiz’s return from a left hamstring injury restores the Brewers’ Gold Globe-caliber middle infield.

Left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny’s return provides depth and a way to spare Aaron Ashby from overuse.

Reliever Abner Uribe told MLB.com that it has been a pretty rugged stretch for the pitching staff.

“I’d be lying to you if I said the past few days and this stretch has been easy,” he said. “But we have the off-day and I think we’re going to be able to bounce back as a whole.”

Uribe doesn’t believe the 19 games in 18 days stretch took the wind out of the Brewers’ postseason sails. He thinks they’ll just relax, catch their breath and press forward.

“I can see how people outside of this could see it as a complicated situation,” he said. “But for us in here in the clubhouse, that’s just how it goes. We’re used to this and this lifestyle, and just being ready to show up the next day ready to go. All of us, we feel good physically and mentally. But we’re definitely ready to enjoy the off-day.”

The Brewers will send left-hander Jose Quintana (10-5, 3.69) to the mound Wednesday night against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (3-7. 6.47) with the first pitch set for 6:40 p.m.

In Thursday’s 3:10 p.m. matinee, Milwaukee will start NL Cy Young Award candidate Freddy Peralta (16-5, 2.58, 168 Ks) against Phillies lefty Ranger Suarez (10-6, 3.02).

After Monday’s game, Murphy was asked if Misiorowski will continue as a starter or be moved to the bullpen ahead of the postseason.

“I think we’re learning as we go,” Murphy said. “We need him as a starter right now and he’s developing as a starter. That discussion hasn’t begun about what else could happen.”

Misiorowski has struggled in his past six starts after looking fantastic in his first five appearances.

“You can’t expect to go perfect in every game and go out there and give up one run,” the rookie right-hander said. “Everyone is like, ‘What’s happening?’ It’s baseball.”

Misiorowski added that he needs to be more reliant on his defense. In the minors, he said, a pitcher can do his thing and carry a team. That’s not the case in the big leagues.

“You have to rely on the defense,” he said. “It’s not just all you. Going through the Minor Leagues, you can kind of fly by the seat of your pants and make it happen by yourself, but up here, you have to rely on those guys.”

What Misiorowski said is code for, “Above all else – throw strikes and limit the walks.”

Whatever The Miz can give them here on out will be a bonus. The Brewers have proven they’re the best team in baseball to this point. Now it’s up to them to reset, catch their breath and finish with a flourish.

Packers’ blockbuster

trade lands Parsons

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Micah Parsons checks all the boxes for Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.

He is an elite player at his position.

He is entering his prime at age 26.

He is coming off his rookie contract and being paid what he’s worth for the first time in his four-year NFL career.

He wants to be in Green Bay, where the low-key culture and “football focused” mindset can help him achieve his No. 1 career goal: Going to and winning the Super Bowl.

Oh, and there’s this, too: His skillset as one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers aligns with arguably Green Bay’s greatest need entering the 2025 season.

The great question looming over Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense was this: Can the Packers put enough heat on opposing quarterbacks when they rush four?

Today, the answer is an unequivocal “Yes!” because the Packers could generate pressure by sending one: Micah Parsons.

The Dallas Cowboys inexplicably traded Parsons and his 52.5 sacks in four seasons to the Packers on Thursday. The blockbuster move saw Dallas receive two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

In return, the Packers receive Parsons and the right to pay him a four-year, $188-million contract that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees.

The deal makes Parsons, the 12^th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

The idea that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes trading Parsons makes Dallas a better team is laughable. Whatever misguided notion led to Jones’ utterly ridiculous decision to send Parsons to the Packers is the Cowboys’ problem.

Here’s how Jones tried spinning it in Dallas:

“This was a move to get us successful in the playoffs,” he said. “This was a move to be better on defense, stopping the run. This was a move to, if we get behind, not be run on. And it was a deliberate move, a well thought out move to make this happen.”

None of that makes sense, but it’s all good in Green Bay.

Packers’ fans are too excited over the acquisition to weep for the Cowboys’ loss. In fact, many of them are sending Jones well-wishes and their undying appreciation for his benevolence.

It would be a stretch to say Parsons’ acquisition is Green Bay’s greatest roster move since signing Reggie White on April 6, 1993, in free agency. Not because Parsons isn’t that good. But because he’s only 26, which is six years younger than White when the Packers brought him to Green Bay.

At 26, White terrorized the NFL while recording a career-high 21.5 sacks in 1987 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He followed it up with an 18-sack season in 1988.

Interestingly, the Steelers’ TJ Watt – a pass rusher on par with Parsons – had his finest NFL season at age 26. That year Watt, now 30, racked up 22.5 sacks and was the league’s “Defensive Player of the Year.”

It appears 26 is the “sweet spot” for premier NFL pass rushers.

For all the excitement in Title Town, USA, on Thursday, there were some NFL naysayers who argued the Packers overpaid to acquire the star pass rusher.

My reaction: “Down … Set … Huh?”

Why would anyone in their right mind second-guess this decision? For months now, the Packers’ perceived greatest weakness was its pass rush, with a shortage of exceptional cover corners the second-greatest concern.

By landing Parsons (6-3, 245) they cemented their pass rush AND improved the defensive secondary in one move. Thanks to Parsons’ presence in a defensive front seven that also features Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt, Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker, the “pass rush” problem is solved.

Rest assured the Lions’ Jared Goff, the Vikings and first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Bears’ Caleb Williams – in addition to their left tackles – don’t like it.

The Packers’ odds to win the Super Bowl were +2000 before they acquired Parsons. Afterward, the Las Vegas odds-makers took note and adjusted accordingly.

Today, the Packers’ odds are +1200. That’s a significant drop based upon a single player.

Gutekunst, for his part, has been clear in the past that rarely, if ever, does he think a team is one player away from a title. In fact, he said exactly that on Wednesday.

Apparently, he believes Parsons is one of the few exceptions.

Parsons is four-for-four in terms of seasons played and Pro Bowl appearances. He joins Zack Martin and Hall of Fame players Emmitt Smith and Mel Renfro as the only Cowboys to do so.

Parsons also is one of only two players in NFL history (Reggie White is the other) to record at least 12 sacks in each of their first four seasons. Parson’s 52.5 sacks are fifth-most all-time in a player’s first four seasons.

While Parsons has never had less than 12 sacks in any of his four seasons, the Packers haven’t had a double-digit sack artist in any of the past four seasons.

In fact, Gary is still searching for his first double-digit sack season. The 12^th overall pick in the 2019 draft might flourish with Parsons presumably chasing quarterbacks his way.

The Packers have been trying to instill an aggressive, physical mindset on both sides of the football.

On offense, they signed left guard Aaron Banks in free agency in an attempt to upgrade what already ranked among the NFL’s top running games behind Josh Jacobs.

On defense, they brought in the Raiders’ Nate Hobbs to play cornerback and set a tone. Hobbs is in jeopardy of missing the season opener while recovering from knee surgery, but in his brief time in training camp he brought a physical element.

Now, Parsons joins a defense that might have been one terrific pass rusher away from being dominant.

The Packers and their fans won’t have to wait long to see how this blockbuster deal plays out on the field. Green Bay hosts the defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 7 in a nationally televised 3:25 p.m. game.

Considering the Packers’ and Cowboys’ rich tradition and incredible fan bases, the Green Bay-Detroit game just shot up to the No. 1 contest in Week 1 of the NFL season.

For those fans wondering how quickly Parsons will be able to learn Hafley’s defensive scheme, the answer lies in a simple three-word phrase: Go sic ‘em.

Brewers’ Ortiz badly

missed over weekend

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers and their fans showed their deep, unwavering affection for the great Bob Uecker with a truly wonderful celebration of Mr. Baseball’s life over the weekend.

On Sunday, it culminated with Brewers’ Hall of Famer Robin Yount giving a mini-eulogy. Yount said he met Ueck in Spring Training 1974, when he was an 18-year-old shortstop.

They became and remained close friends for the next 51 years.

Yount said he was amazed at how Ueck never changed.

“Right to the end,” he said, “he told me he wasn’t afraid of dying. He just didn’t want to be there when it happened.”

The sellout crowd of 42,053 erupted in a standing ovation.

Uecker, a humble master of self-deprecation, would’ve enjoyed the moment right along with the fans. He was one of them, only he was situated behind the mike bringing the Brewers to life.

It was a perfect day until Brewers closer Trevor Megill allowed a two-out, two-run single by Heliot Ramos to turn a one-run lead into a disappointing 4-3 loss at American Family Field.

Luis Matos’ two-run home run provided the balance of the Giants’ offense, while Caleb Durbin’s solo home run gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning. Brandon Lockridge and Christian Yelich each had RBI singles.

It was Megill’s third blown save in the past four opportunities.

Closers have been known to be up-and-down during a season, but whatever it takes to get Megill right between now and the postseason needs to begin happening now.

An even greater eye-opener, at least for some fans, is how desperately bad the Brewers miss shortstop Joey Ortiz.

The “Little Big Man” up the middle is on the 10-day IL with a pulled right hamstring. The Brewers plan to perform an MRI on Ortiz soon, perhaps as early as Monday.

Ortiz was conspicuous by his absence during the weekend.

Nevertheless, his importance to the Brewers’ playoff run can’t be overstated. It’s crazy but among a team of “Average Joes” perhaps its most underrated is one of its most important: Ortiz.

The faces of the Brewers’ franchise include Jackson Chourio and Jacob Misiorowski at the forefront.

The Brewers set a franchise record with 14 straight wins while Chourio remains on the IL.

Milwaukee (81-50) is 29-10 since Misiorowski’s last win.

Without Ortiz it’s a different story.

The Gold Glove-caliber shortstop exited last Thursday’s Cubs game, a 4-1 Brewers’ win, with a hamstring issue. Milwaukee’s defense has suffered noticeably in his absence, so much so that it could easily be argued at least one of the losses to the Giants wouldn’t have occurred with Ortiz at shortstop.

Ortiz, at 5-10, 183-pound, is as agile as a cat. He ranks third in the National League in Overall Defensive Value, and fifth in all of baseball. He’ll probably finish second to the Braves’ Nick Allen in the chase to the win the Gold Glove, but from where I sit it’s a draw at best.

Andruw Monasterio is a willing replacement until Ortiz returns, but it’s pretty obvious he isn’t quite capable. He’s certainly no Ortiz in terms of range and turning double plays.

Brice Turang is the next-best shortstop on the roster, but he’s too busy being a Platinum Glove second baseman to be moved. Furthermore, even Turang – as gifted as he is defensively – couldn’t fill Ortiz’s void on such short notice. It’s no coincidence he committed his first error in forever at shortstop.

Ortiz currently ranks sixth in double-plays with 56 and seventh in fielding percentage with eight errors in 425 chances. He’s also hitting .233 with 17 doubles, seven home runs and 43 RBI. Those aren’t gaudy numbers at the plate, but Ortiz has delivered timely hits in big moments while hitting ninth in the order.

Interestingly, he is tied for sixth in double-plays with the Giants’ Willy Adames, the much-beloved former Brewers’ shortstop. Adames, a rare power-hitting shortstop, belted a pair of home runs in his Friday night return to American Family Field.

Adames also had a pair of hits for the Giants in Sunday’s win.

Throughout the entire celebration of Ueck’s life, a stoic Adames stood like a statue on the first step of the visitor’s dugout. He and Ueck – like so many other Brewers players – were very close. Adames expressed his affection for Ueck in numerous interviews throughout the week, and the feeling was mutual.

Consider all that Ortiz was faced with going into this season.

He was entrusted with being the fulltime shortstop on a serious playoff contender. He had to replace a beloved figure, Adames, at a most critical position while knowing he can’t hit like him.

Furthermore, Ortiz became notorious when Brewers manager Pat Murphy benched him for being too undisciplined at the plate. Murphy’s point was well-taken by everyone in the clubhouse, because Ortiz isn’t the only player he’s done this to.

Through it all Ortiz worked to improve his hitting ability and his considerable fielding prowess. He and Turang are as strong as a middle infield in all of baseball. It’s a tremendous factor in the Brewers’ success this season.

Just ask Quinn Priester, a groundball pitcher, who has helped the Brewers win each game in his last 15 appearances. Much of Priester’s rise is due to the great defense behind him.

And that begins with the “Little Big Man” up the middle.

Ortiz needs to get healthy and stay healthy if the Brewers are going to have a postseason as special as the regular season.

Brewers top Cubs 4-1,
brace for stretch run
By Chris Havel
Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers capped one of the craziest, most captivating and consequential weeks in franchise history with a 4-1 victory over the Cubs Thursday at Wrigley Field.

The Brewers’ win was apropos because that’s what this team does. It rebounds, it rallies and it prevails.

The first team in the Major Leagues to reach the 80-win plateau did it by playing eight games in seven days against their top two NL Central competitors: The Reds and the Cubs.

Milwaukee (80-48) proved it can meet the moment.

By the time the doom and gloom of a Wrigley Field rainout and three straight aggravating losses gave way to sunny skies atop Lake Michigan, the Brewers had earned a most sensational split.

Milwaukee went 4-4 against the Reds and the Cubs.

In Cincinnati, the Brewers erased an 8-1 second-inning deficit in Friday night’s opener and turned it into a 10-8 victory. It came on the strength of a pair of Christian Yelich home runs.

The next night Andruw Monasterio’s pinch hit, three-run home run keyed a 6-5 win in 11 innings. The Brewers trailed 2-1 in the top of the ninth in the finale before William Contreras’ two-run home run made it 3-2 Brewers.

Unfortunately, the Brewers’ bullpen ran out of gas and Cincinnati won Sunday’s getaway game.

No matter.

The Brewers bounced right back and blanked the Cubs, 7-0, behind Freddy Peralta in the series opener at Wrigley Field. Monday’s second game of a doubleheader was rained out, so the Brewers played – and dropped – a pair of games on Tuesday.

That was followed by a 4-3 loss on Wednesday night.

The Cubs (73-55) trailed the Brewers by six games. A fourth straight victory would’ve narrowed it to five games (actually four since Chicago won the season series) and Milwaukee’s detractors would’ve been out in full force on social media.

It didn’t happen because the Brewers didn’t let it happen.

For all of the Cubs’ success, they gained one measly game on the Brewers in the NL Central standings.

Brewers’ closer Trevor Megill told MLB.com that it was an important swing to be up seven games versus five games.

“To keep the swing at one, huge momentum shift in the clubhouse,” Megill told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. “I think everybody around here feels that, too. Getting that last one today was super big.”

Brice Turang led the way with a two-run home run straight into the teeth of a 17 mph wind blowing in off Lake Michigan. Isaac Collins, who had been in a mini-slump since his return from paternity leave, delivered a key two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning to turn a tenuous 2-1 lead into a more comfortable 4-1 edge.

Collins was pleased he came through for his team in the clutch.

“That’s just what got us here, that scratch and claw mentality and staying true to ourselves,” Collins said. “That’s the biggest thing. I think sometimes when success comes your way, you kind of forget what got you there. Down the stretch here it’s going to be huge for us to take it one day at a time.”

Quinn Priester started Thursday and allowed a run on three hits in just 4 1/3 innings. He issued a season-high five walks with four strikeouts, but he was able to dance around disaster.

The Brewers have now won 15 straight games in which Priester is the starter. Priester has won 10 straight decisions to tie Chris Bosio and Cal Edred for the longest streaks in team history.

Nick Mears (5-3) worked out of a fifth-inning jam to get the win. Megill pitched the ninth to notch his 30th save.

The Brewers have 34 games to play.

It will be interesting to see how manager Pat Murphy handles the starting rotation, and the bullpen, with an eye to the playoffs.

Milwaukee’s priority list has to include:

** Getting Jacob Misiorowski back in sync after two rough starts. It could be The Miz comes out of the bullpen in the postseason, if he’s on the postseason roster.

** Getting Jackson Chourio back and the sooner the better. The most amazing thing about the Brewers’ success – and especially its franchise-record 14-game winning streak – is that they did it without Chourio, who may be their most talented hitter.

** Getting Joey Ortiz healthy. The Brewers’ Gold Glove caliber shortstop left in the fifth inning of Thursday’s game with a hamstring issue.

If you wonder how important Ortiz is to the Brewers, just ask a sinkerball pitcher like Priester. Ortiz’s defense is second to none, and his at-bats have delivered plenty of timely hits. The Brewers need Ortiz to go deep in the playoffs.

** Maintaining the team chemistry and great vibes.

This is where Murphy comes in. He has handled this young team with extraordinary acumen. He has delivered doses of tough love when he deemed it necessary, and he’s also been an encouraging force as well.

Murphy was asked about what it’s like to be going into the home stretch with a fairly commanding lead?

“I’m not even thinking about that, guys. I’m being honest,” he told reporters. “You can’t even let your head go there. What you think about is the health of your team, their mental health, their physical health, and move ahead. ‘Here we go. Who do we play tonight?’ If you think there’s another gear … that gear gets you into trouble. Then you’re tapping into your emotions, usually, and you’re trying harder. When you squeeze the egg too hard, what happens?”

Some believe the Brewers have squeezed all they can out of this current roster. There are many doubters out there. The Brewers don’t seem to focus on what the naysayers are feeling. They’re too busy staying in the moment, staying together and pressing forward with their best effort game to game.

It’s a cliché formula for a reason.

It works. And it’s worked incredibly well for the 80-win Brewers to this point.

Now, they get to host the San Francisco Giants in a three-game weekend series. Sunday’s game will include a day of celebration for the great Bob Uecker. Topping it with a nice sweep of the Giants would be a terrific tip of the cap to Uke.

Monday, August 18th 2025

Brewers fall at Cincy;

win streak ends at 14

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Based on the Brewers’ payroll and postseason history, the team in MLB’s smallest market has come to realize there are some luxuries it simply cannot afford.

Getting down after a mid-August loss – even one that halts a franchise-record 14-game winning streak – ranks near the top.

Besides, it’s not the 2025 Brewers’ style, especially when it comes in the tsunami-sized wake of such unprecedented success.

Milwaukee’s 3-2 extra-innings loss to the Reds Sunday at Great American Ball Park was disappointing, to be sure, but it says a lot about where the Brewers are … and where they’re headed.

Where they are is atop the NL Central. Where they’re headed is Chicago for a five-game series against the second-place Cubs that begins with a Monday double-header at Wrigley Field.

The Brewers hold an eight-game lead over the Cubs.

Adam McCalvy, who covers the Brewers for MLB.com, got a glimpse into Milwaukee’s mindset by an unnamed player who described the scene in the visitor’s clubhouse after the loss.

It was so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop, or even a tear drop, for that matter, until Christian Yelich broke the silence.

“F*** it,” he said. “Let’s come back and do it again tomorrow.”

With that music began to blare, according to McCalvy’s source, and it was time to get over it and get on with it.

Jose Quintana started for the Brewers and went pitch-for-pitch with the Reds’ Andrew Abbott into a scoreless seventh.

It was only four innings later – which felt like a lifetime – when William Contreras drilled a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to flip a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead with three outs to go.

Surely the Brewers were headed for a 15^th straight victory.

That’s when a rare error by Brice Turang – who was playing shortstop out of necessity – led to the Reds’ game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth. Then, after poor execution led to a scoreless top of the 10^th for the Brewers, the Reds’ Austin Hayes delivered a bases-loaded single to drive in the winning run.

If anyone had a right to be upset, it might’ve been Quintana, who pitched well enough to earn a victory. On the contrary, he reveled in the team’s recent run and clubhouse camaraderie.

“The union we have around the clubhouse, everybody supports each other,” the veteran left-hander said. “It’s been amazing. We’re going to keep playing day by day the same way we’ve been doing. It’s been a really good stretch.”

The Brewers (78-45) own the best record in baseball.

They’re 29-5 in their last 34 games in spite of Sunday’s loss.

They eclipsed the franchise record of 12 straight wins Friday night by turning an early 8-1 deficit into a 10-8 win.

The Reds plated seven runs in the second, and that was that.

Yelich belted a pair of home runs while using a bat with Bob Uecker’s name etched on it, and the Brewers’ bullpen turned out the lights by recording 21 straight outs without allowing a single Reds hitter to reach base.

On Saturday, Andruw Monasterio went from spectator to hero when he came off the bench to belt a three-run, pinch-hit home run in the top of the 11^th to give Milwaukee a 6-3 lead.

The Reds scored two runs in the bottom of the 11^th to make it way too interesting, but the undaunted Brewers held on for a 6-5 win in extra innings.

After the game, Monasterio relayed the story of how Brewers manager Pat Murphy approached him several times in the dugout throughout the course of the ballgame.

“Five times he asks me, ‘Are you ready for a big moment tonight?’ ” said Monasterio, to which the utility player replied, “Oh, yes, I’m ready.”

Monasterio was ready indeed.

On Sunday, Murphy did his best to make do despite severe limitations going into the game. His top four relievers – Aaron Ashby, Jared Koenig, Abner Uribe and closer Trevor Megill – had pitched the two previous games and were unavailable. Furthermore, reliever DL Hall landed on the IL Saturday.

Murphy used Tobias Myers (a starter) as a high-leverage reliever, and Grant Anderson (a high-leverage reliever) as the closer. Neither was a bad decision. It just didn’t work out.

“Hindsight is 20/20,” Murphy said. “As thin as we were, to make that game close and to fight back, I’m really proud of them. That was a big, huge hit by Contreras at a clutch time. That’s huge. That says a lot about him and what he’s capable of.

“It’s just unfortunate. It was a lot to ask of Grant and Tobias, but I’m just proud of everybody today.”

Now, the Brewers face the Cubs in a critical five-game series.

Chicago (70-53) is a veteran club that sees its eight-game deficit as a challenge, rather than a hole too deep to climb out of.

Nevertheless, they aren’t taking the Brewers lightly.

“They’re a good team,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ told MLB.com. “They play fundamental baseball. They run the bases well. They play defense well. They pitch it. So for us, we have to out and play our game and be really sound and fundamental.”

Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell gave Milwaukee its due.

“The job is to try to win the division – that’s kind of the ultimate goal,” Counsell said. “From our perspective, yeah, they’re making that part of the goal really hard to get to. We only get 13 chances to affect it.”

It’s getting late in the season, as Counsell notes, but there’s still plenty of time for the Cubs to make it a sprint to the finish.

“We sit right here with an incredible opportunity,” Counsell said. “We’ve got it, kind of, in our hands. Now, we’re going to have to earn it, no doubt.”

The Brewers’ rotation for the Cubs’ series isn’t set in stone, but Freddy Peralta (14-5, 2.90 ERA) will start the first game of Monday’s doubleheader, with Triple-A Nashville call-up Chad Patrick (3-7, 3.52) likely to start Game 2 Monday night.

Patrick has pitched well in 18 starts for the Brewers this season. The right-hander has allowed 93 hits in 94.2 innings while striking out 95 and issuing 30 walks.

Brandon Woodruff (4-0, 2.06) is set to start Tuesday night’s 7:05 p.m. game, with Jacob Misioriowski (4-1, 3.89) the likely starter in Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. game.

Quinn Priester (11-2, 3.48) is scheduled to start Thursday’s 1:20 p.m. “getaway game.” The Brewers have won each of the past 14 games Priester has started.

The Cubs haven’t been as forthcoming about their starters, but it appears rookie Cade Horton (7-3, 3.07) will start Monday’s first game and veteran Jameson Taillon (7-6, 4.44) will get the nightcap of the twin bill.

Left-hander Matthew Boyd (11-6, 2.46) and right-handers Colin Rea (9-5, 3.99) and Shota Imanaga (8-5, 3.06) are the likely starters for the remaining three games of the series.

Brewers win burgers

with 12^th straight ‘W’

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers’ future looked bleak after they opened the season with four straight dreadful losses.

By June 1 they had clawed back to three games above .500.

By the time they scored a 3-2 walk-off win to complete a sweep of the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on July 9, they were drawing mild national interest. Much of it stemmed from baseball fans’ curiosity regarding pitcher Jacob Misiorowski.

When the Brewers’ 12-5 blowout victory over Pittsburgh ended Wednesday, they had won 12 straight and counting to score free hamburgers at George Webb restaurants for their fans.

Today, they are all the rage in the Major Leagues.

It is one of the most amazing turnarounds in baseball history.

That’s not just the opinion of long-time Brewers fans, either.

The statisticians, historians and anyone who’s been paying attention confirms what should be obvious: Right now the Milwaukee Brewers are the best team in baseball.

Manager Pat Murphy is reticent to go too far with his praise. There are 42 games remaining and he’s been around too long to take his foot off the gas, much less take anything for granted.

Then again, it’s difficult to deny the truth: His team is more talented than most want to believe, and it is playing an unselfish, fundamentally sound brand of baseball that suits its skillset.

“We’re playing with a relentless (style),” Murphy said after Wednesday’s win. “I’m telling you, these are the games that if a line drive gets caught, one of their balls squeaks through, it’s a different game. I think we were fortunate today, and I’m not taking anything away from our guys, because it’s just hard to keep winning Major League games. A lot has gone our way.”

Indeed, a lot has gone the Brewers’ way.

One could argue pitcher Quinn Priester and first baseman Andrew Vaughn are merely “flashing” right now, but it’s unlikely either will be able to sustain it.

Perhaps it’ll play out that way.

On the other hand, the Brewers’ GM had the foresight to acquire both players when other teams – including the teams they were playing for at the time – seemed to have little or no interest.

Priester and Vaughn are thriving because of their innate talent, and also because of their new surroundings. Their draft status as first-round picks suggests a lot of scouts believed they were both capable of producing the way they have in Milwaukee.

The notion of being “lucky” in baseball doesn’t wash with me.

The season is too long, and the game is too demanding, to allow much latitude for “luck” or “good fortune” or “getting all the bounces to go their way.”

That is just so much hot air being blown about by know-it-alls who don’t have a clue.

Baseball’s beauty is its ability to highlight individual talent within the framework of a team’s identity.

Murphy’s Brewers have embraced the concept. It’s as if each player wakes up every day and asks himself, “How do I best-utilize my talent to make the sum total greater than the parts?”

This incredible season is replete with examples.

It’s Murphy praising Brandon Lockridge after going 0-for-3 because he drew 33 pitches to take a huge bite out of the opposing pitchers.

It’s William Contreras – who is hot as Hades right now – taking close pitches and drawing a bases-loaded walk to drive in a run and extend what became a four-run inning.

A selfish player might’ve swung freely because he’s on a heater. Not Contreras.

The Pirates’ three starting pitchers in the series – Andrew Heaney, Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller – are quality MLB starters. In fact, Skenes may be the best pitcher in baseball.

It didn’t matter. The Brewers’ lineup drew a whopping 526 pitches in the three-game sweep. That’s 22 pitches an inning. It’s no wonder they had outscored the Pirates 27-1 before Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds belted 2-run and 3-run home runs.

The Brewers wore down the Pirates’ starters with one grinding at-bat after another. When they got into Pittsburgh’s bullpen it wasn’t long before they delivered the kill shots.

The Brewers (76-44) are 51-16 in their past 67 games.

They are 25-11 versus left-handed starting pitchers. That’s 14 games above .500. The next-closest team in the National League is San Diego, who is 21-17 versus left-handed starters.

That’s because left-handed hitters Sal Frelick, Brice Turang and Christian Yelich all hit lefties really well. It’s also because Isaac Collins and Blake Perkins – two key contributors – are excellent switch-hitters who limit an opposing manager’s options.

In addition, Contreras, Vaughn, Caleb Durbin and Joey Ortiz are raking against left-handed pitching.

The Brewers are 37-26 against teams that are .500 or better when they meet, easily the best mark in baseball.

The Brewers’ MLB-best run differential is a whopping plus-159. It’s actually a plus-191 because they were a minus-32 after the season’s first four games.

They own winning streaks of eight, 11 and now 12 games and counting. They have the Majors’ third-best ERA. They score the second-most runs per game (5.17). They have the best base-running numbers (according to Statcast) and their outs-above-average on defense ranks second in the Majors (per Statcast).

Perhaps the Brewers’ greatest compliment came from Reynolds. The Pirates’ outfielder and DH is one of baseball’s top players. He plays hard, battles every at-bat and is a student of the game.

Reynolds believes what he’s seeing from the Brewers.

“I don’t think anybody wants to play this team right now,” he said Wednesday. “We just ran into that. They’re a great team.”

A reporter asked Reynolds if the Pirates could learn anything from the Brewers’ style of play.

“I think we need to take a page out of the Brewers’ book,” he said candidly. “They just do everything right. They base run. They take the extra base. They put the ball in play. They swing at strikes. I think we could benefit a lot from trying to have the same kind of game style.”

Reynolds suggested nobody wants to play the Brewers right now. He could have just as easily, and perhaps truthfully, added, “I think a lot of players WANT TO PLAY FOR the Brewers.”

The Brewers hold a 7 ½ game lead over second-place Chicago (68-51) in the NL Central. They open a three-game weekend series against the red-hot Cincinnati Reds (64-58) at Great American Ball Park.

With a win in Friday night’s opener, the Brewers would tie the franchise record with 13 straight victories. After the Cincinnati series, Milwaukee travels to Chicago for a five-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Brewers sweep Mets

for ninth straight win

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Some teams have a collection of MVPs.

The Milwaukee Brewers have a clubhouse full of MV-WE’s … and a statewide contingent of fans who adore them.

With torrential rainstorms and flash floods forcing water levels to rise as rapidly as expectations for the home team, the Brewers offered free tickets/parking for any remaining home game to Sunday ticket holders unable to American Family Field.

Nevertheless, out of a sellout crowd of 42,461 tickets sold, an amazing 33,700 still showed up for the Brewers-Mets game.

It’s a safe bet they’re thrilled they did.

The Brewers erased an early five-run deficit to score a 7-6 win over the Mets on Isaac Collin’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. The atmosphere was electric inside Am-Fam Field as a smiling Collins joyfully circled the bases.

Afterward, the rookie leftfielder seemed in awe of the moment.

“I honestly didn’t know if fans were going to be able to make it, and they showed out,” he said. “I love playing for this team and for this city.”

The Brewers (73-44) own a six-game lead over the NL Central’s second-place Cubs (67-50) despite trailing Chicago by 6.5 games as recently as June 17.

In less than two months, Milwaukee has turned the division race upside-down while getting baseball’s full attention.

Most adjectives to describe this team – like the pitchers in an opposing bullpen – have already been spent.

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy reveled in the boisterous crowd.

“I’ve been here 10 years, that’s the best environment that I’ve seen,” he said after the game. “I don’t know if we added seats or something, I don’t pay too much attention up there. It just seems louder. Wilder.”

The Brewers are 29 games above .500. The Phillies (68-49) and the Blue Jays (69-50) have the next-best records in baseball. Both teams trail the Brewers by five games.

Milwaukee is 24-4 in its last 28 games. The Brewers also are a combined 42-16 in June (16-9), July (17-7) and August (9-0). They’re 23-13 in one-run games and 28-12 in blowouts (games decided by five-plus runs).

Any way you slice it, the Brewers are in the midst of their finest moment in franchise history.

Oh, did I happen to mention they’ve won nine straight games?

Most days that would be called “burying the lead.”

In the Brewers’ case, it’s called “business as usual.”

Milwaukee appears to be a “team” in every sense.

Murphy takes great pains to ensure that continues by giving out postgame praise to players who may not ordinarily get any.

After the Brewers’ incredible comeback win over the Mets, which completed the three-game series sweep – Murphy was asked about Collins, of course, in addition to William Contreras, who blasted two home runs. The media also was right to single out DL Hall, who pitched 3.1 perfect innings in relief.

Indeed, Murphy praised Contreras and Hall, but he chose to begin by pointing out two other players: Outfielder Brandon Lockridge and starting pitcher Quinn Priester.

Murphy noted that Lockridge’s 0-for-3 in the box score doesn’t reflect the fact that he drew 33 pitches in three at-bats. It went a long way toward draining the pitching-depleted Mets.

The Brewers’ manager also pointed out that while Priester didn’t have his best stuff, he did find a way to record 13 outs, which went a long way toward saving Milwaukee’s bullpen.

Murphy went into the game without eighth-inning setup man Abner Uribe and closer Trevor Megill, who had pitched on three of the four previous days (Thursday was a day off).

He also preferred to give Christian Yelich a true day off, rather than have to bring him off the bench to pinch-hit. Yelich didn’t play, but the Brewers still won and guess what? Their leftfielder (Collins) and designated hitter (Contreras) keyed the victory. In addition, backup catcher Danny Jansen starter and did a nice job behind the plate. Jansen was especially good at keeping reliever Nick Mears on point and able to get out of a ninth-inning jam.

MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy asked shortstop Joey Ortiz when he felt like the Brewers had a chance to come back to win.

“The first inning,” Ortiz replied.

Later, Priester was asked how to describe his teammates.

“It’s indescribable. They definitely made up for a lot of my miscues today, but it’s a team game. I love being a part of this team, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to smile right now.”

The Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series that begins tonight with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m.

It may be easy to overlook the NL Central’s last-place Pirates (51-68) – who trail Milwaukee by 12.5 games – except for two reasons:

** No. 1 – Right-hander Paul Skenes is starting Tuesday night’s 6:40 p.m. game against Milwaukee ace Freddy Peralta. Skenes (7-8) is arguably the Major League’s best pitcher. He owns a 1.94 ERA with 162 strikeouts and is close to unhittable at times.

** No. 2 – Lately, the Pirates have been playing a much better brand of baseball than, say, the New York Mets. The Pirates are 4-6 in their last 10, but are coming off a four-game split with Cincinnati in which Skenes threw a shutout and players such as Brewers nemesis Brian Reynolds, centerfielder O’Neill Cruz and of course, the ageless wonder, Andrew McCutchen.

Brewers’ fans shouldn’t worry too much about their favorite team succumbing to overconfidence. They take too much pride defying the odds to mail it in against anyone.

“It’s like magic in the air, almost,” Collin said. “That’s how baseball is. It’s just fun. We’re having a lot of fun.”

That goes ditto for Brewers fans.

‘Babe’ Vaughn taking

Brewers to new highs

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Andrew Vaughn’s mid-season rampage is straight out of the “you can’t make this stuff up” department.

After a disappointing four-year stretch with the Chicago White Sox, the erstwhile slugger was traded to Milwaukee, where he has become an overnight sensation.

Milwaukee is an incredible 20-4 since Vaughn introduced himself to Brewers fans exactly one month ago.

It was Monday, July 7, when Vaughn’s first at-bat in a Brewers’ uniform resulted in a three-run home run off the Dodgers’ Yoshi Yamamoto in a 9-1 blowout win at American Family Field.

Since then the hits – and the home runs – just keep on coming.

So much so, in fact, that the Brewers’ radio team jokingly referred to Vaughn as the “Babe” during Wednesday night’s broadcast of the Brewers-Braves game.

On the very next pitch, Vaughn drilled Spencer Strider’s 85 mph slider 409 feet into the centerfield stands. It was his seventh home run in 22 games with Milwaukee and snapped a 1-1 tie.

Vaughn tacked on another RBI with a fielder’s choice groundout in the top of the fifth. Blake Perkins followed with a two-run home run to make it 5-1.

Milwaukee (70-44) went on to a 5-4 victory over the Braves in front of 30,964 at Truist Park.

Vaughn, 28, was hitting .211 for the White Sox’s Triple-A team when he was acquired in June. Milwaukee sent him to Nashville, their Triple-A affiliate, to stay ready if called upon.

Two weeks later, Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins went on the Injured List, Vaughn was called up and the rest is history.

Vaughn is hitting .377 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 22 games with Milwaukee. Only the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber has more RBI (31) in that span in all of baseball.

The unassuming Vaughn isn’t merely hitting for power. He owns a .444 on-base percentage in addition to drawing 10 walks while striking out only 12 times in 90 plate appearances.

According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, Vaughn is swinging at 10 percent more strikes than he was with the White Sox. It is why Brewers hitting coach Al LeBoeuf thinks it’s sustainable.

“I do,” he told McCalvy. “Like I tell all of them, you’re only as good as the pitches you swing at. He consistently commands the strike zone, and when he does that, he’ll square the ball up because of his bat-to-ball skills.

“It’s no accident this guy was the third pick in the (2021) Draft.”

It’s no coincidence the Brewers’ lineup has galvanized its “take no prisoners” mindset since his arrival. Vaughn doesn’t simply swing for the fences. He’s also looking to keep the line moving. He is in the midst of a career-best 12-game hitting streak.

The Brewers’ .257 team batting average and .330 on-base percentage are both tops in the National League. They also lead the senior circuit in stolen bases with 128. It easily offsets the Brewers’ 22^nd ranking in home runs with 114. The fact is Milwaukee may not hit a ton of home runs, but when it does there’s a decent chance a baserunner or two will be aboard.

That has helped Milwaukee to a Major League-best road record of 34-24, including an incredible 10-7-2 record in series play. The Brewers also have won a season-high seven straight road games, in addition to winning their last 12 of 13 and 24 of 30.

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy doubts his team differentiates between home and away games.

“I don’t think they would even realize it,” he said. “I don’t think they look at it as home and away. They look at it as, ‘OK, there’s a ballgame tonight.’ Maybe you call it unawareness. That uncommon thinking about it is bliss. It’s beautiful.”

Meantime, the Brewers’ pitching staff handled its business Wednesday night much like it has all season.

Starter Jose Quintana (9-4) scattered seven hits over six innings with no walks and a season-high seven strikeouts.

Jared Koenig notched a strikeout and Abner Uribe posted a pair of Ks while combining on clean innings in the sixth and seventh. Trevor Megill surrendered a Michael Harris solo home run in the ninth before recording his 26^th save.

The Brewers’ win Wednesday night was their 70^th in 114 games, the fewest needed to reach 70 wins in franchise history. The Brewers’ previous mark was 70 wins in 119 games in 2021.

The Brewers’ three-game sweep of Atlanta came on the heels of a three-game sweep against the Nationals.

Next up for Milwaukee is a three-game weekend series against the struggling New York Mets (63-52) who trail NL East-leading Philadelphia by 2 ½ games. The Mets have dropped nine of 10 coming into the weekend.

The Brewers are at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Milwaukee leads the Major Leagues with a plus-117 run differential. The Chicago Cubs are second at plus-115 with the New York Yankees third at plus-88.

Brewers’ pitchers have surrendered 443 runs which ranks second behind the San Diego Padres (438) in the National League.

Brandon Woodruff (3-0, 2.22) is scheduled to start Friday night’s series opener against the Mets’ Kodai Senga (7-3, 2.31) with the first pitch set for 7:10 p.m.

Right-hander Logan Henderson (3-0, 1.78) is tabbed to start Saturday’s 6:10 p.m. game versus veteran left-hander Sean Manaea (1-1, 3.52) for the Mets.

Quinn Priester (11-2, 3.15) is set to start Sunday’s series finale. The Mets have yet to name Sunday’s starter.

Brewers’ red-hot bats

scorch Nats’ pitching

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers trailed the Nationals 1-0 after the first inning of Friday night’s opening game of their weekend series at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Milwaukee promptly tied it at 1-1 in the top of the second on the first of two Blake Perkins home runs that night.

The Brewers never trailed the rest of the weekend.

Milwaukee pounded out 25 hits in Friday’s 16-9 rout to set the tone for the rest of the weekend. The Brewers followed with an 8-2 win Saturday and a 14-3 blowout victory on Sunday.

The three-game average of the Brewers’ line scores, rounded up, is almost difficult to fathom: 13 runs, 19 hits and 0 errors. It’s about as close to perfection as it gets in baseball.

Washington’s pitchers were no match for a red-hot Brewers lineup that hit .358 (19 of 53) with runners in scoring position.

It was as lop-sided a three-game series as one could imagine.

The Brewers set a franchise record with 56 hits in the series. Their 38 runs tied for fourth-most in team history. Every hitter in the lineup for all three games reached base at least once.

The Brewers didn’t commit an error, but they did make a handful of sensational defensive plays to back their pitchers.

Obviously, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy was pleased, but in true “Murph” style he also was quick to note that there’s still a lot of baseball to be played between now and the postseason.

“There’s ways to find that energy and that adrenaline and realize what you have,” Murphy said Sunday. “So we’re loose. We’re having fun. But in the back of our mind, we know that this is not going to be without its adversity. …

“It’s just everybody doing their thing right now. I think (the Nationals) are not in their best ‘self’ right now.”

In turn, the Brewers’ “best self” looks amazing.

Milwaukee (67-44) owns the best record in baseball.

The Brewers lead the league in run differential at plus 119, ahead of the Cubs (plus 115) and the Yankees (plus 92). That’s incredible considering they were minus 32 after four games.

The Brewers also are a cool 36-25 versus teams that are at or above .500 when they play. In addition, their .257 team batting average is tops in the National League, and their on-base percentage is second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Milwaukee is winning at a .724 clip (42-16) since May 24, which extrapolates to a 116-win season.

The Brewers’ starting pitchers welcomed the run support.

Just ask Sunday’s starter, Logan Henderson, who threw 4 1/3 innings of one-run baseball. He didn’t go the necessary five innings to qualify for the win, but he was pleased nonetheless.

“Any time you’re pitching with a lead, it’s amazing,” he said. “And that seems to be the case the majority of times I’ve been here. This is a really hungry team right now, and the offense is firing on all cylinders. And I mean, you saw it today, it was Brewers’ baseball.”

William Contreras perhaps best exemplifies the otherworldly offensive run the Brewers are on right now. Contreras had the first five-hit game of his career Friday night. He went 5-for-7 with a home run and two RBIs.

Actually, Contreras had a six-hit night: He was credited with another single when the official scorer’s ruling that he reached on an error in Tuesday’s game against the Cubs was changed.

When you’re hot, you’re hot, and the Brewers are sizzling.

Outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who was acquired in a deadline trade with the Padres, was playing for San Diego’s Triple-A club when he got word he’d been traded to Milwaukee.

Lockridge elected to drive the six hours from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., to join his new club for the weekend series.

Lockridge may have been tired, his bat arrived wide awake. He went 2-for-6 with a walk and a stolen base in his debut. He filled the open roster spot after Jackson Chourio went on the IL.

“I just feel like there’s so many ways that this team scores runs,” he said Sunday. “It’s just good baseball to be a part of. You know, you watch across the league, there’s some sloppy baseball. And you know, obviously a small sample size, but the three games I’ve been here it’s been light’s out across the board: pitching, offense and defensively.

“And that’s super-easy to come into and feel comfortable.”

Brandon Woodruff is among the team’s most experienced players, but he knows what Lockridge is talking about. Woodruff made his first start in more than a year on July 7.

The Brewers were playing well before Big Woo’s return to the active roster. They’ve been a ridiculous 18-4 since he’s been back, including victories in each of his five starts.

Woodruff (3-0) pitched six innings of one-hit baseball while walking one and striking out eight in Saturday’s 8-2 win.

“It’s been huge for us ever since (Woodruff) came back,” Christian Yelich said. “It’s exactly how he left us, really – it’s just coming out and giving us a great chance to win every time.”

“I think getting those first couple under his belt, like proving to yourself that you can do it – he knows what he’s doing. And then after that it’s just back to playing, back to pitching, back to doing what you know, what (he’s) always known.”

Nonetheless, Woodruff welcomes the great run support.

All of the Brewers’ pitchers – starters and relievers alike – enjoy working with a lead. It’s just that the run support has gotten crazy good lately.

Sal Frelick was 2-for-2 with a double to raise his batting average to .296 on Saturday. Unfortunately, Frelick had to leave the game early with left knee soreness, but he expects to be back in the lineup, perhaps early this week.

Yelich, who is hitting .263 after a slow start to the season, was 3-for-4 with his 21^st home run and three runs scored.

Brice Turang smacked two two-run home runs on Sunday. The first was a 399-foot blast to right-center field. The second was a 396-foot thunderbolt to right. Turang is hitting .276.

Andrew Vaughn, the former White Sox first baseman, had three hits, three runs scored, three RBI and a home run Friday night. He added a pair of hits on Sunday to stay red-hot.

Shortstop Joey Ortiz drove in four runs Sunday.

Third baseman Caleb Durbin and left fielder Isaac Collins also did a lot of damage with their bats during the weekend.

The fun continues Monday night when the Brewers open a three-game series against the Braves in Atlanta.

Packers on right path

as Family Night nears

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers’ first week of training camp and first-round draft pick Matthew Golden have something in common: It’s been smooth sailing for both so far.

Golden, the 23^rd player selected in April, has been outstanding.

The former Texas receiver is turning heads and breaking ankles. He is good for at least one big play in every practice. Often it’s more like two or three jaw-droppers and eye-openers.

Everyone from Packers coach Matt LaFleur to quarterback Jordan Love to his peers at receiver have high praise for No. 22.

The description most used is “smooth.”

Golden, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds, also is described as “ultra-confident,” a “fierce competitor,” and a “supreme talent with incredible pass-catching skills.”

That’s a lot for any player, especially a rookie.

But the eyes don’t lie.

Love already is acting as if he expects Golden to contribute plenty to the offense this season. He frequently looks for and goes to the young receiver, who just as often makes a play.

Clearly, there are going to be setbacks and adversity for Golden to overcome. But one week into camp it appears the Packers have, well, struck gold on this pick.

To all those who are quick to qualify it by saying, “Yeah, but he’s a rookie,” etc. need to check themselves. Would it be preferable if the conversation around Golden was that he’s “a project” who just needs time to develop?

Other positives abound.

** The Packers clearly intend to be a much more physical team this season. The image of the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles mauling Green Bay in their NFC wildcard game is tough stomach.

The Eagles’ offensive line may be the NFL’s best. The same may be true for Philly’s defensive front seven.

It appears the Packers’ response is: So what are we going to do about it? Here’s a thought: Let’s out-physical them.

It’s one reason they signed cornerback Nate Hobbs in free agency. The former Raiders’ DB has been playing on the edge – and with an edge – throughout camp thus far.

When he went low to tackle running back Marshawn Lloyd two days ago, Lloyd tried to cut and injured his groin. It remains to be seen how long the second-year back will be sidelined.

Meantime, LaFleur wasn’t pleased with Hobbs’ decision-making, but he also didn’t come down hard on him.

GM Brian Gutekunst’s reaction was much the same.

“We’re asking these guys to fly around, be physical and make plays,” he said. “To back off sometimes is not easy. But we want them all to be good teammates and keep each other healthy. But at the same time, I’d rather be pulling the reins and making sure we have enough guys in that room who have that kind of edge.”

The desire to be more physical extends to both sides of the ball.

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said it definitely extends to the running game.

“Any time you get to those playoffs, you get to that position, however you are, where you’re at is going to be exposed,” he said. “And I think that’s one thing we talked about, and one thing we’re going to focus on, is making sure we’re the most physical football team on the field when we go out there and play. That’s going to be a big thing for us.”

Some wondered if Hobbs’ aggressiveness in practice might earn him a tongue-chewing or cause other repercussions. Instead, Hobbs got a “timeout” and was back on the field.

It appears the Packers told Hobbs they want him to be himself, which is physical, and to push the boundaries. They want him to infuse that mental attitude into the defense.

They aren’t going to rein him in now. In fact, they’re just getting started in that regard.

In the big picture, of all the challenges any NFL team faces, trying to be “the most physical team” seems fairly obvious. When you’re not the most physical team – like the Packers against the Eagles in the playoffs – it’s also all-too obvious.

Stay tuned.

** Elgton Jenkins’ move to center from left guard was a key point of discussion entering camp.

Now it’s a non-story.

Jenkins, 29, showed up for camp and is taking control of the offensive line as the tip of the spear at center.

He told the media that he is OK with the move. He also said he sought a pay increase, but when it didn’t happen he elected to get to training camp on time and go to work.

“I know we’ve got a lot of guys,” he said of the O-line. “Obviously, we had a first-rounder (Jordan Morgan), trying to find a position for him to play. Just to make us better in the O-line, I tried to see whether they were going to bring Josh (Myers) back; they didn’t bring him back. After that, they called me and they asked me to confirm (the move) and I said, ‘yeah.’”

Asked if he was upset about his contract, Jenkins said, “No, it don’t matter, honestly. I’m blessed. Was able to come in the league, make a lot of money and I feel like I still got a lot more years ahead of me. I feel like the financial part of it’s going to work itself out just by my play.”

That’s music to the Packers’ ears.

** A year ago, the Packers were struggling mightily to find a kicker who could put the football between the uprights.

The merry-go-round was almost comical, if it wasn’t so serious.

Then, the Packers signed free agent Brandon McManus and it’s been smooth sailing … again.

McManus made 50 of 51 kicks last season. He was perfect through the first five days of camp. He is enjoying his time in Green Bay and couldn’t be happier to contribute.

Wow. What a difference a year makes.

Packers’ camp Day 4;

Brewers set for Cubs

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers put the pads on Monday.

Undoubtedly Day 5 of “Training Camp: 2025” will be among the most hotly contested and newsworthy of practices thus far.

The “one-on-one” pass rush drills, the “Good vs. Good” team periods and watching the No. 1 corners versus veteran receivers such as Jayden Reed and promising rookies such as Matthew Golden will be “must see” and all that goes with it.

That isn’t to say Day 4 Sunday was uneventful.

On the contrary, Jordan Love looked strong in the Packers’ “red zone” periods which were the day’s emphasis.

Love was 8-for-13 with three touchdown passes after starting his day 2-for-5, including a pass intended for tight end Luke Musgrave that linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper stepped in front of.

Love heated up after that and finished 8-for-13 with three touchdown passes in the red zone. His first touchdown toss to Jayden Reed, according to reports, was a 5-yard sideline strike that ranked among his best throws of camp.

On the next play, Love had plenty of time to throw a laser for a score to Golden along the back end line. Practice ended with the offense getting the ball at the 12-yard line with nine seconds to play and zero timeouts in need of six points to tie.

Love’s first throw sailed over Romeo Doubs’ head for an incompletion. His next throw was a beauty. He bought time in the pocket and fired a strike to Tucker Kraft for a touchdown despite heavy pressure from a blitzing Isaiah McDuffie.

Kraft outdueled safety Evan Williams for the TD grab. It was a titanic battle between Kraft and Williams, who remains one of Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s top five defensive backs in the heavily used nickel package.

Nevertheless, Kraft got the better of it Sunday.

“I can go up and get the ball,” he told reporters. “I’ve shown that time and time again. It’s just getting the opportunity to showcase that.”

It is interesting to note Packers coach Matt LaFleur openly admitted that Kraft should have been more heavily involved in the week-to-week game plan last season.

It’s also notable that prior to practice LaFleur was asked specifically about Love’s pocket presence and ability to buy time and/or move the chains with his “escape ability.”

“I think he’s been looking good,” he said. “That’s part of playing that position. I think some guys are a little bit better at the pocket manipulation than others. But I think he’s done a pretty good job.”

“I always look at the number of sacks guys take,” LaFleur added. “And he has a good feel in the pocket and understands when he needs to use his legs to try to manipulate the pocket. Or, there’s nowhere to go, “Oh shoot, where’s my check-down?’ So, I think he’s done over the course of two years a pretty good job of that, whether he’s got his legs or not.”

In other camp news, left guard Aaron Banks returned to practice and was riding a bike and stretching along the sidelines. He didn’t participate in any of the team portion, but he’s recovering from whatever back soreness was ailing him.

The offensive line – with Banks and center Elgton Jenkins not participating with back issues – was (left to right): Rasheed Walker, Jordan Morgan, Jacob Monk, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom. It’s been that configuration since camp started, with Banks at left guard when he was available, Rhyan sliding to center and Morgan lining up at right guard.

The top five in the defensive secondary also seems settled with Williams and Xavier McKinney working at safety, Javon Bullard in the slot and Nate Hobbs and Keisean Nixon outside.

** BREWERS RALLY LATE TO EDGE MARLINS **

The Brewers scored solo runs in the eighth and ninth innings Sunday to notch a 3-2 victory over the Marlins and avoid being swept since their season-opening series at Yankee Stadium.

Brandon Woodruff started the Brewers’ 11-game winning streak with a victory in his first game after returning from shoulder surgery. That was July 6. Woodruff also was the stopper Sunday that halted Milwaukee’s two-game slide versus red-hot Miami.

He threw six strong innings while allowing four hits and two runs with three walks and six strikeouts. Woodruff issued his first walk of the season with two outs in the top of the seventh.

Woodruff didn’t have his usual pinpoint control, but he did give his team a chance to win. Aaron Ashby, who walked two hitters and proceeded to pick off one and get the other in a rundown, navigated a shaky seventh.

Abner Uribe handled the eighth before Trevor Megill (3-2) allowed a hit in the ninth but blanked the Marlins for the win.

Blake Perkins spearheaded the Brewers’ late rally.

He scored the tying run to make it 2-2 when he pinch ran in the eighth, stole second and scored on Andrew Vaughn’s double. In the ninth, Eric Haase reached on a one-out single off reliever Cade Gibson (2-5) who took the loss.

Brice Turang hit a one-out double to put runners at second and third with two outs. The Marlins intentionally walked the red-hot Jackson Chourio – who previously extended his MLB-best hitting streak to 20 games – in order to face Perkins.

With a 3-2 count, Perkins lined a walk-off single to right centerfield over the head of centerfielder Dane Myers.

The Brewers (62-43) are tied for the NL Central lead with the Chicago Cubs (62-43) as they enter a three-game series Monday at American Family Field.

Milwaukee will send Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.45 ERA) versus the Cubs’ left-hander Matthew Boyd (11-3, 2.20, 108 Ks) in Monday night’s series opener set for 6:40 p.m.

On Tuesday night, it’ll be ex-Brewers’ pitcher Colin Rea (8-4, 4.06) against the Brewers’ Quinn Priester (9-2, 3.28).

In Wednesday afternoon’s “getaway game” slated for 1:10 p.m. it’ll be left-hander Shota Imanaga (7-4, 3.12) versus the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta (12-4, 2.81 and 131 Ks) on the mound.

The Brewers and Cubs will face each other in a five-game series that opens with a doubleheader on Aug. 18 and wraps up Aug. 21 at Wrigley Field.

The NL Central rivals won’t face each other again unless they meet in the postseason. The Brewers and Cubs currently are tied for the best record in National League. They trail the AL’s insanely hot Toronto Blue Jays (63-43) by a half-game for the best record in baseball.

Packers kick off camp,

Brewers club M’s 10-2

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The start of training camp in Green Bay is a red-letter day for the Packers and their fans. The crowd, the bike-riding of staff and players to practice and all the ancillary activities means one thing: The Pack is back.

Indeed, the 2025 NFL season has arrived in earnest.

It comes with two key questions: Will the Packers’ young players arrive with the necessary sense of urgency? Will the Packers and veteran Elgton Jenkins – whom the team intends to move from left guard to center – arrive at a contract solution?

After the first day it’s a case of “so far, so good” on both.

Rookie receiver Matthew Golden lit it up on Day One with several nifty catch-and-runs, and also included a sweet touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Backup quarterback Malik Willis – who along with Jordan Love looked especially sharp – fired a side-arm laser and Golden hauled it in.

Other relatively young players such as Romeo Doubs and Tucker Kraft – who have had a fair measure of NFL experience – also showed up looking fast, frisky and on point.

GM Brian Gutekunst discussed the topic in his pre-training camp news conference earlier Wednesday.

“You always have some disappointments in the year,” he told reporters. “I think, for me, the thing that’s been on my mind as we’ve concluded this season is we need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency.

“These opportunities don’t come (very often). The life of a player in the National Football League is not very long. We’ve got a bunch of good guys in that locker room, got a bunch of talented guys in that locker room, and yeah, I think it’s time that we start competing for championships, right?”

Gutekunst will get no argument from fans.

What the Packers’ GM is saying – without saying it outright – is that there aren’t going to be any excuses allowed.

Sure, the Packers have been the NFL’s youngest team. But many of those young players already have hundreds of snaps and playoff experience under their belts.

The time to take the next step is now.

“I think they’re ready,” he added. “Like I said, I think they are wired right. I think that group is the kind of guys that can do that. At the end of the day, you’ve got to go do it. … I’m excited about the group, but the sense of urgency, not getting complacent. … Some of these guys have now proven themselves to be NFL football players and have attained that, but what’s out there for us as a team that we’re willing to commit to and sacrifice for?”

That’s the million-dollar question.

It’s an interesting dynamic in Green Bay.

Unlike 1996, when the Packers’ veterans such as Reggie White, Sean Jones and Eugene Robinson brought that sense of urgency because the clock was ticking, in 2025 it’s the young players such as Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs and Jayden Reed who need to set the tone and create the necessary “urgency” on a daily basis.

On Wednesday, Jenkins and fourth-year linebacker Quay Walker were at practice, but sidelined with injuries. Walker is recovering from offseason ankle surgery. Jenkins is dealing with a back issue. Both are believed to be seeking raises.

Jenkins reportedly wants a pay increase because centers don’t get paid like the top players at guard and tackle. In particular, he doesn’t want to be crimped financially because of his versatility.

In Walker’s case, the Packers declined to pick up his fifth-year option, but did express an interest in extending his current deal. It’s a different tact than the one they took with fellow first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, whose fifth-year option was picked up.

I suspect Jenkins’ contract situation will be resolved several weeks before the season opens. Walker’s deal might take longer, and it’ll be determined in part by how well he plays early on, but he’s likely to be extended as well.

Fortunately for the Packers, at least in the offensive line, Aaron Banks’ signing in free agency – coupled with the selection of offensive lineman Anthony Belton in the second round – already has provided the position with much-needed depth.

Even with Jenkins sidelined, the Packers’ offensive line (left to right) should be better than last year’s group, which was pretty good in its own right: Rasheed Walker, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan (until Jenkins returns), Jordan Morgan and Zach Tom.

BREWERS REBOUND AFTER WIN STREAK SNAPPED

Sadly, no one at George Webb’s will be asking customers, “Would you like French fries with that free hamburger?”

That’s because the Brewers’ winning streak fell one game shy of 12, which would’ve meant George Webb restaurants would be giving out free hamburgers in honor of the winning streak.

The Brewers’ 11-game winning streak ended with a 1-0 loss at Seattle on Tuesday night. The Mariners’ Logan Gilbert was brilliant on the mound and All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh provided the offense with his MLB-leading 39^th home run.

Rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski started and allowed three hits and a walk while striking out seven in 3.2 innings. He threw just 64 pitches before he gave way to DL Hall in the fourth.

Clearly, the Brewers are keeping a close eye on The Miz’s work load. He is a first-time big-league starter who is just 23 years old. It appears they are going to stick with the plan to ease him in, as opposed to pushing the limits.

Nick Mears yielded Raleigh’s home run, but it was a case of the hitter being better than the pitch. Mears threw a fastball a bit high and outside the zone. Raleigh – a left-handed slugger – still turned on the pitch and drilled into the stands in right.

Mears is an easy scapegoat, but the fact is the Brewers weren’t going to win without scoring at least one run. The Mariners’ Gilbert wasn’t about to let that happen. He threw 6 1/3 innings while allowing just two hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

The good news is the Brewers’ Quinn Priester got Milwaukee back on the right track with an outstanding start in Wednesday’s “getaway game.”

Priester (9-2) struck out six and walked two while giving up just two runs on six hits to get the win.

The Brewers banged out17 hits in the victory. Jackson Chourio extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games and Christian Yelich extended his on-base streak to 28 games.

After Thursday’s day off, the Brewers host the red-hot Miami Marlins for a three-game weekend series. That is followed by a three-game series against the Cubs at American Family Field.

Milwaukee (61-41) holds a one-game lead over second-place Chicago (60-42) in the NL Central standings. The Brewers also own the best record in baseball.

Brewers drill Dodgers,

keep pace with Cubs

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers used to spend their Sunday afternoons trying to salvage at least one win in a weekend series.

These days they spend them completing series sweeps, or season sweeps such as the one they clinched Sunday with a thrilling 6-5 victory against the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.

Milwaukee showed it can win shutouts and slugfests.

The Brewers blanked the Dodgers 2-0 on Friday night. Then they outslugged them 8-7 on Saturday.

By doing so Milwaukee became the first team to sweep the Dodgers in a season series (minimum five games) since the 2006 Cardinals (seven games) and the 1994 Braves (six games).

The Brewers also ran their winning streak to 10 games. It’s the first time in four seasons that Milwaukee has won 10 straight.

The win enabled the Brewers (59-40) to pull even with the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central. The Cubs lost to the Red Sox 6-1 on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

If that’s not enough “firsts” try this one: The Brewers and Cubs are tied for first place AND the best record in the NL during what’s been a most compelling season.

“You got your money’s worth, huh?” a smiling Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy asked the assembled media following the victory Sunday.

The manager’s question was purely rhetorical, although I’m pretty sure Dodgers’ fans felt different.

Murphy has good reason to smile. The Brewers are playing a brand of baseball that the game’s purists would love.

It starts with outstanding starting pitching.

Quinn Priester (8-2) set the tone by throwing six shutout innings at the Dodgers on Friday night. Priester allowed three hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig and Trevor Megill did the rest. The bullpen trio allowed just one hit in three shutout innings as Megill needed only seven pitches to convert his 22^nd save.

Caleb Durbin went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring double off Tyler Glasnow (1-1) to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. Then he belted a solo home run off Kirby Yates in the seventh.

On Saturday, Freddy Peralta (12-4) battled through five innings in which he surrendered five runs (four earned) with three walks and four strikeouts. Peralta persevered on a day when he didn’t have his best stuff. It’s one reason he leads baseball in wins.

Koenig also wasn’t in peak form. He allowed a pair of solo home runs in the eighth as the Dodgers pulled to within a run. Not to worry. Megill needed just 11 pitches to blow away L.A. in the ninth to earn his 23^rd save.

The Brewers’ 8-run outburst was led by William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn and Joey Ortiz, who had two RBI apiece. Ortiz also homered, as did Isaac Collins, to provide plenty of punch.

On Sunday, the Dodgers (58-42) took a 3-0 lead through three innings, but Brewers’ left-hander Jose Quintana (7-3) was able to fight through a rough third inning and ultimately earn the win.

Quintana praised the Brewers’ energy in the clubhouse.

“These guys are amazing,” he said. “They want to play. They want to stay hungry all the time. … They turn the page really quick. If we get a win, we’re on to the next step.”

Murphy rested Christian Yelich and Brice Turang on Sunday. In addition, Sal Frelick was placed on the 10-day IL before the series with a strained left hamstring.

It didn’t keep the Brewers from getting after Clayton Kershaw. The future Hall of Fame left-hander allowed five hits and three runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 shaky innings.

Every Brewers hitter in the starting lineup recorded a hit.

“It’s a bunch of guys nobody’s ever heard of,” Murphy said. “No disrespect to the great fans of Japan baseball, but they can’t name five guys in our lineup. And that’s just a credit to hungry, hungry players. … I’m still proud of our club and what they did, and how they competed in big situations.”

Murphy wrapped it by adding, “A bunch of average Joes.”

The blue-collar Brewers are playing like they intend to be a factor leading into and throughout the postseason.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Brewers were seventh in MLB in runs scored. They also ranked third in starting rotation ERA, 10^th in DER (defensive efficiency rating), and they lead all of baseball in base-running runs above average, according to FanGraphics.com

Eric Haase, the Brewers’ 32-year-old backup catcher, smacked an RBI single in the sixth to help the Brewers take the lead.

After the game, Haase lent some perspective on the club’s mindset as it prepared for its 100^th game Monday night against the Mariners in Seattle.

“There’s still a lot of season left and if we finish out winning out the second half, then maybe there’ll be something to be happy and celebrate about,” he told reporters. “But right now, it’s just head down and try to take care of business in Seattle.”

Second-place Seattle (53-46) trails the AL West-leading Houston Astros by four games. The Mariners won two of three against the Astros over the weekend.

Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 2.61) will make his third start of the season for the Brewers, who have won 10 straight since Big Woo defeated the Marlins 3-1 on July 6.

Yelich sang Woodruff’s praises upon the righty’s return.

“It’s just awesome to have him back,” Yelich said. “One of the best competitors I’ve ever played behind. Over the last eight years, if I could pick anybody to start a big game for us, I’d pick Big Woo, hands down.”

The veteran right-hander will oppose the Mariners’ George Kirby (4-4, 4.50) in the opener of their three-game series.

Kirby, a former All-Star, has won his last three starts after missing the start of the season with right shoulder inflammation.

On Tuesday night, Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.81) will face Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (2-3, 3.39) with the first pitch set for 8:40 p.m.

In Wednesday’s “getaway game” set for 2:40 p.m., it’ll be Priester against Seattle righty Luis Castillo (7-5, 3.21) before the Brewers return home for three-game series against the Marlins.

That leads into a three-game weekend series against the Cubs.

Let the fun continue.

Are the Brewers truly

World Series worthy?

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers are one of baseball’s most surprising, uplifting feel-good stories of the 2025 season.

Milwaukee (56-40) trails the NL Central-leading Cubs (57-39) by one game with 66 to play. The Brewers are the envy of other small-market teams and the bane of the big-money outfits.

The Brewers’ pitching alone is strong enough to keep them in contention as they round second and speed into September. Their timely hitting, aggressive base-running and superb defense has enabled them to prevail against the winning teams.

Milwaukee is 28-22 against teams with a .500 or better record. That ties them with the New York Mets, at 25-19, for most games above .500 against teams that are above .500.

Only the AL Central-leading Houston Astros, at 28-19, have been better against the best teams.

That’s just one reason the NL Central’s “Brewers versus Cubs” grudge match shapes up to be an exciting sprint to the finish.

The Brewers’ preseason over/under win total was 83.5.

A $100 bet on them to win 84 or more games would net $200 (the original wager plus $100) at the pay window on Sept. 31. They could flame out at 28-38 and still cash in.

It’s been that strong of a run.

Milwaukee is 35-15 in its last 50 games. Its seven-game winning streak is second only to Boston’s current 10-game roll.

There is plenty of reason to believe this season could be special. But is it World Series special? If you have to ask you haven’t been paying attention.

Besides, the debate regarding teams being a “buyer” or a “seller” this time of year leaves me cold. Franchises do what they feel is in their best interests both short and long term.

The Brewers are no different.

What shouldn’t be lost in the fine print is that Milwaukee expects to compete for the NL Central title each season. The Brewers’ run of success under owner Mark Attanasio is proof.

In addition, they are willing to make moves at the trade deadline if it makes sense – here’s where Milwaukee is different than most other teams – both in the short and long term.

In other words, Attanasio isn’t going to make a dog-and-pony acquisition at the trade deadline merely to appease fans. He isn’t in it simply to justify the way his franchise does business.

The wins and division titles speak for themselves.

If a trade appears on the radar that makes sense they’ll do it.

For instance, if Diamondbacks veteran third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who is hitting .250 with 31 home runs and 78 RBI, isn’t swallowed up by the Yankees, Red Sox or Cubs (god forbid) the Brewers appear to be an excellent landing spot.

With the winning run on third base and two outs in a decisive Game 3 of the NL wildcard round, would Brewers fans prefer Caleb Durbin or Suarez at the plate? That’s an entirely unfair question from Durbin’s perspective, but the answer is clear.

Furthermore, it’s not just a Durbin-for-Suarez switcheroo. It’s having Suarez’s bat as a right-handed power-hitting DH and/or pinch hitter.

Might the Brewers be able to outbid the bigshots for Suarez? Yes. Interestingly it’s only possible BECAUSE of the way they do business.

It’s because they develop pitchers in their medieval lab in Arizona, and make shrewd acquisitions such as trading for Quinn Priester, that they possess the best draft capital of all: Starting pitching.

Logan Henderson, Chad Patrick and Tobias Myers have proven they can compete and win as big-league starters. The Diamondbacks could feel good about putting any of those three right-handers into their starting rotation for 2026.

If the Brewers don’t acquire a bat such as Suarez’s it doesn’t mean Attanasio isn’t “going for it.” It means another team outbid them, or they declined to beat the offer.

It’s business. It’s that simple.

Granted, it would hurt to see Suarez in a Cubs’ uniform. Then again, it hurts to see a Cubs’ uniform, period, whether it’s worn by a player, Craig Counsell or a flabby fan from the north side.

What doesn’t hurt is seeing the Cubs crying in their beer and wiping away their tears and foam mustaches.

That’s some of what makes this Brewers’ season special.

It’s the greatest reality TV show of all time. And it’s real.

What Brewers-loving fan can’t wait to see how Jacob Misiorowski pitches for the balance of the season? Who isn’t “all in” on what exploits Andrew Vaughn may have for us?

Brandon Woodruff’s successful return from shoulder surgery would’ve been the singular “feel good” story of any season. It’s still amazing to see what Big Woo has done, but somehow it’s seamlessly been woven into this team’s fabric with all the rest.

Milwaukee’s 56 wins was the most in team history before an All-Star break.

If the postseason started today the Brewers would be the National League’s top wildcard team. They would host the Mets (55-42) in a best-of-3 series at American Family Field.

The NL East-leading Phillies would host the No. 6 seeded Padres while the top two seeds (NL West-leading Los Angeles and NL Central-leading Chicago) await the survivors.

Brewers-Mets to open the playoffs has a feeling of destiny.

Right fielder Sal Frelick’s Grade 1 hamstring strain is a concern, but the truth is if it had to happen what better time than the eve of the All-Star break?

Frelick has developed into one of baseball’s most dangerous leadoff hitters. He has enough home run pop to be deadly from the first pitch to his final plate appearance. It’s a bonus to have a leadoff hitter with home run power not only in the first inning, but also late when the bottom of the order turns over.

Frelick also is a Gold Glove outfielder with a rocket arm.

Brice Turang is among the finest second baseman in the game. He is a clutch left-handed swinging Platinum Glove defender who leads the team with 17 stolen bases.

Jackson Chourio is due for a prolonged hot streak. Christian Yelich is turning back the clock to 2018. William Contreras is the rock behind the plate, and Joey Ortiz is one of the finest defensive shortstops around.

Rhys Hoskins isn’t dead. He’s simply nursing a bad left thumb. When he comes back he’ll be fresh. There may be a bit of rust to knock off, but Hoskins is a fiery competitor whose nostrils will flare once the postseason creeps within reach.

Freddy Peralta has 11 wins with no signs of a letup.

Jose Quintana is the veteran left-handed starter with a knack for steadying the ship in stormy waters. The Quinn Priester-DL Hall two-step is becoming a handy weapon in its own right. Priester might start and pitch the first six innings. Or perhaps manager Pat Murphy elects to go with Hall for two or three, then Priester, then the gauntlet: Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig and Trevor Megill.

Aaron Ashby is fresh off paternity leave. By all accounts his wife’s delivery was every bit as smooth as her husband’s.

Life is good in Milwaukee.

Bob Uecker would endorse this season with all the humor, wit and fervor he did for a Lite Beer commercial – or the next pitch in a blowout loss in mid-August – because he was that good … and because this team is that good, too.

Sizzling Brewers win

7^th straight into break

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brandon Woodruff’s 92-mph four-seam fastball elicited a swinging “strike three!” to open the bottom of the first in Milwaukee’s 3-1 win a week ago Sunday at Miami.

Easton McGee’s 94-mph sinker drew a called “strike three!” to end the top of the ninth in the Brewers’ 8-1 victory versus the Nationals Sunday at American Family Field.

Everything in between was nothing short of amazing.

The Brewers (56-40) are baseball’s hottest team.

They have won seven straight entering the All-Star break.

The streak started in Miami, included an awe-inspiring franchise-first sweep of the defending champion Dodgers, and ended with a series sweep of Washington.

Milwaukee’s 56 wins is the most in team history at the All-Star break. It’s true the All-Star game’s date differs season-to-season, and this year’s Tuesday, July 15^th is later than most, but there have been “Mid-Summer Classics” played as late as July 19^th.

The Brewers trail the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs (57-39) by one thin game. Slumping St. Louis (50-46) is seven games off the pace while the fourth-place Reds (50-47) are 7 ½ out.

If the postseason started today the Brewers would be the National League’s top wildcard team. They would host the Mets (55-42) in a best-of-3 series at American Family Field.

The NL East-leading Phillies would host the No. 6 seeded Padres while the top two seeds (NL West-leading Los Angeles and NL Central-leading Chicago) await the survivors.

Brewers-Mets to open the playoffs has a feeling of destiny.

Meantime, the Brewers’ pitching staff has become the talk of the baseball world.

Jacob Misiorowski became the first pitcher to strike out 12 of the first 15 Dodgers faced in Los Angeles history. Misiorowski (4-1) reached 102.4 mph in his fifth MLB start.

Three days later the 23-year-old right-hander was named to the National League All-Star team. The hard-throwing phenomenon was humbled by the selection. It came after his 5^th MLB start, the fewest number of starts for any pitcher to be an All-Star.

The Philadelphia Phillies – among others – criticized Major League Baseball for adding The Miz to the roster. The Phillies believe it sends the wrong message. If the message is, “Every fan in baseball is craving to see this kid pitch and we’re going to make it happen – because we can” then Philadelphia is correct.

But it’s not … and the Phillies are wrong … and envious.

So be it. They may have to hit against him during a three-game series September 1, 3-4 … at American Family Field.

All-Star Freddy Peralta blanked the high-paid Dodgers for six innings to nail down his 10^th win of the season. He followed it up by dealing 6 2/3 innings of three-hit, one-run baseball in the Brewers’ 8-1 win versus Washington on Sunday.

Peralta (11-4) didn’t walk any Nationals while fanning seven to earn the “W” and tie the Yankees’ Max Fried (11-3) for the MLB’s most wins at the break.

Woodruff doubled down on his road win at Miami by striking out 10 Nationals in his first game since 2023 at American Family Field. Woodruff needed 81 pitches (57 strikes) to collect 13 outs – 10 of which were strikeouts (seven on off-speed pitches) – but didn’t walk a single hitter.

Woodruff did serve up two home runs – both to the Nationals’ Brady House – and they happened to be the third baseman’s first … and second … big-league home runs.

Most important, Big Woo looked just fine in his second outing.

All-Star closer Trevor Megill picked up his 20^th and 21^st saves (24 opportunities) to earn a trip to the All-Star Game. Megill also proved beyond a doubt that he can thrive as a top-notch closer on a serious playoff contender.

It wasn’t a foregone conclusion going into the season.

Megill’s 100 mph fastball and knee-buckling knuckle-curve have been as successful a one-two pitching punch as there is in baseball.

Jose Quintana (6-3, 3.28 ERA) has been highly effective in 13 starts. He provides a high-quality veteran southpaw that handles his business without muss or fuss.

Quinn Priester (7-2, 3.55) is the booty from an incredible fleecing of the Red Sox. Does anyone recall who or what the Brewers sent to Boston for Priester? Does anyone care?

No, of course not, because the Brewers and their fans have been too busy thriving in the present to dwell on the past.

The Brewers found their “edge” that manager Pat Murphy said was missing for much of April and early May.

The starting rotation came together while the bats, base-running and defense went from so-so to sterling since mid-May.

The Brewers were 21-25 on May 17. They are 35-15 since then, easily the best mark in the big leagues.

That preceded what has to be one of the successful month-long stretches of transactions in franchise history.

Here’s the recap:

** May 9: Recall IF Andruw Monasterio.

** May 9: Caleb Durbin is named the full-time third baseman – until further notice – when Vinny Capra is designated for assignment.

** May 16: They acquire LHP Rob Zastryzny from the Yankees.

** May 23: LHP Aaron Ashby is activated off the IL.

** May 26: LHP DL Hall is activated off the IL.

** June 1: LHP Jose Quintana is activated off the IL.

** June 12: They purchase the contract of RHP Jacob Misiorowski from Triple-A Nashville.

** June 13: They acquire 1B Andrew Vaughn from the White Sox in exchange for RHP Aaron Civale and cash.

That influx of talent was augmented by Woodruff’s return to the starting rotation. Meantime, quality MLB-caliber starters Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson and Tobias Myers have alternated between Milwaukee and Nashville.

Any of the three right-handed starters could serve as “trade bait” should the Brewers try to acquire a power-hitting right-handed bat before the 5 p.m. (CST) Thursday, July 31 deadline.

Mostly, Milwaukee is focused on resting and rooting for Misiorowski and/or Megill if they pitch in the All-Star game.

They’ll also be getting ready for the 66-game sprint to the finish.

The Brewers’ bats have been sizzling since mid-May.

Christian Yelich is hitting like it’s the 2018 season.

The Brewers’ DH-LF raised his batting average from .194 in early May to .259 entering the All-Star break. He leads the team in home runs (19) and RBI (65) with 16 stolen bases.

Sal Frelick is playing Gold Glove left field while hitting .294 with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBI. He also is an effective leadoff hitter and has 16 stolen bases.

William Contreras has handled the pitching staff superbly. He is the stabilizing force behind the pitchers and the defense. He has been top-notch throwing out runners. His hitting has been just OK by his standards (.245, 37 RBI) but he’s still clutch.

Jackson Chourio is 21 going on immortal. He is hitting .264 with 25 doubles, 16 home runs and 62 RBI.

Chourio entered the All-Star break by leaving a distinct impression that his best is yet to come at the plate this season.

Brice Turang is a Platinum Glove second baseman. That’s just the beginning. Turang, like Frelick, is equally dangerous against left-handed or right-handed pitchers. Turang has six home runs, 39 RBI and a team-high 17 stolen bases.

Caleb Durbin has been an excellent defensive third baseman while hitting a respectable .261 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 32 RBI. Durbin is seventh on the team with 33 runs scored despite playing in just 73 games.

Isaac Collins is a quality switch hitter who is batting .259 with eight doubles, five home runs and 22 RBI. Collins also has swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts. He is equally adept at playing left or right field.

When the Brewers were forced to place starting first baseman Rhys Hoskins on the IL with a bruised left thumb it was a significant setback.

Hoskins plays a slick first base while providing the majority of the Brewers’ power from the right side of the plate. He is hitting .242 with 12 doubles, 12 home runs and 42 RBI.

Hoskins is expected to return in late August.

So now what?

Andrew Vaughn … that’s what … and it’s been incredible.

Vaughn has been The Natural’s Roy Hobbs through five games. He may look more like Barrel Man than Robert Redford, but he’s finally hitting like the third pick in the 2019 MLB draft.

It took him six years and a change of scenery, but Vaughn’s singular stretch suggests he’s on pace for bigger and better.

He is hitting .429 with two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI while becoming the first player in Brewers’ history to drive in a run in each of his first four (now five) games with the team.

It isn’t the “unofficial end” of the 2025 MLB season’s first half.

It’s just the beginning and the Brewers are poised to make noise. They open the second half with a three-game series at Chavez Ravine against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers may be looking for payback.

It might happen.

What we do know with some certainty is that they’ll get another dose of Freddy Peralta, Jacob Misiorowski and either Jose Quintana or Brandon Woodruff.

They’ll get that and everything else that comes with it.

Brewers take Dodgers

to task in series sweep

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers are on a four-game heater, which is terrific for any team and its fans, but this is different.

Its significance extends far beyond a four-game uptick that has Milwaukee (53-40) within 1 ½ games of the Cubs (54-38) and a cool four games up on second-place St. Louis (49-44) in a highly competitive NL Central.

It began with Brandon Woodruff’s razor-sharp return in the Brewers’ 3-1 victory at Miami on Sunday. It continued with sensational starts by Freddy Peralta, Jacob Misiorowski and Jose Quintana in a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was set up by Trevor Megill’s three-strikeout shutdown top of the 10^th and capped by Jackson Chourio’s walk-off single in the bottom of the frame for a 3-2 win Wednesday afternoon.

It was an extra-innings, extra-special victory.

It meant the Brewers had swept the NL West-leading Dodgers (56-38) in Milwaukee for the first time in franchise history.

It also doubled as a 2025 mission statement: Fear nobody.

“It was an incredible moment,” Chourio said. “I’m happy that we were able to finish the sweep off with that hit. It’s special. It’s a great group of guys here.”

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy sounded like a proud papa.

“I just really like a lot of this team,” he said. “I really like how they keep grabbing their identity. It’s pretty cool. And to be honest with you, these three days, the crowd made a difference.”

The Brewers-Dodgers pitching matchups drew fans from every corner of the state like moths to a lantern.

The 107,147 paying customers saw the type of high-quality baseball they’ll be telling family and friends about for years.

They’ll say things like:

** “I was there when The Miz struck out 12 of the first 15 Dodgers he faced – the first time that’s ever been done.”

** “I watched Peralta blank L.A. for six innings and I got to see this Andrew Vaughn guy belt a three-run shot of (Yoshi) Yamamoto – the Dodgers’ $375 million dollar pitcher.”

** “The Brewers’ pitchers broke the radar gun. After The Miz K’d a dozen Dodgers, Jared Koenig, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill brought in more smoke. The quartet’s combined average fastball was 99.3 mph. It was incredible.”

And it will go on and on.

Megill had a particularly gratifying day.

After he mowed down the Dodgers in the top of the 10^th Wednesday, he was called to Murphy’s office for a meeting. It turned out the manager wanted to be the first to congratulate him on being named the NL All-Star squad.

“Sweep the Dodgers at home, that’s giving the fans what they wanted, right?” he said. “That was awesome. I’m glad to be a part of that, and also with the (All-Star) news as well. That’s a goal I put out in the offseason, and here it is, come true.”

The Brewers host the Nationals (38-54) in a three-game weekend series following Thursday’s off day. Washington is currently in last place in the NL East, so Milwaukee has a great opportunity to go into the All-Star break in terrific shape.

It’s mind-bending to consider the Brewers’ starting rotation, which is a far cry from what it was at the season’s outset. The Yankees (three games) and the Royals (one) outscored the Brewers 47-15 in the four games.

Milwaukee current has the second-best run differential (+68) in the National League. Only the Cubs (+117) are better.

The Brewers also have a better record than the Yankees (51-41) and the Royals (46-48) at this point of the season.

Milwaukee’s five-pitcher rotation features Peralta, Woodruff, Misiorowski, Quintana and Quinn Priester. In the current four-game winning streak the pitching stats are otherworldly.

Each of the four went six innings.

Woodruff allowed a run on two hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Peralta gave up no runs on five hits while walking one and striking out seven.

Misiorowski threw six innings of four-hit ball. He gave up a Shohei Ohtani home run in the top of the first inning. After that it was goose eggs all across the scoreboard with a walk and a team season-high 12 strikeouts – one more than Priester’s 11.

Quintana didn’t allow a hit until two outs in the fifth, when the Dodgers’ Esteury Ruiz (a former Brewer) eked out a single.

The bullpen was just as good.

In the four-game winning streak the bullpen has pitched 13 innings, allowed five hits, one run, four walks and 17 Ks.

That is a good of a stretch as any in franchise history.

To all of owner Mark Attanasio’s detractors who gripe about him being too tight-fisted with his cash … I respectfully say, “GET A CLUE!”

Attanasio is the reason Misiorowski is pitching in Milwaukee. The Brewers had him rated as their No. 2 prospect in the 2022 amateur draft. They selected him with the 63^rd overall pick and signed him to an over-slot $2.45 million contract, which effectively pre-empted any thoughts about The Miz playing college baseball in hopes of being taken higher in 2023.

Attanasio is the reason Chourio, 21, is going to be in Milwaukee for at least another six seasons. The Brewers wisely signed him to an eight-year, $82 million contract with club options in 2032 and 2033. It is the largest contract ever signed by a player in baseball history before setting a cleat on a big-league diamond.

Attanasio is the reason Woodruff, 32, was able to focus on his rehab after shoulder surgery. Why? Attanasio gave Woodruff a two-year, $17.5 million extension in 2024, knowing full well it was an educated gamble on Woodruff’s talent and character.

How does that look now?

Oh, by the way, Peralta (10-4) is tied for the MLB in wins and was voted to his second All-Star game. He is under contract for $8 million annually to pitch this season and in 2026.

Vaughn, the 3^rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, just might realize his potential after a sensational debut in Milwaukee.

Joey Ortiz, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby and so many others are in Brewers uniforms because of unpopular (at the time) decisions not to re-sign Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes and the rest.

The stage is set for a magical, mythical second-half run.

Somewhere high above Bob Uecker is grinning broadly.

Brewers’ Woodruff is razor sharp in return

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s a great day to be a Brewers’ fan.

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy has made that declaration twice this season. The first was after rookie Jacob Misiorowski’s 6-0 victory over St. Louis in his MLB debut. The second occurred Sunday after Brandon Woodruff’s incredible MLB comeback.

Woodruff (1-0) threw six strong innings to lead Milwaukee to a 3-1 victory at Miami. It enabled the Brewers to claim the series, two games to one, and reach the 50-win plateau.

More important it was “Exhibit A” in the case for Woodruff making a successful comeback after being sidelined for 652 days following major surgery on his right shoulder.

The shoulder injury, coupled with a twisted ankle and a line drive off his forearm, slowed Woodruff’s comeback to a snail’s pace. Whatever doubt remained about Big Woo’s ability to regain his status as a top-notch big-league pitcher was removed.

Woodruff began his return with two perfect innings, including four strikeouts of baffled Marlins batters. He allowed a single to open the third and then nothing until a solo home run in the fifth.

Big Woo struck out eight, didn’t walk anybody and threw strikes on 53 of his 70 pitches.

It was a clean, command performance that would’ve made Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux proud. Only Woodruff’s fastball has considerably more giddy-up than Maddux’s ever did.

Woodruff’s four-seamer reached 96 mph in the third inning, and he was throwing strikes on the corners all day. He also relied on a changeup that he said wasn’t very good in the minors.

Indeed, it all came together on one glorious afternoon. It was the wages of two years hard labor being paid off for all to see.

“Honestly, I had no expectations. I had none at all,” Woodruff told reporters after the game. “There were different waves of it. I’d be sitting here, and it’s like, ‘Man, I’m about to throw my first game in two years.’ And just quietly think to myself, like, ‘This is such a cool deal.’ ”

It was a cool deal for everyone who played a role in Woodruff’s painstaking comeback. His family, his medical team, his manager, coaches and teammates – they all had a hand in it.

Murphy was as delighted as anyone.

“Nobody could have predicted six innings of two-hit ball,” Murphy said. “He was sensational. Any worries anybody had about this guy being able to pitch in his future or whatever – wow. … He came back with a focus and mentality that is good for every pitcher to see out there. For Misiorowski to watch that out there? … For (Quinn) Priester? They’re like, ‘Whoa, that’s the big fuss about Big Woo.’ ”

Brewers’ fans don’t want to get ahead of themselves, but the reality is Milwaukee’s starting rotation has gone from Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana and TBD to a formidable quintet.

Peralta, the Brewers’ lone All-Star in 2025, is now joined by Quintana, Misiorowski, Woodruff and Priester.

Christian Yelich, Peralta and Woodruff are the longest-tenured players on the roster. That trio has grown close in the past seven seasons. Yelich seemed nearly as happy as Woodruff.

“A lot of these guys in this room haven’t seen him pitch before, haven’t seen him compete,” he said. “They’ve just seen him work and rehab. It’s tough, man. The rehab process isn’t easy. There’s a lot of days you doubt if you can even make it back.”

Woodruff turned Sunday into “Turn back the clock” Day.

“A few of us have seen that version of Woody,” Yelich said. “He was just rolling today and looked like his old self.”

Woodruff, 32, definitely brought back memories of the big right-hander in his prime.

He struck out two hitters in a 1-2-3 first inning. He added another K with a 95.7 mph fastball that left Marlins center fielder Dane Myers shaking his head in disbelief.

Myers wasn’t admonishing the ump. He was admiring the pitch.

It was that good.

Miami left fielder Heriberto Hernandez, who mustered the Marlins’ only two hits off Woodruff, belted a 0-2 sweeper for a solo shot with two outs in the fifth.

Big Woo responded by striking out Connor Norby on a 95.6 mph fastball that the Marlins’ third baseman swung through to end the inning.

“That was probably one of the three times I looked at the radar gun, because I knew when it left my hand that it felt good,” Woodruff explained.

Brewers’ fans won’t have to wait long to see Big Woo do his thing in person. It’s likely he’ll start Friday or Saturday when the Brewers host the Nationals at American Family Field in a three-game weekend series.

For his part, Woodruff can’t wait to get back on the mound.

“It was just getting back out there, but then that ‘compete’ mode took over and I really wanted to win the game,” he said. “That’s really all you care about, giving the team a chance to win, and thankfully I was able to do it. Going forward, I’ll take on outing at a time and see where we’re at by the end of the year, like always. Hopefully, I can just hop back on this train and keep the momentum going.”

The Brewers (50-40) trail the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs (54-36) by four games, with St. Louis (48-43) at six back.

Milwaukee has little time to relish the win over the Marlins.

The Dodgers (56-35) are in town for a three-game series that begins tonight with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m.

Los Angeles will send right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6, 2.51 ERA) against the Brewers’ Peralta (9-4, 2.91) in the opener.

On Tuesday, it’ll be “must see” TV with the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (4-0, 3.43) going against Misiorowski (3-1, 3.20). On Wednesday it’ll be the Dodgers’ righty Dustin May (5-5, 4.52) squaring off against the Brewers’ lefty Quintana (6-3, 3.44).

Murphy took one glance back at Woodruff’s amazing day before looking ahead to the Dodgers.

“Two years, you get emotional thinking about what this kid has been through,” Murphy said. “Then to see him go out and compete like that … it just sets an example for everyone else.”

Brewers win opener,

Miz falls in nightcap

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers endured a handful of firsts – some good, some bad – against the Mets in the course of Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader at Citi Field.

In the opener, the Brewers scored a 7-2 victory to gain their first win in July following a red-hot June, Monday’s day off and Tuesday’s rainout.

Sal Frelick belted his first career leadoff home run to get the party started in Game 1.

Joey Ortiz smacked his first career grand slam to give him four home runs in the past six games. His most recent home run broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the sixth. Ortiz had 11 RBI through 73 games. He’s driven in 15 runs in the last 13 games.

Jackson Chourio hit cleanup for the first time in his MLB career in both ends of the doubleheader. He went hitless in the opener, but hammered his 14^th home run in the nightcap.

Isaac Collins was 4-for-4 with a walk and a home run in game 1. The rookie outfielder was only a triple away from hitting for the cycle for the first time in his big-league career.

The Brewers (48-38) also reached a season-high 11 games above .500 with the victory in Game 1.

Milwaukee is 23-10 in its last 33 games.

Entering Wednesday’s nightcap the Brewers’ starting pitchers posted a 3.20 ERA during the 23-9 stretch. Only the Pirates’ starters could boast a better ERA (3.12) in all of baseball.

Freddy Peralta (9-4) pitched six strong innings of two-hit baseball in the opener and is tied for the National League lead in wins (9) while sporting a 2.91 ERA.

“I know all of the Mets and they are really good hitters,” Peralta said. “My plan was to attack them and try to make them swing early.”

The plan worked to perfection, especially after he worked through a 25-pitch first inning.

Nick Mears and DL Hall closed out the two-hit shutout.

The Brewers didn’t fare so well in Game 2 against a desperate Mets team. The Mets were hitting an MLB-worst .218 with runners in scoring position despite a star-studded lineup featuring Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso.

The Mets (49-38) got to Brewers rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski to claim a 7-3 win in Game 2. The Mets’ win enabled them to move a half-game ahead of the Brewers (48-38) for the top spot in the NL wildcard standings.

Misiorowski, 23, was nearly untouchable in his first three starts. His fastball was routinely sitting at 100 mph-plus and he’d allowed only three hits and three runs for a 1.13 ERA.

He had defeated three straight aces – the Cardinals’ Sonny Gray, the Twins’ Joe Ryan and the Pirates’ Paul Skenes – in his first three starts.

The Miz’s fourth start didn’t go so well.

The 6-foot-7 right-hander issued a walk in an otherwise clean first inning. Then the evening took a turn for the worse as Misiorowski became his own worst enemy.

After two quick outs, he walked a pair of hitters before Mets catcher Hayden Senger reached on an infield single. Senger’s chopper glanced off the Miz’s glove and caromed toward Brice Turang at second base. But Turang didn’t have enough time to record the final out. That sent Brandon Nimmo to the plate, and he promptly belted a grand slam home run to make it 4-0.

Lindor followed by hitting a 97.4 mph slider into the bleachers to make it 5-0.

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy said it was only a matter of time before Misiorowski would have his struggles.

“He wasn’t in sync tonight, that’s for sure,” Murphy told reporters. “You could see it. He’d have it for one pitch and then didn’t. You could see the ball wasn’t coming out of his fingers the same. You could see the frustration build.”

Murphy said the experience wasn’t all bad. He said it is part of the learning process and that growing pains are to be expected. He also said he liked Misiorowski’s response.

“He’s ticked about it,” he said. “Even some of the sequencing (of pitches), he’s ticked about. He’s really in a good spot that he’s thinking, ‘Darn it, I could’ve …’ It’s like he can see it, that there’s a fine line between dominant and being just OK.’ ”

The Miz threw 72 pitches (43 strikes) in 3 2/3 innings. He was charged with five earned runs on five hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts.

The Miz appeared to realize why he struggled so much in that fateful second inning.

“My fingers were just a little too far on the right side of the ball and it kind of spun a little different than I’m used to,” he said. “It’s nothing crazy.”

Backup catcher Eric Haase was behind the plate to enable William Contreras to DH after Game 1. He said he didn’t notice the Miz’s downtick in velocity during the inning.

“He’s such a loose mover and the ball explodes out of his hand, so I can’t tell if things are ticking down until I’m looking at the velo (velocity) board.” Haase said. “It’s nasty and it’s all over the place. It’s hard to corral.”

Misiorowski told reporters he’d rather struggle now than later.

“I use the old Tiger Woods approach and move on to the next hit. Move on to the next pitch,” he said. “It’s frustrating, but at the same time, it’s a young career and it’s good to figure it out now, not when we’re in the playoffs and it matters most.”

It’s good to hear the Miz’s plan for his rookie season includes pitching in the postseason.

In Thursday night’s series finale, the Brewers will send veteran left-hander Jose Quintana (6-2, 3.30 ERA) against another veteran lefty, the Mets’ David Peterson (5-4, 3.30).

Quintana pitched for the Mets the previous two seasons.

Brewers melting away

Cubs’ lead in division

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers made a couple of notable moves this weekend as the Fourth of July draws near.

First, Milwaukee defeated the Rockies 10-6 on Friday and 5-0 on Saturday ahead of a 4-3 loss in Sunday’s series finale. It kept third-place St. Louis at bat’s length while enabling the Brewers to pick up a game on the NL Central-leading Cubs.

The Brewers (47-37) trail the Cubs (49-35) by 2 games with the Cardinals (47-38) sitting just 2 ½ games out of first place. The fourth-place Reds (44-40) are 5 out in a tight divisional race.

The Cubs lost two of three at Houston while the Cardinals swept the Guardians at Cleveland.

Fortunately, the Brewers sewed up a series win before Sunday’s first pitch.

On Friday night, the Brewers’ big bats delivered a 10-6 victory at American Family Field. Jose Quintana (6-2) scattered seven hits while striking out five to notch the win. Jackson Chourio belted a three-run home run, his 13^th, and Christian Yelich added a two-run double in the eighth.

On Saturday, Quinn Priester (6-2) allowed one hit while striking out a career-high 11 hitters in a sensational seven-inning outing. Aaron Ashby and DL Hall closed out the one-hit shutout. Brice Turang added three hits to provide the offense.

Priester is the Brewers’ first pitcher to post a double-digit strikeout game this season. He generated 20 whiffs on 44 Rockies swings, including 16 on 23 swings against his slider and curveball, according to MLB.com.

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer tipped his cap.

“He spun us to death beneath the zone,” he said after the game. “He just had our number all day. We had no answer for him.”

Priester sports a nifty 3.35 ERA in 15 games this season, while Milwaukee has won seven of his eight most recent starts.

“I’ve said this 100 times and I’ll say it again: (GM) Matt Arnold and our front office predicted that this was the guy.”

Murphy expressed his doubts, but he said Priester won him over.

“I credit the kid more than anyone, but our pitching staff – our pitching coaches – have embraced this guy and allowed him to grow,” Murphy said. “You can see his confidence. I may have had my doubts, but I’ve got total trust in him now.”

On Sunday, ex-Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia hit a two-out, game-tying ninth-inning home run off closer Trevor Megill on Sunday to send it to extra innings. Kyle Farmer’s RBI single in the top of the 11^th was the difference in Colorado’s 4-3 win.

The importance of “taking care of business” against the MLB’s weaker clubs can’t be overstated. Check out the NL Central standings if you’ve got any doubts.

The first-place Cubs are 23-26 against teams with a win-loss record at or above .500. That’s not all that great. On the other hand, when Chicago faces a team with a sub-.500 record they are a glowing 26-9.

Meantime, the Brewers are 21-20 against plus-.500 teams, which suggests they can go cleat-to-cleat with the better clubs. On the other hand, Milwaukee is 26-17 against sub-.500 teams.

Clearly, the Brewers need to bring the same focus to bear against the so-called weaker teams as they do against the best.

To that end, Brewers GM Matt Arnold continues to work the roster like there’s no tomorrow.

Late Sunday, the Brewers reportedly called up catcher/infielder Anthony Seigler from Triple-A Nashville. That report came from MLB insider Francys Romero.

Seigler, 26, a catcher by trade, can also play second and third.

He started 24 games at second base, 22 games at catcher and 11 games at third base for Nashville this season.

In 63 games with the Sounds, he was hitting .277 with 11 doubles, four triples and seven home runs. He nearly drew as many walks (49) as strikeouts (51) while driving in 35 runs.

The 5-10, 190-pound speedster also swiped 20 bases while being thrown out just three times. His defensive versatility, speed and ability to reach base fits perfectly with what the Brewers do.

The Brewers covet Seigler’s ability to hit for average with occasional power while rarely striking out brings a nice blend.

Seigler was selected 23^rd overall by the Yankees in 2018. After his sixth season of service time in the minor leagues, Seigler became a free agent and was signed by Milwaukee.

The Brewers’ corollary move hadn’t been announced as of early Monday, but it’s likely to be Andruw Monasterio in part because he’s the only player on the roster with minor league options.

In addition, Milwaukee will be adding pitcher Brandon Woodruff and outfielder Blake Perkins in the coming weeks.

One roster spot will be gained by Garrett Mitchell’s return to the 60-day IL. Mitchell re-injured his arm last week.

Overall, the Brewers are in good shape as they going into the Fourth of July weekend.

Yelich remains dialed in at the plate. In his past 30 games, Yelich is 46-for-123 (.374) with nine home runs and 34 RBIs.

Jackson Chourio and William Contreras are both swinging hot bats right now. Their ability to effectively hit left-handers will be critical in the Brewers’ three-game series against the Mets, who will start veteran lefty David Peterson (5-4, 3.30 ERA) versus Quintana in Thursday’s getaway game at Citi Field.

After Monday’s off day, Freddy Peralta (8-4, 2.90) will start versus the Mets’ Clay Holmes (8-4, 2.97) in Tuesday’s 6:10 p.m. battle of right-handers.

On Wednesday, it’ll be “must see TV” with Jacob Misiorowski (3-0, 1.13) starting for Milwaukee versus Mets right-hander Blade Tidwell (0-1, 10.13).

The upcoming Brewers-Mets series is a mini-preview of what Milwaukee could bring in a best-of-3 wildcard playoff series. The thought of Peralta, Misiorowski and Quintana – in any order – should be of terrific comfort to Brewers fans.

Combine that starting trio with strong defense, patient at-bats, aggressive base running and timely hitting. It adds up to the Brewers having a chance to beat anyone in the postseason.

Brewers own top MLB

record since mid-May

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Milwaukee Brewers own the best win-loss record in Major League Baseball since May 17. Manager Pat Murphy’s crew is 24-11 in that span.

That makes Milwaukee (45-36) baseball’s hottest team at the season’s midpoint.

The Brewers trail the NL Central-leading Cubs (47-33) by 2.5 games with third-place St. Louis (44-37) at 3.5 games back.

Murphy has Milwaukee on pace to win 90 games in back-to-back seasons. He should be the favorite to win consecutive NL Manager of the Year awards.

Jacob Misiorowski has pitched like one of the NL’s top starters through three appearances. He also looks like the leading NL Rookie of the Year candidate.

Second baseman BriceTurang and right fielder Sal Frelick are two of the Senior Circuit’s finest at their respective positions, the All-Star voting be damned.

Freddy Peralta is a serious candidate to win the NL’s Cy Young Award. The right-hander is tied for the MLB-lead in starts (17) and wins (8). He has 98 strikeouts in 93 innings and a 2.90 ERA.

Whether Milwaukee possesses the home run power to make a serious postseason run is anyone’s guess (probably not) but it appears likely they’ll get the chance to find out.

The Brewers are currently the NL’s No. 6 seed and would play a best-of-3 wild-card series versus the third-seeded Cubs. How exciting would it be to see Peralta and Misiorowski stare down the Cubs’ lineup while Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon toe the rubber against the Brewers’ relentless hitters?

If the season ended today I’d like the Brewers chances.

It’s a far cry from Milwaukee’s 21-25 record on May 17. That’s when the Brewers were blanked by the Twins, 7-0, when they absorbed their fourth shutout in five games.

The bats were AWOL and the pitchers were ravaged by injuries. Hope was in short supply among even their most ardent fans.

Nevertheless, Murphy remained undaunted. He still believed in his team – especially the young pitchers and position players – but he urged them on in no uncertain terms.

Voila!

The lumber awoke from its slumber and the arms – for the most part – stayed out of harm’s way.

In the past month, Christian Yelich has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters. The bottom third of the Brewers’ lineup – and especially third baseman Caleb Durbin and shortstop Joey Ortiz – have been posting one quality at-bat after another. The left side of the Brewers’ infield also has played tremendous defense.

Turang and Frelick have been swinging it consistently throughout, and especially in the clutch, while power-hitting first baseman Rhys Hoskins has heated up after an awful April.

Jackson Chourio has emerged as an exceptional center fielder while providing a nice combination of power and speed. Based on his track record opposing pitchers better beware: Chourio undoubtedly has several insane hot streaks still on tap for 2025.

William Contreras and Eric Haase are as good a 1-2 catching tandem as there is in the National League.

Now consider the Brewers’ front office moves since May 12.

** May 12: The Brewers purchased Misiorowski’s contract from Triple A Nashville.

** May 15: Third baseman Vinny Capra was signed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. It means the rookie Durbin will be the team’s everyday third baseman until further notice.

** May 16: The Brewers acquired left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny from the New York Yankees. Zastryzny has been exceptional in high-leverage relief situations. He has been almost unhittable for left-handed hitters.

** May 23: Left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby was activated off the Injured List.

** May 26: Left-handed reliever DL Hall was activated off the Injured List.

** June 1: Left-handed starter Jose Quintana was activated off the Injured List. Quintana (5-2, 2.98 ERA) has been a god send.

In less than three weeks, the Brewers bolstered their already bullish bullpen by adding three first-rate left-handers in Zastryzny, Hall and Ashby.

They also allowed Durbin to settle in at third base. His energy, timely hitting and strong defense have been invaluable.

Since mid-May, the Brewers have gotten strong pitching from rookie right-hander Chad Patrick and call-up Logan Henderson, who is back at Triple A Nashville along with fellow right-hander Tobias Myers awaiting their next call-up.

Misiorowski’s incredible emergence on the scene as a rookie, in addition to veteran left-hander Quintana’s return and Peralta’s sustained excellence, has transformed the top of the Brewers’ rotation into a force to be reckoned with.

Peralta, Misiorowski and Quintana are a lethal trio. Righty Quinn Priester has been a pleasant surprise, to say the least, and Patrick has been steady as a first-time MLB starter.

Priester and Patrick are a combined 8-9 in 26 starts. In 155.2 innings they have allowed 152 hits and 53 walks while striking out 135. That’s nearly a 3-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

Priester and Patrick have a combined 3.70 ERA.

That’s the good news. The even better news is that Brandon Woodruff is nearing a return to the rotation. The Brewers have the luxury of not rushing Woodruff given their other arms.

Furthermore, with Henderson and Myers in the wings, should Woodruff’s return be derailed, or another injury hits, the Brewers have decent in-season options.

The Brewers won’t be sellers at the trade deadline. They’ll either be buyers or they’ll stand pat and ride it out.

A power-hitting third baseman would be a great addition, but they also come at a heavy price. On the other hand, Durbin is playing terrific defense and his bat hasn’t been a liability of late.

Chemistry matters, and right now the Brewers have regained their edge and a winning formula under Murphy’s even hand.

Milwaukee has the NL’s worst team – the Colorado Rockies – in for a three-game weekend series. At one point this season there was concern that the Brewers would fall out of playoff contention before the All-Star Game.

Now, the better question is this: Will the Brewers leapfrog the Cubs and grab the NL Central by then?

Let the season’s second half begin.

Brewers channel inner Harvey’s Wallbangers

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For three magical days the Brewers rekindled fond memories of a bygone, baseball-bashing era.

Thoughts of “Harvey’s Wallbangers” and “Bambi’s Bombers” were conjured by Milwaukee’s current iteration affectionately known as “Murph’s Smurfs.”

The Brewers completed a surreal three-game weekend sweep of Minnesota with a 9-8 nail-biter Sunday at Target Field.

Rhys Hoskins homered and drove in two runs as the Brewers’ 17-hit barrage also included a Brice Turang home run. Rob Zastryzny (2-1) got the win and Trevor Megill the save (17), but on a steamy day in Minneapolis it was all about the bats.

It capped a weekend series in which the Brewers won 17-6 on Friday and 9-0 on Saturday.

Jacob Misiorowski (2-0) was absolutely amazing in the opener.

The 6-foot-7 rookie right-hander threw six perfect innings at the frequently befuddled Twins’ hitters.

Misiorowski exceeded 100 mph on his fastball while consistently clipping the corners of the plate with a 96 mph curve and a 93 mph changeup.

The Miz was unhittable … period … until a lengthy Brewers’ top of the seventh saw him perched atop perfection for nearly a half-hour before the Brewers’ five-run half-inning ended.

He issued his lone walk to Byron Buxton to open the seventh. That ended his perfect game. Then he yielded Matt Wallner’s two-run home run. That ended the no-hitter and the shutout.

It also ended his evening to wild applause as he tipped his cap on his way to the visitor’s dugout.

That scene set the tone for an incredible weekend.

The Brewers pummeled the Twins’ best starter – veteran right-hander Joe Ryan – while Minnesota couldn’t touch the kid.

Jose Quintana (5-2) keyed Milwaukee’s 9-0 shutout on Saturday. The left-hander pitched six sharp innings while striking out four and walking one. Grant Anderson pitched an inning before Aaron Ashby closed out the shutout.

The Brewers scored 35 runs and banged out 47 hits in the sweep.

Christian Yelich drove in a career-best eight runs on Thursday while going 4-for-6 at the plate. Yelich also went 2-for-5 on Sunday and is hitting a cool .259 for the season.

Here’s another tidbit: The Brewers scored 17 runs and drilled 19 hits in Friday night’s 17-6 win WITHOUT hitting a home run. It was the largest such onslaught without a homer in team history.

Most of the Brewers’ biggest bats in the lineup belong to players of rather diminutive stature. Sal Frelick, Caleb Durbin, Isaac Collins, Brice Turang and even Jackson Chourio aren’t giants.

But they do swing mighty big bats.

It was interesting to look at the Brewers’ 1982 team, which resided in the American League and often played the Twins.

The Brewers and Twins played a dozen times that season. Milwaukee’s best THREE GAMES offensively were an 11-4 win on May 2, a 12-1 blowout on May 8 and a 10-4 win July 21.

The ’82 team scored 33 runs and smacked 38 hits in those three games, which is less than the 2025 Brewers did in three straight games at Target Field.

“Murph’s Smurfs” may not be as catchy as Harvey’s Wallbangers or Bambi’s Bombers but definitely fits. These Brewers aren’t like those home-run hitting teams, but they do wear blue, they wear out opposing pitchers and their diminutive stature may cause other teams to underestimate them.

That’s ok because the Brewers are on one heck of a roll.

Milwaukee’s 5-2 win over the Twins on May 18 saw their record climb to a modest 22-25. With Milwaukee’s 9-8 win over the Twins on Sunday, the Brewers went to 43-35 to grab firm control of second place in the NL Central.

Think about that. The Brewers are 22-10 since then.

Milwaukee trails the Cubs (46-31) by 3 ½ games in the NL Central, with St. Louis (42-36) still sticking around at 4 ½ back.

“We can be pretty complete,” Murphy said. “We can play defense. We can run the bases. We can hit. We can pitch. And we have a team – that’s what I’m most concerned about.”

Murphy went with the same lineup for three straight games.

The collective results were phenomenal:

** Sal Frelick – 7-for-14, five runs, four RBI ** Jackson Chourio – 3-for-12, five runs, four RBI, a stolen base ** Christian Yelich – 8-for-14, two runs, 10 RBI, a stolen base ** William Contreras – 2-for-11, two RBI ** Turang – 5-for-13, three runs, four RBI ** Hoskins – 4-for-11, a home run, three runs, two RBI ** Isaac Collins – 4-for-11, four runs, three RBI, a stolen base ** Durbin – 5-for-13, six runs, one RBI, a stolen base ** Joey Ortiz – 7-for-14, four runs, three RBI

Murphy loves his team’s offensive versatility.

Unlike Harvey’s Wallbangers and Bambi’s Bombers, the 2025 team can also steal more bases, play better defense and find ways to scratch out runs.

The Brewers’ lineup also is patient.

“One through nine, everybody’s capable, and it’s taken us a while to get to that point,” Murphy said. “7-8-9 (in the lineup) weren’t always producing.

“We’re going to still have peaks and valleys – we know how this thing goes. But we understand when we play a certain way – meaning get on base, take the extra base – we understand when we do that we’re a different team.”

They’re also a really good team.

Packers’ free agents are intriguing quartet

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers hit NFL free agency’s equivalent of “the motherlode” last offseason.

Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney were every bit as good as billed and then some. The running back and safety had Pro Bowl seasons in their Green Bay debut. They’re also in their prime.

Jacobs started 17 games and racked up a team-high 1,329 rushing yards and a career-best 15 TDs. He was a bell cow with 301 carries for a 4.4 yards-per-carry average.

The durable, powerful back had the most rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns by a Packers’ player in his first season with the team.

McKinney started 17 games and registered 85 tackles (58 solo) with two tackles for loss, 11 passed defensed, a fumble recovery, four QB pressures and a fumble recovery.

That’s exceptional work.

Oh, wait, there’s also this: He ranked second in the NFL in interceptions with eight, including 128 return yards – the most by any Packers’ player since Charles Woodson (147) in 2011.

McKinney also was one of the NFL’s lead stories when he pilfered a pass in each of the first six games a year ago. He is tied for second behind Washington’s Lemar Parrish, who racked up seven picks in the first six games of the 1979 season.

It was practically impossible to top that this offseason.

Instead of swinging for the fences, so to speak, the Packers proceeded to use free agency to fill team-specific “niche” positions that could be significant by season’s end.

Let’s assume the Packers’ 2025 free agency acquisitions are as fruitful as they were a year ago, based upon each player’s expectations when they were signed.

Here’s how it shapes up five-plus weeks before training camp:

** Aaron Banks shores up a razor-thin offensive line that now goes six deep in terms of true starting-caliber players.

Banks (6-5, 325) will be the starting left guard, which allows Elgton Jenkins to slide to center. Jenkins is an upgrade over the departed Josh Myers, and while Banks isn’t as accomplished as Jenkins at this stage, he is undeniably a big, strong, powerful run blocker and capable pass protector with considerable experience.

While Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan battle to see who captures the starting left tackle job, Banks’ signing solidifies the Packers’ interior of the O-line.

Sean Rhyan and Anthony Belton will compete to see which of them claims the starting right guard job, while Zach Tom holds it down at right tackle.

Tom arguably is the best of the group. He is also the most undersized of a huge, powerful starting five. If Walker prevails at left tackle, Morgan undoubtedly will join Ryan and Belton to compete for the starting right guard spot.

It seems like a lot moving parts and question marks.

In reality, it’ll be the same as it’s been in Green Bay: The best five offensive linemen will be on the field.

Ostensibly, it’ll be Morgan at left tackle, Banks at left guard, Jenkins at center, Rhyan at right guard and Tom at right tackle. That configuration leaves Walker and Belton as the backups.

If Walker keeps his job at left tackle, Morgan will join Ryan and Belton to fight for the right guard job.

However it shakes out, the Packers’ offensive line is bigger, stronger and deeper than it was last season. Banks’ signing enabled the first domino to fall.

** Mecole Hardman’s addition in free agency felt a touch underwhelming when it was announced. That may be an understandable but flawed reaction to his acquisition.

Hardman (5-11, 187) brings experience and speed – two elements that were lacking last season – to the position.

Hardman played for and won Super Bowls with Kansas City coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He has learned from and played with some of the game’s best.

He also has excelled when the lights are brightest.

Hardman was a second-team All Pro and Pro Bowl returner early in his career. He returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in his rookie season.

He is a fearless, reliable return man.

Hardman also can put pressure on defenses with his 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash. He’s skilled at executing jet sweeps and screens (catching and blocking) as well as working the middle.

If he fails to make the Packers’ 53-man roster it won’t mean Hardman disappointed. It’ll mean Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath and rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams excelled, which is a good thing.

** Nate Hobbs may be among the league’s most underrated signings in free agency this offseason. Hobbs was good with the Los Angeles Raiders and he may blossom in Green Bay ala fellow ex-Raiders cornerback Keisean Nixon.

Hobbs joins Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Javon Bullard as the team’s top four cornerbacks. Bullard likely will line up as the nickel cornerback with Hobbs and Nixon on the perimeter and Valentine coming off the bench.

The Packers don’t have to wonder if Jaire Alexander will be able to go on game day anymore. Alexander’s release assured that. His subsequent signing with the Baltimore Ravens means a return to Lambeau Field for the Packers-Ravens game Dec. 27.

It will be interesting to see if Alexander is still healthy and playing, and whether the Packers end up regretting his exit.

Frankly, Alexander hasn’t been part of the Packers’ defensive plans for quite some time now. Coordinator Jeff Hafley and his staff are used to not having Alexander. It became the norm.

If one trusts Hafley’s judgment, and his defensive acumen, Hobbs and company should give him what he needs to make the scheme fire on all cylinders.

In other words, the Packers don’t “All Pro” cornerbacks. They need cornerbacks who can execute what Hafley needs.

Arguably the most interesting free agent of the bunch is Isaiah Simmons, who was the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft but hasn’t lived up to expectations.

Simmons said he signed with the Packers because he and Hafley had the same shared vision for how he’ll be deployed. Hafley intends to allow him to focus on the “Sam” (strong side) and “Will” (weak-side) positions.

He’ll also be on the special team’s coverage units.

He was a willing and able teamer with the Giants who never acted like special teams was beneath him.

Now, Simmons will have an opportunity to energize his career with a playoff-caliber team and a well-coached defense.

All in all, the Packers’ free agent acquisitions may not be as breathtaking as the Jacobs-McKinney one-two bonanza.

However, they have the potential to be critical to the Packers’ fortunes this season. They appear to have the talent, the coaching and the roles to contribute to a lot of wins.

Brewers off to Wrigley after edging Cardinals

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers were all fist-bumps and back-slaps after their 3-2 victory over St. Louis Sunday secured a three-to-one series win against the visiting Cardinals.

The Father’s Day crowd of 40,629 at American Family Field enjoyed seeing the Brewers send the slumping Cardinals into a third-place tie with Cincinnati in the NL Central.

Milwaukee (39-34) trails the division-leading Cubs (44-28) by 5.5 games as it travels to Chicago on Monday ahead of a three-game series at Wrigley Field beginning Tuesday night.

The Brewers won the first two games of the weekend series with outstanding pitching. Jacob Misiorowski was electric in a 6-0 shutout Thursday night to win his MLB debut. Freddy Peralta followed with a strong outing in a 3-2 victory Friday night.

Saturday’s 8-5 loss became contentious when Willson Contreras appeared to try to spike Brewers’ first baseman Rhys Hoskins while running out a play. It prompted a salty response from the Brewers, and their fans, while Contreras was less than contrite.

The Brewers-Cardinals rivalry is alive and kicking.

At any rate, the Cardinals and Contreras ended up eating their words when the Brewers – behind another excellent start by Quinn Priester – silenced St. Louis before it was sent packing.

“Quinn was great,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We’ve given him that opportunity, and he’s riding it. He’s just going.”

Priester (5-2) threw six innings of one-run baseball while scattering four hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The right-hander relied on a sinking fastball and tantalizing off-speed pitches to induce St. Louis to hit into numerous groundouts.

The victory was Priester’s fourth straight.

His recent success has made the Brewers’ front office look smart for making the trade. Murphy also looks wise for sticking with Priester despite seeing his earned-run average balloon to 5.79 after an awful outing on May 2.

Priester has been light’s out ever since. His ERA has dropped to a respectable 3.46 since the rough start to the season.

“You can say Priester was awful if you want to, but there’s some signs that you can see why we (traded) for him,” Murphy said at the time. “There are some signs there that show the kid’s got really good stuff, and he’s a great competitor.”

When asked to explain the biggest difference in Priester’s approach since the rough start, Murphy said, “Confidence.”

“He believes he can do it,” he told reporters. “He’s never been a full-time big leaguer. Now he knows he is. He’s got support. He likes his infield. He’s starting to get it.”

For his part, Priester couldn’t be happier with recent events.

“Just riding the momentum on these last couple starts,” he said. “You know that confidence plays a lot into that, too, where you’re not being scared of the zone even a little bit and really forcing the issue in terms of getting contact.”

Priester added that he’s learning to pitch the same whether in a starting role or in long relief out of the bullpen.

“It’s a ‘no excuses’ type of mentality,” he said. “If I come in (the game) in the third inning or the fourth inning, make the pitch. Just because it’s the third inning or fourth inning, there’s no excuse not to make that pitch.

“Having that mindset, I think, has alleviated the (feeling) of, ‘Oh, well, this feels different, and that is not something I’m typically used to,’ … because all the expectations are the same. So just go out there, do the job that’s asked of me and try to exceed those expectations and help us win games.’ ”

Priester’s most recent strong start was backed by Christian Yelich’s 14^th home run and RBIs from Drew Avans and Sal Frelick. Yelich had three hits while Caleb Durbin went 2 for 3.

Avans, who was claimed off waivers from the A’s June 6, was promoted for the weekend series. He responded with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to notch his first big-league RBI.

Durbin – who singled to open the eighth – came around to score the go-ahead run on Frelick’s groundball out to make it 3-2.

Trevor Megill notched his 15^th save but it wasn’t easy.

Nolan Arenado saw 11 pitches before lining the 12^th into center for a base hit to start the ninth. Nolan Gorman followed with a bunt single and the runners advanced on a one-out wild pitch.

But with the tying run on third and the lead run on second, Megill settled in to strike out Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn to seal the victory.

Megill called Arenado a “big-time hitter” and added that yielding the single – rather than a game-tying home run – felt like a win against the Cardinals’ third baseman.

After spiking a knuckle-curve into the dirt for the wild pitch, Megill rode his 100 mph-plus fastball to notch the consecutive Ks and the save.

Now the Brewers get to test themselves against the first-place Cubs at Wrigley Field, where Chicago is 23-12 on the season.

The Brewers, who are 16-19 on the road, are 26-25 against teams with a win-loss record of .500 or better while the Cubs are 24-23 against teams that are .500 or better.

Milwaukee will send Chad Patrick (3-6, 3.25) to the mound against the Cubs’ hard-throwing Ben Brown (3-5, 5.71) on Tuesday night in the “all right-handed starters” series’ opener.

Misiorowski (1-0, 0.00) will start Game 2 against the Cubs’ Jameson Taillon (7-3, 3.48) on Tuesday night.

It’ll be Peralta (6-4, 2.60) versus Cade Horton (3-1, 3.47) in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale.

The Brewers and Cubs are both 5-5 in their last 10 games.

‘The Miz’ electric in

AmFam MLB debut

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – From Walter Johnson to Randy Johnson, baseball fans have been eternally infatuated with flamethrowers.

That big-time fastball equates to strikeouts, wins and nicknames ranging from the “Big Train” and the “Big Unit” to “Bullet” Bob Feller and the “Ryan Express” aka Nolan Ryan.

Now along comes “The Miz!”

The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski cut loose with 14 pitches of at least 100 mph in his Major League debut on Monday night in front of a fired-up crowd of 27,687 at American Family Field.

“The Miz” threw five innings of hitless baseball before exiting three pitches into the sixth with cramps in his right calf. Coming into the game, all Brewers starters had combined for eight pitches of 100 mph or more since pitch tracking began in 2008, according to MLB.com. Six of those eight belong to Trevor Megill when being used as an “opener.”

Misiorowski’s five innings of hitless baseball, which included four walks and five strikeouts, is one of only NINE MLB debuts in which a pitcher threw that many innings of no-hit baseball.

Clearly, Miz’s much-anticipated MLB debut didn’t disappoint.

The Brewers’ 6-0 victory over St. Louis saw Misiorowski, Nick Mears and Aaron Ashby combine on a three-hit shutout. The Cardinals’ first hit was a seventh-inning “seeing eye” ground ball by Wilson Contreras that found its way through the infield.

Jackson Chourio connected for his 12^th home, a two-run shot in the fifth, and Sal Frelick had three hits as the Brewers’ bats finally sprang to life.

With young hitters like Chourio and Frelick, as well as Brice Turang and rookie Isaac Collings (two hits each) – in addition to a big-time fire-baller such as “The Miz” – the Brewers’ short- and long-term prospects are exciting.

Milwaukee (37-33) moved into second place in the NL Central ahead of slumping St. Louis (36-33) which has lost five straight. The Brewers trail the front-running Cubs (42-27) by 5.5 games.

But the big story of the night was Misiorowski’s debut.

The 23-year-old right-hander’s delivery is all knees and elbows until the release point brings him 7 ½ feet closer to the plate. Then the 100 mph-plus fastball is there … and then it’s not.

At 6-foot-7 and armed with that fastball and much-improved control, it was only a matter of time before “the Miz” reached “The Show.” But even when the time came it felt surreal.

“I’ve been playing this day out in my head forever,” he said. “I thought I was going to give up a few hits, get your welcome to The Show. But I kind of rolled with it, and now we’re here.”

Better make that “now we’re here … to stay.”

What might’ve been big news – Aaron Civale’s trade request after being optioned to Triple-A to make room for “The Miz” – was quickly relegated to a ho-hum footnote.

Even Misiorowski’s departure created a big stir than Civale’s.

Three pitches into the sixth inning, on his 81^st pitch (49 strikes), he appeared to twist his ankle while backpedaling up the mound. Both Misiorowski and the manager Pat Murphy said there was no reason to believe he’ll miss his next scheduled start.

Misiorowski said his right calf began cramping up.

“Of course I don’t want to leave like that,” he told reporters. “I felt like I could have kept going. I cramped up, and stuff happens. I saw the picture and it looks bad, but it feels good. It feels great.”

Cardinals’ 35-year-old starter Sonny Gray tried to compensate for a lack of velocity (his fastball’s cruising speed is 93) with a ton of experience (it was his 18^th start against Milwaukee).

But with the help of smoke, mirrors and pinpoint control, Gray extended his scoreless innings streak to 15 before Isaac Collins hit a two-out triple in the second and eventually scored on Brice Turang’s infield hit.

After an uneventful third and fourth, the Brewers’ Chourio crashed Gray’s party with his two-run home run in a five-run fifth inning uprising that helped earn the Miz’s first MLB win.

Mears navigated the sixth and Ashby finished it with a rare three inning save. As an aside, Ashby and Misiorowski pitched at the same community college (Crowder College) in Missouri.

Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II wasn’t surprised by Misiorowski’s success, or his overpowering fastball.

“I remember being in a combine with (Misiorowski) back in 2022, and I got to see him throw a bullpen and I thought it was a very good fastball then,” Scott II told MLB.com. “It was a really good fastball today. He went out there and just competed.”

Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages offered some hope.

“I think next time we see him,” Pages said, “maybe we’ll have a better approach against him.”

Of course, the operative word there being “maybe.”

Brewers catcher William Contreras was impressed.

“I know that the ‘velo’ is there going into it, but it definitely surprises you when you see it consistently coming in 101, 102 (mph). After that, he had to lock in and not try to do too much.

“Just pitch.”

Misiorowski’s control was OK (he threw 9 of 18 first pitch strikes) and he fastball and slider were devastating. Even home plate umpire Dan Merzel flinched on several pitches before making the ball-strike call.

“The Miz” also showed good stamina. His first pitch was 100.5 mph and his 78^th pitch was 101.1 mph to end the fifth.

The Brewers and Cardinals meet tonight in Game 2 of their four-game weekend series.

St. Louis will start right-hander Erick Fedde (3-5, 3.59) versus the Brewers’ other big-time flamethrower with a nickname to boot: “Fastball” Freddy Peralta (5-4, 2.69 with 78 strikeouts).

It’s time for Brewers’ fans to buckle up and get ready for what could be a wild ride to the finish line.

The Brewers are 70 games into the season, but in the wake of Thursday night’s sensational debut by Misiorowski, it feels like it’s just getting started.

Milwaukee has three more against the third-place Cardinals before making the short drive to Chicago to face the first-place Cubs in a three-game series at Wrigley Field next week.

Fans may want to follow the advice given to Misiorowski before his MLB debut: “Remember to breathe.”

Brewers’ bats AWOL;

Packers may cut Jaire

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers’ bats have developed an irritating habit of trading baseball for an impromptu nine-inning game of “hide-and-seek.”

Milwaukee’s most recent “Where did the bats go?” caper occurred Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the Padres in the rubber match of their three-game weekend series at American Family Field.

The Padres blanked the Brewers 2-0 Friday night behind a 4-hit shutout and Manny Machado’s ninth homer this season.

Milwaukee scored a 4-3 win on Caleb Durbin’s walk-off home run in the 10^th on Saturday before Sunday’s silencer in which Machado’s 10^th home run was the difference.

The befuddling Brewers entered their current 10-game home stand as one of MLB’s hottest-hitting ball clubs. Since May 18, they ranked second in runs scored (95), sixth in batting average (.258) and were tied for second in stolen bases (25).

That version of Milwaukee’s offense, in addition to excellent starting pitching and a solid bullpen and defense, helped the Brewers to a 14-5 record and an average of 5.2 runs per game.

Milwaukee (35-31) would have swept San Diego (37-27) if the offense had averaged a measly THREE runs a game. Instead, they struggled mightily to score FOUR runs the entire weekend.

It’s interesting that a significant portion of Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s post-game news conference including his decision to pull starter Freddy Peralta after six innings.

Peralta had a no-hitter entering the sixth. He allowed a leadoff single in a 13-pitch, scoreless inning. He was at 90 pitches.

Surely, he could’ve gone into the seventh, right skip?

It’s an obvious and interesting question that had to be posed.

Murphy’s explanation made total sense. Peralta had thrown 103 pitches in his previous start that stretched into the seventh. He also was working on four days’ rest. Half of his 14 starts this season have come after more than four days’ rest.

In addition, reliever Rob Zastryzny had not been charged with a run in any of his previous nine appearances. The left-hander replaced Peralta in a similar situation at Cincinnati last week. He worked out of the jam and the Brewers went on to win 4-2.

Everybody lauded Murphy’s decision to pull Peralta in favor of Zastryzny after the fact on that day. Same situation, same pitchers, different result … and it’s “What’s Murphy thinking?”

At any rate, the greater question is, “Where’s the hitting coach?”

Wait a minute. That’s an unfair question, especially in Milwaukee, where they don’t have “A” hitting coach.

They have THREE hitting coaches. If only the Brewers had averaged that many runs during the weekend.

Connor Dawson is the hitting coach, in addition to Eric Theisen, who goes by the same title, and there’s also Al LeBoeuf – the “lead” hitting coach.

Or perhaps the real culprit is the equipment manager, or managers, whichever is the case. Are they acquiring inferior wood? Are they trading on the baseball bat “black market” but getting counterfeits to go with the incredibly cheap cost?

Or perhaps it’s the clubhouse attendant, or attendants, whichever is the case. Is the clubhouse infested with termites? Are they somehow infiltrating the wood and cleverly hiding their penetration with a high-gloss epoxy?

Or perhaps it’s the bat makers who are at fault and those awful barrel-eating beasts, the ash borers. Or is that Ash Borers … a minor league affiliate somewhere in North Carolina?

The Brewers have been shutout eight times this season.

Another way to look at it is that they’ve been blanked eight times in their past 35 games. That’s being shutout slightly more than once every four games, also known as 25 percent.

What matters is that the Brewers get their hitting groove back in a hurry, because it’s the Atlanta Braves for three games, followed by the St. Louis Cardinals (36-29) for four games.

The Brewers trail the Cardinals by 1.5 games in the NL Central Division.

After their 10-game home stand it’s off to Chicago to face the Cubs (40-25) in a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

They best remember to bring the bats.

As a postscript to the weekend, I’d like to remind Brewers fans exactly why they’re booing Machado so lustily. It’s because he appeared to try to step on first baseman Jesus Aguilar’s foot as he crossed the base during the Dodgers-Brewers 2018 NLCS series, which Los Angeles won in heartbreaking fashion.

Christian Yelich and others called Machado a “dirty player” and the former Dodgers’ star was fined by Major League Baseball. Machado has since apologized.

Suggestion to Brewers fans: Let it go. It’s that or keep tugging at Superman’s cape and suffering the consequences.

In short, quit messing with Machado. It’s not working.

Besides, it is considered bad form to bash a bona fide basher when your own boppers bring pencils instead of bats to the plate – in the front of their jersey, in a jersey protector, no less.

** REPORT: PACKERS TO CUT ALEXANDER TODAY **

The Packers will release former Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander as early as today, according to an ESPN report.

It comes after the team and Alexander tried to rework his current contract throughout this offseason. Alexander has appeared in seven games each of the past two seasons. His injury-riddled career has led him to become as much a liability as an asset.

It was common to wonder if Alexander was playing or not right up until 90 minutes before kickoff when the game-day inactive list was released.

The 2018 first-round pick – the first pick of GM Brian Gutekunst’s career – had two years left on a four-year, $84-million contract extension that made him the highest-paid cornerback at the time.

Alexander, an All-Pro in 2020 and 2022, played just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 season. He only played in four regular-season games that year because of a shoulder injury.

In seven seasons, Alexander had 15 interceptions, including the postseason.

Brewers open 10-game

AmFam stand red hot

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Brewers host the Padres tonight to open their three-game weekend series at American Family Field.

The game also is No. 1 of a 10-game home-stand – the Brewers’ longest of the season – that includes three games versus the Braves before a four-game grudge match against St. Louis.

That’s 10 games against upper-echelon National League teams, including four versus the Cardinals (34-28), who currently sit percentage points ahead of Milwaukee in the NL Central.

It’s a good thing the Brewers (34-29) are playing their best baseball of the season. They have won 13 of 17 games, including four series’ wins and a split, going into the gauntlet.

They also have won nine of their last 10. Some Brewers’ fans are disappointed by the fact that they’ve only picked up 1.5 games on the first-place Chicago Cubs (39-23).

Then again, if the Brewers’ hadn’t lit the fuse and exploded for an eight-game winning streak they might be 10 games back.

The Padres (36-25) and Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado and the rest should make for a compelling weekend of baseball.

But first, I can’t help but think the Brewers took a wistful glance back at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park before departing for the airport.

On Wednesday afternoon, Isaac Collins drilled a three-run home run, and Jackson Chourio and Daz Cameron each hit two-run blasts in Milwaukee’s 9-1 victory over the Reds.

It was the Brewers’ 12 straight series win against the Reds. Milwaukee is a staggering 42-16 versus Cincinnati during their last 48 games, and has captured 16 of the past 18 series.

That win was the second DL Hall-Quinn Priester two-step during a highly successful 5-1 road trip. In the minor leagues it’s a fairly common practice to use “piggyback pitchers.” That’s when a staff has two highly complementary pitchers – typically a lefty-right combo (Hall-Priester) that discourages “stacking” a lineup with either left-handed or right-handed hitters.

So far, the Brewers have notched two wins with the tandem.

In Friday night’s opener, the Padres will send right-hander Randy Vasquez to the mound against Chad Patrick.

Vasquez is among the Padres’ top starters and may pose the Brewers’ lineup with its greatest challenge on the weekend.

Righties Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert follow for San Diego (35-26) to face Jose Quintana and Aaron Civale for the Brewers.

Patrick will be making his 13^th start of the season. That will match teammate Freddy Peralta’s 13 starts for the team lead and also ties both Brewers’ pitchers for the league lead in starts.

Milwaukee’s surge has been buoyed by its strong starting pitching and a well-rested bullpen that is finding its groove, but it has been the Brewers’ bats that have sprung to life.

Led by the red-hot Christian Yelich, who has 13 home runs while raising his batting average 49 points since May 21, the Brewers’ lineup has regained its edge.

The Brewers are 11-0 in games Yelich hits a home run.

With 13 home runs, Yelich should reach the 20-homer plateau sooner than later this season. Yelich hasn’t hit at least 20 home runs since 2019. That’s five-plus seasons.

Yelich’s bat speed, exit velocity and contact info all indicate a high-level hitter in his prime. Yelich, 33, is hardly that, but he has seemed to get a feel for the designated hitter role. It has been well-documented that Yelich’s hitting stats are significantly greater when he also is playing in the outfield.

That can be a bit deceiving, however, because much of that time as an everyday outfielder coincided with his incredible run from 2017-2019 that included his MVP award.

Yelich is 17 for 42 with a double, four home runs and 11 RBIs during the Brewers’ last 10 games. He also has a nine-game hitting streak coming into tonight’s action.

Chourio has 10 home runs, nine walks and 37 RBIs with a .260 average and appears to be on the verge of another rampage.

Shortstop Joey Ortiz’s glove work is going from routinely strong to occasionally dazzling. Perhaps it’s because his bat has found life, or maybe the swing got smoother when he focused on his No. 1 job: Playing great defense.

Caleb Durbin has been solid at third base. He also seems to have found his groove in the batter’s box. It’s wise to remember that Sal Frelick wasn’t “this” Sal Frelick early on. It was much the same for second baseman Brice Turang.

Now, Frelick and Turang are mainstays in the lineup, not to mention budding All-Stars. They’ve got that type of talent.

Daz Cameron got his first big-league home run with the Brewers on the recent road trip. Cameron continues to level out his swing with each at-bat.

Again, the adjustment to the big leagues – unless you’re Jackson Chourio – is seldom a “bring it on and I’ll hit it out” proposition.

Clearly, the Brewers’ outlook has risen greatly on the momentum and confidence gleaned from a three-game sweep of the Phillies in Philadelphia. If the Brewers go on to battle the Cubs and Cardinals for the NL Central title, and either win it or make the postseason as a wild-card team, Milwaukee’s monumental sweep of the Phillies will be a turning point.

Brewers sweep Phillies

to run win streak to 7

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The good vibes throughout Milwaukee’s current seven-game winning streak – the longest such streak in baseball – might’ve been dampened by a single pitch.

Fortunately, the Brewers’ lone negative during their three-game sweep at Philadelphia – the X-Rays of Christian Yelich’s right hand – turned out to be a positive.

Yelich, the Brewers’ hottest hitter, was struck by a Ranger Suarez fastball in the first inning of Sunday’s 5-2 victory at Philly. Yelich took first base. Then he took a right turn into the visitor’s dugout and then to the clubhouse to be examined.

After the Brewers wrapped up the win, Yelich met the media to bring more good news: The X-Rays were negative. A broken bone might’ve landed Yelich on the IL for six-to-eight weeks. Instead, he’s merely listed as day-to-day.

“It got me pretty good,” Yelich said of the wayward pitch. “It hit the knob a little bit, but just crushed the bottom of my hand. It is what it is. That stuff happens. It just swelled up and made it tough to grip the bat. I’ll be alright.”

The same could be said of surging Milwaukee.

The Brewers (32-28) have won 11 of 14 games to move to a season-best four games above .500. They trail the Cubs (37-22) by 5.5 games with second-place St. Louis (33-26) at four back.

The Brewers hadn’t swept the Phillies at Philadelphia since June 29-July 2, 2015, when they completed a four-game sweep.

Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy threw out the first bouquet at his postgame news conference.

“If you want to be a good team, you’ve got to stay relentless throughout the game and look for opportunities; every pitch counts,” he told MLB.com. “This is a really good team, best record in the National League. It was a really nice series.”

Jose Quintana returned from the injured list to pitch five innings of two-run baseball. The veteran left-hander battled through a difficult first two innings in which he walked four hitters.

Nevertheless, he settled in and held the Phillies in check until the cavalry – aka the Brewers’ bullpen – arrived on the scene.

Nick Mears (1-0) tossed a scoreless sixth to earn the win. Jared Koenig and Abner Uribe combined to build a two-inning bridge to closer Trevor Megill, who pitched the ninth for his 11^th save.

The Brewers’ starting pitching has been exceptional throughout the winning streak.

DL Hall started and pitched three scoreless innings to set the tone for the series Friday night. Hall didn’t allow a hit while walking one and striking out four. Quinn Priester (2-2) came on to allow two runs during the final six innings.

On Saturday, Milwaukee exploded for 23 hits and three home runs in a 17-7 blowout of the Phillies. Rhys Hoskins hit two home runs and Jackson Chourio smacked a three-run home run. Hoskins and Chourio each have hit nine home runs on the year.

Chad Patrick (3-4) started and pitched six strong innings. He allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Rob Zastryzny and Grant Anderson were clean in the seventh and eighth, respectively, before Tyler Alexander came on and allowed five meaningless runs in the ninth to end it.

On Sunday, the Brewers trailed 2-0 before rallying for the win. It was Milwaukee’s fourth comeback win during their streak.

Phillies shortstop Trea Turner committed an uncharacteristic error on what would’ve been an inning-ending groundout in the seventh. Instead, the Brewers scored to tie it at 2-2 and Jake Bauers followed with a two-run double to make it 4-2. Milwaukee tacked on an insurance run in the ninth.

Turner had high praise for the Brewers.

“That’s a really good team over there,” he said. “They swung the bats great all series, they always have a good pitching staff. So if you’re going to beat teams like that, you can’t give them outs. You’ve got to put up a few more runs and play a little better.”

Philadelphia (36-23) came into the weekend with the National League’s best record. That included a 19-9 mark at home.

“It definitely gives you a little bit more confidence moving forward,” Bauers admitted. “It shows you that we can play with anybody. When we do things the right way and we do things how we’re trying to do them, it shows up.”

Murphy spoke earlier in the season about his team trying to find its “edge.”

“We had a little spell early in the season where we were decent, and then we were just kind of flat,” Murphy said. “This seems like we got a little bit of our edge back.”

Murphy added, “I think this is a really good marker for us, saying, ‘Hey, you went and played the Phillies, as good a team as there is in baseball, if not the best.’ ”

Yelich also is excited about the team’s prospects going forward.

“Any time you can sweep a series against those guys – especially here – it’s a great sign,” he said. “We still have to play well the rest of the year. It’s just good that you know that you can come in and play good, clean baseball and match up with a team like that, but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t play well the next four months. We’ve got to keep doing that and see what happens for us.”

Yelich is hitting .233 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 57 games. Two of those home runs came in Milwaukee’s 6-2 in on Friday night.

Yelich was hitting .184 on May 21. That included a 2-for-39 stretch. He has since raised his batting average a whopping 49 points in less than two weeks.

Murphy said Yelich will “probably be out” for tonight’s game at Cincinnati to open a three-game series.

“He’s real sore; he couldn’t squeeze the bat, so it will be a day-to-day thing,” the Brewers’ manager said. “It’s not broken, thank God, but he’s rolling so well that I hate it for him that he’s got to take a day off, but he probably will be out.”

Yelich came into Sunday’s game with an eight-game hitting streak. Because he was hit by a pitch and subsequently exited his hitting streak remains intact.

Brewers win walk-offs

as Packers start OTAs

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The last week in May has been a really good one for Brewers and Packers fans.

The Brewers (29-28) are on a four-game winning streak and have climbed above .500 for the first time in nearly three weeks.

Christian Yelich is in the midst of an incredible hitting streak that included a leadoff double in the ninth to help send Tuesday night’s game against Boston into extra innings. Then he swatted a walk-off grand slam (the first walk-off home run of his career) in the 10^th to cap a 5-1 win over the Red Sox.

Caleb Durbin handled the hero’s role in Wednesday afternoon’s “getaway game” with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10^th. That came after belting a pair of doubles and driving in two runs.

The Brewers’ 6-5 win after rallying twice sent them

The bottom third of the Brewers’ lineup is remembering to bring their bats with them to home plate. Since mid-May the last three hitters in the lineup are among the MLB leaders in RBIs. Even Joey Ortiz is becoming something of a mighty mite.

In addition, the Brewers’ bullpen welcomed back lefties Aaron Ashby and DL Hall, while Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny have pitched beautifully to give manager Pat Murphy four reliable left-handers out of the bullpen.

That is especially significant because the Brewers’ starting rotation is right-handed heavy with Freddy Peralta, Chad Patrick, Tobias Myers, Logan Henderson and Quinn Priester.

If Murphy can get five or six innings out of his starters against a lefty stacked lineup, and then go to any of the aforementioned southpaws, it puts considerable pressure on the opposition.

In the last eight games and eight days the Brewers are 5-3 with four extra-inning games, three one-run games and one blowout win – the Brewers’ 8-5 win over the Pirates – to get to 29-28.

It may be a stretch to suggest this could be the catalyst for the rest of the season. The Brewers shouldn’t face more adversity in their next 57 games than they did the first 57 outings, but even if they go 29-28 again, that means they’ll be four games above .500 with 48 to play.

That still leaves them time to make it a tight race in the NL Central with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Furthermore, Jose Quintana and Brandon Woodruff completed successful rehab starts on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, in Appleton with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Things are looking up in Milwaukee.

The same could be said for the Packers and Green Bay.

Let’s get the obligatory “it’s only OTAs” out of the way right now. Nevertheless, there is plenty of good news to be cleaned from the first “eyes on” look at the 2025 Packers.

Jordan Love is more vocal and has settled in as the leader on offense. He is learning to blend patience when required with assertiveness when needed to promote teamwork and execution.

Xavier McKinney is coming off a terrific individual season, but the Packers’ safety wants more. He said the team knows it needs to be a lot better against NFC North opponents, and that in general it needs to take what it learned last year and grow.

Edgerrin Cooper is a well-chiseled 240 pounds but looks as fast and explosive as ever, maybe even more so. The second-year linebacker had some “All Pro” moments as a rookie and continues to develop into that type of player on every down.

Then there is the receiving corps.

What is perceived as drama from the outside is actually a much-needed reset that starts with the honest admission that the Packers’ receivers weren’t very good last season.

They led the league in drops, had way too many missed assignments and allowed drama to creep into the receivers’ room. Romeo Doubs went AWOL and had to be suspended. Jayden Reed reportedly was unhappy with his role, and sought clarification after Green Bay selected receiver Matthew Golden in the first round and receiver Savion Williams in the third.

It appears the receivers have put all of that nonsense exactly where they plan to put cornerbacks this season: Behind them.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur met with the media Wednesday and described Reed as “outstanding” and “instrumental” in his role as a leader of that group.

Love also said of his receivers, “The vibes are good right now.”

A sleeker, quicker Josh Jacobs also chimed in, saying, “There’s a LOT of special guys in that (receivers) room.”

Jacobs had caught heat for saying the Packers needed to add a “WR1” to the current group early in the offseason. Some receivers appeared to take exception to that, but now that all seems like so much water under the bridge.

Jacobs said Wednesday that he spoke with the receivers following those comments on Radio Row at the Super Bowl to clear the air.

He said Reed admitted that the comments were motivating to the receivers and that he felt it “lit a little fire under them” based on how they have attacked the offseason workout program.

“It’s just about pushing them to want to be great … trying to help them see it in themselves,” Jacobs said. “That’s what our team needs.”

Reed suggested Jacobs’ comments helped him see the bigger picture in terms of the receivers.

It’s why he’s taking on a leadership role in that room.

“That’s what I’m trying to do because I’ve been in their position as well,” Reed said. “It’s not easy to learn plays and it’s a lot of chaos as a rookie. (Golden) has been doing a phenomenal job. He’s picked it up probably faster than I did, so I commend him on that and Savion as well. They’re always around and I try to stick around in the huddle to make sure they’re good.”

Guess who else is good?

Christian Watson is good in terms of his rehab from a torn ACL in early January. LaFleur said Watson is ahead of schedule in terms of his rehab. Watson was on the field for Wednesday’s activities, which is rare for a player coming off that injury.

That isn’t to say Watson will be 100 percent by the season-opener, but it is great news to know that he’s trending in the right direction. Hopefully, that will be the final time we talk about Watson and injuries.

Indeed, it has been a very good week in late-May for Brewers and Packers fans.

Brewers beat Boston’s

Crochet 3-2 Monday

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love threw out the first pitch, Jackson Chourio homered on the first pitch, and the Brewers went on to capture a much-needed Memorial Day win.

Chourio’s first career leadoff home run – preceded by Love’s ceremonial lollipop to Christian Yelich – set the stage for the Brewers’ 3-2 win over the Red Sox and ace Garrett Crochet.

On a sunny, 62-degree day 40,181 fans had reason to cheer both early and late while soaking up the atmosphere and the victory at American Family Field.

Chourio’s laser (105.8 mph exit velocity) got fans to their feet at the outset.

“He set the tone right away,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We talk about being ready to go right away.”

Crochet (4-4) is the Red Sox’s ace. The left-hander also is one of the top starting pitchers in the game today. He gave up five hits and two runs in 6.2 innings. He walked two and struck out 11, marking his eighth career start with 10 or more strikeouts.

The Brewers had a great chance to beat arguably the game’s top two pitchers – Crochet and Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes – in a four-day span. The Brewers jumped on Skenes for a 3-0 first-inning lead before losing a 6-5 thriller to the Pirates in 10 innings.

On Monday the Brewers’ bullpen made the early lead stand up.

Chad Patrick started and tossed 4.2 innings of shutout baseball before giving way to DL Hall, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill. Patrick appeared to run out of gas in the top of the fifth after throwing 79 pitches. Hall followed and allowed a run in 2.1 innings while making his season debut.

Hall, a left-handed reliever, was returning from a lengthy stint on the IL. That didn’t dissuade Murphy from using him at the first opportunity.

“DL Hall – this is what we can do, what he can do – when he’s available,” Murphy said. “He went two and one-third in his first time out. With this crowd, on this day, he was really good.”

Patrick, Hall, Uribe and Megill scattered seven hits and seven walks but allowed just two runs while dodging danger.

Megill registered his 10^th save in 11 tries but it wasn’t easy.

Clinging to a 3-1 lead, he walked three and gave up a hit but amazingly only allowed one run. He needed 34 pitches to put down the Red Sox in the ninth.

Megill seemed unfazed despite all the difficulties.

“Trevor’s been really good for us,” Murphy said. “He didn’t have that good breaking ball like he had. He had a blister on his finger, more like a paper cut … that was a gutty performance.”

Uribe kept his cool despite obvious missed ball-strike calls by home plate umpire James Jean. It appeared as if Uribe’s stuff was so dominant that he fooled Jean as well as the Red Sox.

“Abner had some really close calls that he didn’t get but he kept his composure,” Murphy said.

The Brewers’ manager also singled out Andruw Monasterio and Joey Ortiz for delivering key back-to-back hits in the fifth. Ortiz led off with a double, and Monasterio followed with another double to drive in his first run this season.

Ortiz came in hitting .185. Monasterio was at .083.

“Monasterio was at Triple-A and he comes in and has a really good day. Isaac Collins is under the radar, but he’s done some good things, too.”

Murphy added, “(Caleb) Durbin is getting better. He demands high standards of himself. Ortiz is coming into his own offensively, and Monasterio – whether he plays much or not – comes in and plays strong defense.”

Murphy noted that it’s a luxury to have Eric Haase as William Contreras’ backup catcher. Haase went 1-for-4 with an RBI while turning in another excellent day behind the plate.

The Brewers (27-28) will send Aaron Civale (0-1, 9.00 ERA) to the mound tonight in Game 2. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. at American Family Field.

The Red Sox have said they plan to use an “opener” to start.

Milwaukee is approximately one-third of the way through the season. As it stands, the Brewers are projected to be at or near .500 with 50 games to play.

Monday’s win came on the heels of Milwaukee’s sixth straight “Salvage Sunday” in which they lost the two previous games.

The Brewers are 16-10 at home and 11-18 on the road. They also are 16-15 in interleague play. A year ago, they were 31-15 in interleague play for the season.

It’s just one of several notable differences between last season and the 2025 season.

Another is the Brewers’ 10-10 record in blowout games thus far. Last season they were 29-10 in blowout games (games decided by five-plus runs).

Much of that is due to the Brewers’ inability to grab early leads, coupled with an occasionally shaky bullpen and defense.

Murphy said the defense is improving and the pitching should do likewise with the return of Aaron Ashby, Hall and Civale plus the impending return of Brandon Woodruff.

The Brewers were 32-23 through the same number of games last season. They held a 4 ½ game lead in the division. This season they trail the Cubs by 6 ½ games at the same point.

The Brewers need to play better to avoid a 78-84 record, and despite the Cubs’ early success the NL Central isn’t out of reach. Milwaukee needs to finish strong against Boston before a day off Thursday and a three-game weekend series at Philadelphia.

The Phillies (34-19) lead the Mets (33-21) by a half-game in the ultra-competitive NL East. They are a dazzling 17-8 at Citizens Bank Park, so the Brewers have some heavy lifting to do.

Hopefully it won’t come down to a seventh straight “Salvage Sunday.”

Packers begin OTAs with drama swirling

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers’ offseason continues with their shorts-and-pads workouts aka organized team activities (OTAs) May 27, 28 and 30 and June 2, 3 and 5.

Matt LaFleur and his staff relish the opportunity to get better acquainted with the rookies and to touch base with the new and returning veterans.

The Packers’ staff opted to forego a third week of OTAs and replace it with a Week 1 virtual program. Some of it was to accommodate the NFL draft traffic around the stadium. And some of it was because of the “less is more” approach.

“If you look at where the calendar fell, you’re going into late June,” LaFleur said. “I think we all know the rigors of an NFL season and how long it is. You’ve got to decide in terms of the value from the end of the offseason to the start of training camp how much time (off) you want to give these guys.

“We’re going to have plenty of time to be together. I think collectively across the league, most teams feel that way.”

Between now and training camp, the Packers have several key decisions that need to be finalized.

** The Elgton Jenkins’ move to center

The Packers’ left guard has been an excellent player since he arrived in Green Bay, routinely grading out as the team’s top offensive lineman.

The athletic 6-foot-5, 310-pound interior lineman has played left tackle, center and right tackle in addition to left guard.

When the Packers signed Aaron Banks to a four-year, $77-million contract in free agency it was believed the corollary move would be Jenkins to center to replace Josh Myers.

It turns out Jenkins is OK with playing center, where Packers GM Brian Gutekunst projects him to be a top-flight player. The problem is he has two years left on a four-year, $68-million contract extension signed in December of 2022. The deal was predicated on him remaining at guard in addition to being “tackle competitive” in monetary terms.

The $17-million annual average would make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid centers. The problem is Jenkins doesn’t want his future earnings tied to center, which is lower.

Essentially, it means the Packers must massage Jenkins’ contract – while staying in good shape with the salary cap – between now and the start of the season.

A deal will get done. The question is when.

I suspect Jenkins’ transition to center will become reality, and that he’ll excel there once he settles in, the sooner the better.

As far as making the switch, Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich told reporters that Jenkins isn’t opposed.

“I think he’s open to it,” Stenavich said. “The conversations that we’ve had with him, yeah, he’s got a lot of experience there and he was open to it, excited about it. So, ready to go.”

Gutekunst addressed the issue earlier this offseason.

“We had plenty of conversations with Elgton leading up to it, and obviously he played center in college,” the Packers’ GM said. “We feel he’s got a chance to be an All-Pro center. We’ve talked about it a lot, how versatility plays into our offensive line, and having guys that can move to different spots.

“And Elgton’s one of those guys who can play all five spots, so he’s a luxury. I’m excited to see what he can do at center, as well.”

The Packers’ offensive line is significantly bigger, stronger and deeper than it was a year ago. Ostensibly, it appears the starters (left to right) would be: Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Anthony Belton/Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom.

That leaves Rasheed Wallace as your swing tackle – a major upgrade from a year ago – and Rhyan as the No. 2 center and Belton or Rhyan as the backup guard.

Gone are the days of Kadeem Telfort in a playoff game, and Royce Newman in any game. If the Packers’ offensive line develops into a group that meets or exceeds expectations Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs and the rest should flourish.

** Jaire Alexander’s future up in the air

Alexander’s future remains a mystery. The Packers have made it clear they are willing to trade the seventh-year cornerback if they receive a reasonable offer. They also have suggested they are open to a reconciliation that would lead to Alexander’s return to “active duty” so to speak, rather than his current status of being on the roster … but …

The Packers aren’t facing any imminent deadline in regards to deciding whether to keep him with/without an adjusted contract, or whether to simply release him.

For a guy who tweaks just about every body part, Alexander is unwilling to tweak his contract, thus the stalemate. If Alexander was looking at the big picture, I’m hoping he sees what I see: His best chance for redemption is right here in Green Bay.

Alexander’s numerous, chronic and lingering injuries have prevented him from lining up at right cornerback and doing the job that he’s still being paid to do. It’s that simple.

I used to believe in the old quote, “The best ability is availability.” I don’t anymore. Now, I think it’s more like Alexander’s situation: “The best ability is enough ability to command a considerable amount of guaranteed money.”

At any rate, the Packers’ defense is better with Alexander – if he’s healthy and happy – but that hasn’t been the case. He’s missed so much time the Packers have become used to proceeding as if they won’t have him.

It appears that’s exactly how the Packers’ coaching staff, at least, is proceeding. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley punted on a question about Alexander’s future, taking an “I coach the players that are here” approach. Meantime, assistant Derrick Ainsley said he speaks with Alexander routinely.

That’s probably just the Packers’ coaching staff treating everyone on the roster the same, which is the right way to proceed.

My guess is that Alexander is released and signs elsewhere. However, if the Packers’ coaching staff has already decided he’s too unreliable to trust going forward, the clock is merely ticking.

‘Salvage Sunday’ sees

Brewers tame Twins

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brewers fans are hoping their favorite team turns “Salvage Sundays” into “Sunday Fun Days.”

It’s the difference between a sense of relief at not being swept or having the satisfaction of sweeping or winning a series.

On Sunday, it was collective sigh of relief … again.

The Brewers avoided being swept by winning a fourth straight “Salvage Sunday” with a tidy 5-2 victory over the sizzling hot Twins on Sunday afternoon at American Family Field.

The typical reaction was “thank god for Jackson Chourio’s home-run robbing play in the top of the 8^th.” Chourio’s leaping grab to bring back Royce Lewis’ deep drive to left-center robbed the Twins’ third baseman of a game-tying home run.

Lewis, who homered earlier in the game, got Chourio’s attention after the play by waving his batter’s helmet toward Milwaukee’s centerfielder as a sign of respect for the great defensive play.

“He didn’t look at me, man. I’m mad at him,” Lewis joked after the game. “I was holding (the batter’s helmet) for like a minute. I walked all the way across the field. It’s a great play. You have to respect good baseball.”

The Brewers’ win snapped the Twins’ 13-game winning streak. Sal Frelick’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the second also ended Minnesota’s consecutive scoreless streak at 33 innings.

The Twins (26-21) were scuffling at 13-20 before the streak.

Milwaukee (22-25) trails the NL Central-leading Cubs (28-19) by six games. Second-place St. Louis (26-21) is two games back while the Reds (24-24) are 4 ½ games out of first place.

The Brewers have won four straight Sunday games to improve to 6-2 on “Salvage Sunday.” It’s a good thing because they are still waiting to notch their first “W” on a Saturday. Milwaukee is now 0-8 in Saturday games, but Sunday’s win could be the boost in the right direction the Brewers need.

Brewers’ reliever Nick Mears watched Chourio’s “web gem” from the mound.

“I saw him tracking it down in the gap, and, oh man, those would have been really big runs for them,” Mears told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and I’m lucky to have Chourio out there.”

Closer Trevor Megill, who pitched a clean ninth to record his sixth save, felt euphoric at seeing Chourio’s play.

“Dude, I turned around at the last second and just saw a glove peeking over the wall with a ball in it,” Megill told McCalvy. “I freaked out. It was that badass.”

A pivotal moment occurred early in Sunday’s game.

The Brewers built a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third on Isaac Collins’ two-run single and Frelick’s RBI base hit.

The Twins responded with Lewis’ home run to make it 4-1 in the top of the fourth. A Joey Ortiz error, sandwiched between a pair of walks by Freddy Peralta, loaded the bases with two outs.

Peralta (5-3) looked peeved at several ball-strike calls by home plate umpire Brian Walsh that led to the walks. He also could’ve been irked at Ortiz for the error on what would’ve been an inning-ending play.

Nevertheless, he refocused and induced the red-hot Ryan Jeffers to fly out to right field to end the threat.

Peralta’s good karma came back to him in the top of the fifth. First baseman Rhys Hoskins made a nice pick of a ground ball and made a perfect throw to Peralta covering the bag for the out.

Then Ortiz made a nifty catch on Ty France’s pop up to short left. The one-two-three inning ended with Chourio making an excellent catch on Kody Clemens’ deep fly ball to center.

Then, in the eighth, Chourio made the defensive play that secured Peralta’s fifth win of the season.

Peralta was rewarded for keeping his cool, staying focused and being a good teammate. It’s why he’s the Brewers’ ace.

Peralta has seen Chourio make a defensive mistake or two while he’s been on the mound. His patience and support of his young teammate also paid dividends.

“It shows everybody that mistakes that happen in the past are mistakes, and as a player you should get some work and get better, and then you can do something big in the next couple of days,” Peralta said. “Today he saved the game.”

“I’m really happy for him. As soon as I saw him I said, ‘This is you. This is what you have to do. Trust in yourself and everything is going to be fine.”

On the back end, Megill was nearly unhittable to get the save.

Megill’s curveball is developing into a force to be reckoned with when paired with his 100 mph fastball. Instead of having one terrific pitch (the fastball) to go with a so-so second pitch, Megill was throwing strikes with his curve to get ahead in the count. Hitters have almost zero chance when they’re down 0-2 or 1-2 in the count after seeing nothing but curves.

If they sit on the fastball and get one they might get a piece of it … or not. If they sit fastball and it’s a curve for a strike they can take that slow stroll back to the dugout.

Megill was that overpowering.

Abner Uribe and Mears also looked smooth in their two innings of work.

The Brewers are still trying to find their offensive power.

Chourio has struggled lately by going hitless Sunday to stretch his streak to 0-for-18, but the 20-year-old is keeping his head in the ballgame by making great defensive plays.

“I’m very happy,” he said Sunday. “That was the first home run robbery I’ve ever had. Just being able to show the ability to do that, I’m happy about that.”

The Brewers are 13-14 in inter-league play.

They continue facing American League foes tonight when the Orioles’ Dean Kremer and the Brewers’ Quinn Priester tangle in a 6:40 p.m. game tonight at American Family Field.

The three-game series continues Tuesday and Wednesday.

Packers’ schedule has

‘in your face’ feel to it

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When the NFL releases the Packers’ schedule each spring the “must see” list of opponents, sites, dates and times truly satisfies just one entity: Fans’ curiosity.

Everything else remains a mystery.

What really matters – the wins, losses and ties – is anyone’s best guess. But that doesn’t curb fans’ enthusiasm when it comes to scribbling in a W, L or T next to each week’s game.

In some cases it’s based on how fans think it’ll play out. In most cases, it’s all about how they “hope” it’ll play out.

Well here goes my best guess as to how it plays out:

** The Packers better be ready at the outset. Their reward for not hosting a Week 1 season-opener since before Matt LaFleur became the coach in 2019 is that they get two at home to start.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s against the defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions. The worse news is that the Lions game is followed by a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Washington Commanders.

The Lions and Commanders appear to be two of the top teams in the NFC, if not the NFL, this season. It’ll be interesting to gauge the Packers’ progress early on against two top-tier teams.

Jared Goff and Jayden Daniels are coming off tremendous seasons, so it’ll be a great test for Packers’ second-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.

If the Packers lose both and start 0-2 it won’t be a disaster – major injuries notwithstanding – because there are 15 to go.

Frankly, I don’t see the Packers losing both games. In fact, I’m closer to thinking they’ll be 2-0 than 0-2 for several reasons.

Jordan Love is healthy. The Packers’ defense was pretty good last season and should be even better in Year 2 under Hafley. And Green Bay’s running game is a force to be reckoned with.

While the passing game may take time to sort out early in the season, there’s not much mystery involved in handing off to Josh Jacobs and watching him bowl over would-be tacklers.

The Green Bay running game should put the Lions back on their cleats. Detroit lost both its coordinators to head coaching jobs, so they must’ve been pretty good. If the Lions are going to have any miscues they’re more likely to occur sooner than later.

** The Packers follow it up with a pair of road games at Cleveland and at Dallas. Neither the Browns nor the Cowboys should scare Packers’ fans, but anything can happen.

Then the Packers have the bye to sort out the first four games and prepare for an interesting next four games: Cincinnati at home, at Arizona and at Pittsburgh, and back home for Carolina.

The Bengals and Joe Burrow are looking to rebound after an injury-plagued 2024. They’ll be feisty and explosive. Road games against the Cardinals and Steelers should be good tests, and the possibility that Aaron Rodges will be at quarterback for Pittsburgh adds a tremendous amount of spice.

The Panthers provide an opportunity for Green Bay to start 6-2 with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles up next.

The Packers host the Eagles on Monday, Nov. 10, in front of what should be an ultra-charged up crowd. The trouble is the Eagles look unbeatable until further notice.

Nevertheless, a 6-3 start isn’t all bad, especially when it’s followed up by the woeful Giants at the Meadowlands. That shapes up to a 6-3 start with division games against the Vikings at Lambeau Field and the Lions at Detroit for Thanksgiving.

So I’ve got Green Bay at 8-4 through 12.

The next three games will be fun. It’s Bears here, Broncos there and Bears there for what could be a nice three-game win streak. That would push the Packers to 11-4 with two to play.

They host the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry either Dec. 27 or Dec.28. Then they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings Jan. 3 or Jan. 4 to wrap up the regular season.

That would get the Packers to 12-5 and into the playoffs. The thing is the Lions are so good that it still may not be good enough to win the NFC North.

On the other hand, given the NFL’s fifth-hardest schedule I’ve got to believe most Packers’ fans would take 12-5 right now with no questions asked.

The Packers’ projected win total is over/under 9.5 games. Given the fact that Las Vegas odds-makers are pretty darn good at setting lines, and my 12-5 includes some home cooking, I suspect the Packers will be 11-6.

It’s the same record as 2024 but with one significant difference: This year’s 11-6 has the Packers beating the Lions, Commanders and Vikings – and I wouldn’t rule out knocking off the Eagles at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football.

Let the games begin.

‘Salvage Sunday’ sees

Brewers find 4-2 gem

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – “Salvage Sundays” are fast-becoming one of those “good news, bad news,” paradoxes for the Brewers.

The good news is Milwaukee avoided being swept by winning its third straight “Salvage Sunday,” a well-played 4-2 victory over the Rays at Tampa’s George Steinbrenner Field.

The bad news is Milwaukee has needed to win each of its last three “Salvage Sunday” games to keep from, well, being swept.

It began on Sunday, April 27, when the Brewers defeated St. Louis 7-1 following Friday and Saturday losses of 3-2 and 6-5. It continued on Sunday, May 4, when they blanked the Cubs 4-0 after losses of 8-0, 10-0 and 6-2 to Chicago entering the day.

As team promotions go, I can’t imagine the Brewers would like to make “Salvage Sunday” a permanent thing, although I can imagine it now.

Queue up the music.

A jam-packed American Family Field rocking out in the bottom of the ninth to “The Streetbeater” by Quincy Jones … aka the theme song for the 1970s TV show, “Sanford and Son.”

Hey, whatever it takes to win, right?

This Mother’s Day it took Christian Yelich and William Contreras hitting back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to give the Brewers a two-run cushion in what had been a 2-2 tie.

Yelich swatted his seventh home run of the season while wielding a pink Louisville Slugger with his mother’s name, Alecia, etched on the barrel.

A beat writer noticed the name “Alecia Yelich” on the bat, and Yelich explained that the reasoning was twofold. First, he said equipment manager Jason Shawger came up with the idea, and second, with the way he’s been hitting “what’s there to lose?”

Yelich’s “swing for the fences” mindset served him well.

MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy relayed the story Yelich spun in 2019 when he explained that he wanted to quit baseball at the ripe old age of 7 after being hit by pitches in three or four straight games. When his mother went to get him for his next game, she found him in his bedroom, standing arms folded, with his baseball uniform still on the dresser.

Nevertheless, Alecia convinced her son to play.

“It’s a good lesson about what can happen if you stick with something,” Yelich said. “It doesn’t all come easy. I’m thankful that she made me finish out my commitment, basically. That’s the biggest message: Don’t quit. I think about it sometimes, and I don’t know what I would be doing if I didn’t get in that car.”

Yelich went 2-for-4 with a single and a stolen base that put him in scoring position for Rhys Hoskins, who plated him earlier in the game. Hoskins said he was honoring his wife, who he said is “a tremendous mom” to their baby girl. He also said it’s a tribute to his mother, who has passed away.

Perhaps manager Pat Murphy needs to instill the mindset that so many husbands in successful marriages discovered long ago: Treat every day as if it were Mother’s Day.

Contreras’ home run wasn’t gift wrapped with a wonderful story, but it did provide a most happy ending.

It was the All-Star catcher’s first extra-base hit in 23 games, dating all the way back to the April 11-13 series at Arizona.

Brice Turang spearheaded the Brewers’ defense with several stellar plays, including a leaping grab of a line drive to end a seventh-inning threat.

Joel Payamps pitched a clean eighth for his eighth scoreless outing in his last nine appearances, and Trevor Megill earned the save after allowing a leadoff single but nothing else.

“That’s the team we have to be,” Murphy told reporters after the game. “Offensively, they’re not quite there, but hopefully getting off the schneid and winning one of these games like this will catapult us into playing better baseball.”

Yelich agreed with his manager’s assessment.

“I think that’s what we have to do if we want to be a good team,” Yelich said. “I think it’s shown up at times this year, it just hasn’t shown up as consistently as we would like. You just have to keep striving to get there and have it all click.”

The Brewers (20-21) trail the Cubs (23-18) by three games in the National League Central. The red-hot St. Louis Cardinals (22-19) have won eight straight to move into second place.

Help is on the way for Milwaukee in the form of Brandon Woodruff, who completed his final rehab start at Triple-A Nashville on Sunday. He threw 39 pitches (28 for strikes) while allowing a run on two singles with no walks and three strikeouts.

Woodruff’s fastball topped out at 93 mph, which is down a tick from his previous start, although Murphy didn’t seem overly concerned about the slight drop in velocity.

“I didn’t hear anything (about Woodruff’s start),” Murphy told reporters after the game. “But I saw the line and I saw the number of pitches. I didn’t hear much (regarding velocity), but when it’s in the pitcher’s mind that this is going to be a lower-volume day, that can affect you, too.”

Woodruff will be activated by Tuesday.

The Brewers haven’t announced when he will make his return, but reports speculate that it could be Saturday against the Twins at American Family Field.

“We could have put him in the rotation sooner, but he felt like he needed another outing, lighter,” Brewers GM Matt Arnold told reporters. “He just doesn’t want to go back on the IL. So that was the big thing.

“The other thing that I think was a factor there is him being able to make his start back at home. Just having the emotion tied to that rather than having him coming back in Cleveland – I think he wants to do that in front of the home crowd.”

Indeed, Saturday’s game is already a big attraction because the team is giving away Racing Sausage-themed cribbage boards to the first 25,000 fans through the turnstiles.

As team promotions go, giving away Racing Sausage-themed cribbage boards is tough to top.

It’s undoubtedly a step up from “Salvage Sundays” although the “Sanford and Son” theme song is still pretty darn cool.

Woodruff may rejoin Brewers this weekend

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brandon Woodruff’s return is just days away, and after watching Brewers manager Pat Murphy need 10 different pitchers to cover 38 starts it can’t come soon enough.

Milwaukee (19-19) has been able to tread water despite Woodruff’s notable absence.

Freddy Peralta (4-2) has pitched like the staff’s ace.

Tobias Myers (1-0) looked much better in his third start since returning from injury. Chad Patrick (2-3) has parlayed opportunity into a spot in the rotation until further notice.

Jose Quintana (4-1) has been a godsend. The left-hander will start Friday night’s opener of Milwaukee’s three-game weekend series against the Rays at Tampa’s George Steinbrenner Field.

That still leaves room for two more starters.

Quinn Priester (1-1) and Tyler Alexander (1-3) provide a decent righty-lefty long-relief tandem out of the bullpen. They also are adequate spot starters, but less-than-ideal in the regular rotation.

With that in mind, I went to the Brewers’ “Latest injuries and transactions” page out of habit. My daily routine became a high tight fastball upon seeing “Freddy Peralta” atop the list.

“Groin tightness” … “Day-to-day” … Threw on flat ground Wednesday and told MLB.com that he “expects to make his next start, perhaps on one extra day of rest.”

Whoa! That was close.

I couldn’t get back to Woodruff’s injury update, as well as that of Aaron Civale, soon enough.

Woodruff, an overpowering right-handed starter, has spent the past 18 months in rehab following capsular repair surgery. He hasn’t thrown an MLB pitch since 2023, but looks ready to go.

At Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, he threw 83 pitches (60 strikes) in five innings while allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts.

Woodruff would be eligible to travel with the big league club to Tampa and perhaps start the series finale on Sunday. Milwaukee has yet to name a probable starter against Rays’ right-hander Drew Rasmussen (1-3, 3.09 ERA).

“The Big Woo” just might get the start.

It also is possible that Murphy may go with an opener, or Alexander, or some other variation. In that case, Woodruff would be a likely starter to open the Cleveland series Monday.

“We’re navigating that right now,” Murphy told MLB.com earlier this week. “We’re trying to get all boats in the same harbor, and then we’ll make a final decision.”

Civale (0-1) pitched in the fateful Brewers-Yankees season-opening series but exited with a left hamstring injury. He went on the IL March 31 and is expected to return by early June.

Aaron Ashby, a left-handed reliever, suffered a right oblique strain and went on the IL March 27. He also is expected to be back on the big-league roster by early June.

Veteran left-hander Nestor Cortes (1-1) has been moved to the 60-day IL and his projected return is “after the All-Star break.”

Meantime, Sal Frelick (left knee discomfort) worked in the batting cage on Wednesday and is listed as day-to-day. That’s great news considering Garrett Mitchell (left oblique tightness) and Blake Perkins (fractured left shin) also are on the IL.

Both Mitchell and Perkins are expected to return by early June.

The best news of all, certainly, is that Peralta’s injury is merely groin tightness. Nevertheless, I’ve got to believe Brewers’ fans don’t want their ace being put at any unnecessary risk. If he needs to skip a day, or even a start, that’s Ok by them.

That’s why Woodruff’s imminent return is so critical.

He hit 94.4 mph on the clock in Tuesday’s start. He spent expanded time in the TV booth one night during the Brewers’ most recent home stand, and was very candid about his return.

He said fans shouldn’t expect to see the same pitcher in terms of style, repertoire or velocity. However, he was adamant that he still knows how to pitch, and to command the strike zone, and that he trusts his stuff.

For his part, Murphy has been in-tune with Woodruff’s progress.

He has been doing his own homework in terms of watching video of each Minor League outing of Woodruff’s, according to MLB.com. He also wrote a scouting report after viewing Woodruff’s previous start with the Timber Rattlers April 30.

“If you didn’t know who he was, you’d say, ‘Wow, he needs to do this better,’ or, ‘He needs to do that. Wow, that isn’t very consistent. Oh, that’s not competitive,’ ” Murphy said. “But if you know Woody, you know the big stage is going to affect him in a positive way. So there’s a lot to be encouraged about.”

Meantime, Murphy has to continue to jerry-rig his rotation, rely heavily on his bullpen, and hope that William Contreras’ fracture on his middle left finger doesn’t curtail his swing, and the rest of the Brewers’ bats wake up beginning this weekend.

“I’m going to be excited the day (Woodruff’s) here,” Murphy said. “I think everybody in the stadium and everybody in the organization, especially anybody that’s played with him before, you anticipate that excitement.

“But until that happens, you don’t let your mind go there too long.”

It’s a luxury the Brewers can’t afford right now.

The NL Central standings are beginning to resemble the preseason prediction leading into LAST SEASON.

The Cubs (22-16) sit atop the division with a three-game lead over the Reds (19-19), the Brewers (19-19) and the Cardinals (19-19), with the Pirates (12-26) bringing up the rear.

Quintana will start versus the Rays’ Zack Littell (2-5, 4.61 ERA) on Friday night with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. Myers will tangle with Taj Bradley (3-2, 4.73) in Saturday’s 3:10 p.m. game and TBD will go against Rasmussen on Sunday.

Brewers salvage a win

with Astros coming in

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Cubs won two of three against the Brewers in their weekend series at American Family Field.

Nevertheless, it felt no worse than a draw for the home team. That’s because the Brewers won the finale, and the Cubs lost that game AND their best pitcher in the process.

Cubs’ and Brewers’ fans were dealt a pair of aces – Shota Imanaga vs. Freddy Peralta – but Milwaukee put up a “four spot” in the sixth to hold the winning hand.

The Brewers’ 4-0 victory was keyed by Peralta’s brilliance, Christian Yelich’s all-out hustle and Daz Cameron’s timely hit.

Daz, 28, is the son of ex-Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron, a three-time Gold Glove winner and All-Star who helped Milwaukee put an end to its 26-year playoff drought in 2008.

Daz was called up last week when outfielder Garrett Mitchell went on the IL. He hoped to get the start against the left-handed Imanaga, but Sal Frelick (who was obliterating lefties) got the nod. When Frelick suffered a knee injury in the fourth inning, Cameron entered and dazzled.

After five scoreless, Jackson Chourio singled off Imanaga to open the sixth. Isaac Collins popped out, but William Contreras walked and Chourio moved up to second.

That’s when Yelich hit into a fielder’s choice but sprinted to first base to beat the throw and avoid the double-play.

In the process, Imanaga leapt off the mound to make a play, but landed awkwardly on his leg. Chourio advanced to third, Yelich was safe at first and Imanaga limped to the dugout.

Chicago right-hander Julian Merryweather replaced Imanaga, but he promptly threw a wild pitch allowing Chourio to score and Yelich to go to second. After intentionally walking Rhys Hoskins, Cameron singled to drive in Yelich and make it 2-0.

Hoskins went to third on the play, and after Cameron swiped second, rookie Caleb Durbin delivered the knockout blow: A two-run double to make it 4-0.

Peralta (4-2) and the bullpen went on to complete the shutout.

“I’m really proud of our ball club to respond the way we did,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak during which Milwaukee was outscored 24-2. The Cubs’ Ben Brown and Jameson Taillon handcuffed the Brewers’ lineup in the first two games, a 10-0 rout and a 6-2 setback.

Peralta (4-2) returned the favor by curtailing the Cubs. He threw six shutout innings while allowing four hits and a walk to go with his seven strikeouts.

Peralta now has 997 strikeouts in his career, trailing only Yovanni Gallardo (1,226), Ben Sheets (1,206) and Teddy Higuera (1,081) in franchise history.

Imanaga (3-2) pitched 5 2/3 while allowing four hits, one walk and four strikeouts before departing with the injury.

After starting 0-for-4 with a walk in his first week with the Brewers, Cameron delivered the big two-out hit in the sixth.

Cameron’s single and stolen base were critical in Milwaukee’s sixth-inning uprising. Durbin, who has played with Cameron in the minors, wasn’t the least bit surprised.

“Daz hasn’t got to play a ton, but we know what type of player he is,” Durbin said. “There’s a lot of confidence there when he’s up at the plate. With two outs, that was a big hit for him.”

Peralta enjoyed the view from the first base dugout.

“You saw how the energy came in that inning,” he said. “It was awesome. I’m happy to get some runs.”

Peralta praised Yelich for hustling down the first-base line.

“Since I got here this morning, I knew the importance of this game for this team, for me and the guys,” he said. “We were going to do what we had to do to get a win and turn the page.”

The Brewers dodged what would have been their third four-game losing streak this season. Milwaukee’s longest losing streak last season was three games.

The Cubs (21-14) hold a three-game lead on the Reds (18-17) in the division. The Brewers (17-18) are four games back.

The Brewers are going to need more strong play from Cameron given that Frelick underwent an MRI Sunday night to determine the injury’s severity. The Brewers already are without Mitchell and outfielder Blake Perkins.

Cameron was acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles and had been killing it at Triple-A Nashville, where he belted six home runs in 11 games before being called up to the big club.

His father doesn’t plan to stick around for the Brewers’ upcoming three-game home series against the Astros, though. He doesn’t need to be looking over his son’s shoulder.

“I try to be low-key when I go to places to see him play, but this is a little more special because I actually played here,” Mike Cameron said. “He got a chance to run around on the field when he was here at 12 years old, so it’s definitely a unique experience.”

Daz co-signed on that.

“It was exciting that he’s here,” he said of his father. “Now that I’m seeing all the kids here (in the clubhouse) it’s bringing back a lot of memories.”

While the Cubs return to Wrigley Field for a three-game set with the San Francisco Giants, the Brewers will host the Houston Astros for three before heading out on the road.

Tobias Myers (0-0, 5.14) will start Monday night against Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco (2-2, 5.08) with first pitch set for 6:40 at American Family Field.

On Tuesday night it will be the Astros’ Hayden Wesneski (1-2, 3.86) versus the Brewers’ Chad Patrick (1-3, 2.87). In Wednesday’s 12:10 p.m. “getaway” game it will be the Astros’ Framber Valdez (1-4.439) against Quinn Priester (1-0, 5.79).Bottom of Form

Brewers back to .500;

Cubs waiting on deck

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It feels like Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy and his resourceful Brewers have dealt with enough adversity through April to cover an entire season.

If only that were true because, as they say, it’s a long season.

At 16-16, the Brewers managed to survive what felt like the longest four games and a month of Murphy’s entire career.

Some Brewers’ fans are disappointed with the .500 record, and harken back to Milwaukee’s 20-12 mark and first-place perch atop the NL Central standings at this point last season.

Those fans need to be reminded of another old saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

The 2024 season was special unto itself.

Enjoy the memories.

The Brewers finished 93-69 to win the NL Central. Their longest losing streak was three games. They started 4-0. They never fell below .500. The farthest they trailed in the division standings at any point was a measly two games on April 8.

In 2025 they started 0-4, trailed the Chicago Cubs by four games in the division standings as recently as six days ago, and have absorbed not one but two four-game losing streaks.

Centerfielders Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins are on the IL, in addition to six pitchers who figured into the starting rotation.

One shudders to think what might be if Jose Quintana wasn’t signed, Abner Uribe didn’t develop a slider and Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins hadn’t delivered.

Baseball’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and given all the extenuating circumstances, it could be a whole lot uglier.

Quintana, 36, has been a godsend. The veteran left-hander signed late, promptly got into pitching shape, and proceeded to go 4-0 with a dazzling 1.14 ERA. He has allowed just three runs and eight walks while striking out 15 in 23 2/3 innings.

Rookie Chad Patrick (1-3) has made seven appearances, including six starts, while pitching to a terrific 2.87 ERA. He has covered 31 1/3 innings while surrendering 29 hits and 11 walks to go with his 26 strikeouts.

Patrick pitched into the sixth inning of a hard-luck 8-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. He allowed six hits and three runs with no walks and four strikeouts.

The trouble was the Brewers were shutout for the first time all season, leaving the Boston Red Sox as the last “shutout free” team in all of baseball. White Sox opening-day starter Sean Burke allowed just two hits and the bullpen was brilliant.

Milwaukee had its chance to blow the game open in the top of the first inning when Burke walked the bases loaded and hung a 0-2 curveball to Rhys Hoskins with two out. Hoskins promptly drilled it to the deepest part of the park, but centerfielder Luis Roberts, Jr. reached over the fence to steal a grand slam.

“It turns out to be a game-changer when it happens like that,” Murphy said.

Patrick threw a career-high 102 pitches and wriggled off the hook multiple times, but still took the loss for his trouble.

“He was outstanding,” Murphy told reporters afterward. “I thought he helped us a bunch. Our bullpen was depleted today, obviously, and it was crucial that he went deep, and he did. Any adversity he had, he fought through. The line won’t look as good as he pitched. He pitched really well.”

Before Wednesday’s night game – a 7-2 win – Murphy was asked about Milwaukee’s third-place position in the standings.

Murphy didn’t take the bait and reach for the silver lining.

He spoke the truth.

“The only standings that matter to me is we’re .500, and if you’re going to be a team that plays beyond the end of the season, you can’t be .500,” he said. “But you don’t look at it now. You just say, ‘Hey, we got work to do.’ ”

The Brewers’ list of chores begins with the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs and manager Craig Counsell, who visit American Family Field for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday.

The Cubs (19-13) lead the Reds (17-15) by two games in the division. Milwaukee sits just three back despite its travails.

“It’s a testament to this team that they stood up and won some games,” Murphy said. “That’s a positive. There’s been a lot of guys getting chances that wouldn’t have gotten chances that, all of a sudden, are stepping up and making themselves noticed.

“There’s a lot of good. But as the manager, you’re always thinking like, ‘How can we get this guy better? How can we do this? It doesn’t get any easier, because there are no bad teams, and there’s no mercy in this game. ‘Oh, poor them, they got hurt. Oh, they had West Coast trips.

“Oh, poor them,” he continued. “That’s not a thing. Everybody’s trying to step on your throat.”

That’s definitely the case, and especially so when the opponent is your arch rival who happens to be managed by your former manager. The bad blood easily spans the 90 miles that separate Chicago and Milwaukee, and it’s safe to say there will be an unseemly number of Cubs jerseys in the stands this weekend.

Whether the Brewers sweep the Cubs to claim first place, or get swept and fall six games back, it’s not the end of the season.

Nevertheless, this Cubs-Brewers series has a season-opener feel to it. The Brewers are back to sea level. It’s a whole new season. They’ve got 130 games to go with plenty of help on the way.

Tobias Myers has been up and down – as is to be expected – in his two starts since coming off the IL. He’ll be OK.

Brandon Woodruff’s return to the starting rotation is imminent. He logged another successful rehab start with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and is poised to return before May 11.

Right-hander Aaron Civale and left-hander Aaron Ashby also are on track to return this month. That’s a whole lot of pitching prowess to be adding 32 games into a season.

Meantime, Quinn Priester (1-0, 3.79 ERA) has been invaluable. Priester will get the start against hard-throwing right-hander Ben Brown (2-2, 6.04 ERA) in Friday night’s opener. According to Brewers’ Extra Innings podcast host Dominic Cotroneo, don’t be fooled by Brown’s hefty ERA.

“He has been pitching really well for the Cubs,” Cotroneo said Thursday afternoon on Sports Line. “He’s a tough customer.”

Brown has fanned 31 in just 25 1/3 innings while walking 14. If the Brewers can catch up to his upper 90s fastball, or be patient enough to work walks, they should be in decent shape.

Veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon (1-1, 4.01) gets Saturday’s start for the Cubs. He’ll be opposed by Quintana. On Sunday, it’ll be an “Ace Off” between the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga (3-1, 2.77) and the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta (3-2, 2.52) in the 1:10 p.m. series finale.

Interestingly, the Cubs (44 stolen bases) and the Brewers (40 steals) rank first and second in steals in all of baseball. For the Brewers it’s part and parcel of their offensive attack.

For the Cubs, who had a rare 40-40 April as a team (40 home runs, 40 stolen bases), it’s a reflection of having an ungodly amount of baserunners through 32 games. It’s also a byproduct of adding former Brewers first-base coach Quintin Berry to their staff. Berry, who coaches third base for the Cubs, is an excellent instructor in the art of base stealing and it shows.

A series win for the Brewers would mean a 2-1 or 3-0 start to their “second season.”

Whatever the outcome, it’ll be interesting to see how the Brewers handle going nose-to-nose with Counsell’s new crew.

Packers add speed off

edge, talent at WR/OL

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jeff Hafley kept the Packers in just about every game last season from the opener in Sau Paulo, Brazil, to the season finale in the NFC wild-card playoffs.

The first-year coordinator successfully worked around the lack of a dynamic pass rusher – in particular one with speed off the edge – by deploying pre-snap chicanery and an array of blitzes.

It wasn’t enough.

The Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Week 1 was one timely sack, or one huge offensive play, away from becoming a win. In their bitter 22-10 playoff loss at Philadelphia it was much the same despite being overpowered in the trenches.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spent too many postgame news conferences crediting the other team and bemoaning his own offense’s sloppiness and inability to make enough plays.

It should come as no surprise that’s precisely the two areas Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst addressed in a variety of ways during the 2025 NFL Draft.

The retooling began with the Packers’ receiving corp.

What developed into a dynamic unit in 2023 devolved into an ineffective mess by the time last season came to a merciful end.

It continued with the inescapable reality that the Packers’ offensive line was bullied by the Lions, Vikings and Eagles not once, not twice, but six times in 18 games last season.

It’s no coincidence the Packers lost each of those games, creating a gap between the NFC’s elite and Green Bay.

When Josh Myers was unavailable against Detroit in their first meeting, Elgton Jenkins moved to center and it was a disaster. When Jenkins got injured at Philly in the playoffs the left guard position became a turnstile the Eagles exploited easily and often.

Imagine what Hafley’s defense could be if afforded the luxury of occasionally playing with a lead, or being able to deploy speed rushers off the edge to seal the deal.

Unfortunately, we could only imagine … until now, perhaps.

The Packers’ draft proved Gutekunst recognized the team’s weaknesses and systematically moved to shore them up.

It also focused on ways to amplify two of the team’s strengths:

** LaFleur’s exceptional play-calling ability: What good is it if the receivers can’t beat DBs off play-action? Or the quarterback can’t drop two steps before being in fear of being dropped?

** Jordan Love’s ability to lead an offense, run the plays as called and deliver accurate throws was mitigated by his own nagging injuries and the receivers’ inability to get up to speed.

The running game was terrific last season, which proved LaFleur isn’t just a one-trick passing fancy. He knows how to install, coach and utilize a top-flight run game. It’s all the more impressive that he did so with a hit-and-miss passing attack.

The Packers hope the draft does much to correct that situation.

That’s because they have an even bigger, more athletic O-line, tight ends with another year of seasoning, and two new receivers whose speed can scare the bejesus out of defenses.

It’s why Gutekunst couldn’t pass on the chance to select Texas receiver Matthew Golden with the 23^rd overall pick. It’s also why he went with TCU receiver Savion Williams (6-5, 225) in the third round.

LaFleur wholeheartedly endorsed the picks.

“Obviously Golden ran what he ran,” LaFleur said post-draft. “Any time a guy is breaking sub-4.3s, you he’s legitimately fast. I think what’s so attractive about a guy like Golden is not only is he fast, but he’s got, I’d say elite hands.

“And then Savion, I can’t remember exactly, mid-4.4s, 4.47 or something like that, but he did it three weeks after coming off an injury or three weeks of training. What his true speed is, I don’t think we truly know.”

LaFleur and Hafley can commiserate in two ways: LaFleur would call a terrific play-action pass only to see Love running for his life, or the receiver dropping a pass despite being open. The addition of Aaron Banks (6-5, 324) in free agency and North Carolina State’s Anthony Belton (6-6, 335) in the second round gives the Packers more size and strength in the O-line. In addition, Jenkins (6-5, 311) is more powerful and athletic than Myers. Jenkins struggles at center against the Lions were mostly due to his lack of playing time there and Detroit’s strong front.

Packers’ VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan put it in context after Green Bay chose Belton with the 54^th pick.

“I think if you look at some of the teams – whether you’re talking about the NFC North or you’re just talking about the NFC in general as you get into the playoffs – some of the defensive fronts that you face, I think you’ve got to have guys that can hold up,” Sullivan said.

“We look for guys that can play big-man ball and sustain versus power and do those kinds of things. If you don’t have that eventually you’re going to succumb to … powerful, big fronts, especially the deeper you go into the playoffs. You’ve got to be able to handle that.”

In Hafley’s case he would dial up a play to get his edge rushers single-blocked, only to watch them get stoned repeatedly.

The Packers didn’t address the edge position in free agency, but they definitely fired several darts at the board during the draft.

Texas edge rusher Barryn Sorrell is a fourth-round selection that shouldn’t be underestimated. Sorrell is the rare player who stayed at one school, improved each year and became a leader.

Sorrell was one of four Southeastern Conference players with at least 400 snaps at defensive end and 100 snaps at defensive tackle. He bench pressed 225 pounds 28 times at the combine.

Sorrell (6-4, 260) is plenty strong. He also is a high achiever and natural leader. He improved his pressure rate every season since 2022 and ranked ninth in the SEC last season.

Furthermore, he is a highly emotional, sensitive man who cares deeply about his profession, his coaches and his teammates. Just ask anyone who coached or played with him at Texas.

Collin Oliver, the Packers’ fifth-round pick at No. 159, isn’t ideal in terms of preferred measurable in a 4-3 scheme. However, Oliver’s skill set is unique. He possesses 4.56 speed which means he could contribute on special teams.

He also showed enough pass rush ability at Oklahoma State to induce the Packers to draft him. According to the Packers he will start his career “as a situational pass rusher.”

The Packers added Georgia’s big-bodied defensive tackle, Warren Brinson, in the sixth round at No. 198.

Brinson becomes the fifth defensive player from Georgia to be selected by Gutekunst since corner Eric Stokes in 2021. At 6-4, 310, he will get an opportunity to replace T.J. Slaton, who departed for Cincinnati in free agency.

Cornerback Micah Robinson out of Tulane was the first of two seventh-round picks by Green Bay. He has good size (6-0, 184) for the position and will need to develop into a reliable special teams player to stick on the 53-man roster.

The Packers landed Cincinnati offensive tackle John Williams with the 250^th pick. Williams (6-5, 320) played left tackle for the Bearcats, but some project he’ll slide to guard in the NFL.

Packers go with Texas WR Golden at No. 23

By Chris Havel

Special to The FAN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Much was made of the fact that the Packers entered the 2025 NFL Draft without having selected a receiver in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002.

More to the point is that the Packers came into the draft without having selected a receiver, period, in three of the past six.

That changed dramatically when the Packers used the 23^rd pick to land a lightning bolt by the name of Matthew Golden.

A crowd in excess of 205,000 – the vast majority of which were Packers fans – was energized the instant Mark Murphy began announcing the pick by saying, “For the first time since 2002…”

The crowd was delirious.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst admitted the selection of Golden, a speedster who starred at Texas, drew an even greater response than he could have imagined.

“I really sent in a different name, but Mark just announced what he announced,” Gutekunst joked. “I didn’t think about any of that until he got up there and you kind of saw the crowd; they’re all Green Bay fans. You heard the chants and all that stuff.

“It was really cool … It was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty neat.’ ”

Golden, the third receiver taken in the draft, was chosen after the Panthers took Arizona’s Tet McMillan at No. 8 and the Buccaneers took Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka at No. 19.

Gutekunst fielded trade offers during Green Bay’s 10 minutes on the clock, but he said Golden was too good to pass up.

Golden brings 4.29-second speed in the 40-yard dash, excellent hands and the ability to haul in contested catches.

The 5-11, 191-pound speedster also plays much bigger than his height and weight might suggest. He caught 134 passes for 1,975 yards and 22 touchdowns in three college seasons at Houston and Texas. Last year he caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns in his one season with the Longhorns.

In my pre-draft column on Wednesday I wrote:

“Golden projects as a “go-to” receiver by the time his second season rolls around.

“That would fit nicely with the Packers’ situation at receiver, which includes Romeo Doubs’ possible departure after this season, and Christian Watson’s injury-clouded career.

“I wouldn’t love the selection, but rest assured, I’d be among the first to say, “Wow!” when Golden sprints beneath a Jordan Love bomb and coasts into the end zone.

“He’s that fast.”

By the time the Packers were on the clock Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen (No. 16 to Arizona), Texas A&M edge Shemar Stewart (No. 17 to Cincinnati) and Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (No. 21 to Pittsburgh) were all gone.

I also liked Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons (No. 32 to Kansas City) and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson (undrafted so far). Simmons and Johnson are coming off injuries, and it appears Gutekunst had medical concerns or simply preferred Golden to either of them.

Ultimately, I thought Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston (No. 30 to Buffalo) would be the Packers’ pick at No. 23. It’s no secret the Packers will be on the lookout for a Day 2 cornerback.

Louisville’s Quincy Riley is my preferred Day 2 pick at corner. Riley had 15 interceptions in 55 career games at Middle Tennessee and Louisville. He also had 39 pass breakups.

The NFC North is chock full of terrific receivers such as the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and the Bears’ D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze.

The Packers need another high-end corner if they expect to adequately defend that group.

Guess what else the Packers need in this situation?

They need a big-play receiver who can put points on the board in the event division games turn into shootouts.

History tells us as much.

Ron Wolf, the Packers’ Hall of Fame general manager, selected defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday with the 19^th pick in 1998. Two picks later the Vikings drafted an incredible Hall of Fame receiver by the name of Randy Moss.

Wolf spent the next several drafts trying to land corners and safeties with the speed and ability to cover Moss. In hindsight, he could’ve solved the problem by simply drafting Moss.

“I know Ron talked a lot about being mad he didn’t take Randy Moss, you know what I mean?” Gutekunst revealed Thursday.

Now, the Packers won’t have to draft defensive backs for the purpose of trying to stop Golden if he’d gone to a division rival.

Golden was asked what makes him a special receiver.

“In critical situations I always showed up,” he said. “When our backs were against the wall, they could count on me to come out with a big play, and that’s something I kept doing continuously. Coming here, that’s definitely the same mindset I’m bringing – to make big plays and come here and win games.”

Golden, who is 21, grew up in Houston.

He seems to have an appreciation for everyone who helped him along his path to the NFL, especially his family. He promised his great-grandmother, upon losing her house a few years ago, that he would make it to the NFL and re-purchase the home.

Consider it done.

He also said he was aware of the Packers’ drought of not taking a receiver in the first round.

“Yeah, it definitely means a lot more,” he said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to go in the first round, and to know that they haven’t picked a receiver since 2002, man, it’s truly a blessing.”

Gutekunst used two words to describe Golden: “Authentic” and “genuine.”

“I just think this kid wants to be great. He wants to win,” the Packers’ GM said. “He’s been chasing this thing. He’s had adversity in his life, and he’s come out the other side of it and the odds were probably stacked against him a little bit.”

Golden said he can’t wait to get to work with Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

“Talented quarterback who can get out of the pocket and make plays; damn sure can throw the ball,” Golden said. “I’m letting him know as soon as I see him, man, you got a reliable target. You can trust me.

“Trust is built over time, going out there and competing and gaining everyone’s trust, what’s where it first starts.”

In Golden’s case, building trust is where it continues. Being selected by the Green Bay Packers is where it all started.

And the Packers, their fans and Golden couldn’t be happier.

I’ll discuss my preferred players in reverse order.

Simmons (6-5, 317) would be a Top 10 pick if not for a knee injury in mid-October that ended his 2024 season. Mock drafts have Simmons being selected anywhere from Arizona with the 16^th pick to Kansas City at 31.

Simmons would be slated to eventually replace left tackle Rasheed Walker, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. It feels like a reach, but Gutekunst knows the value of exceptional offensive line play. Who can forget the way the Eagles’ front seven mauled the Packers in the playoffs?

Some Packers fans may not like this pick, but it is a sensible move and Simmons is projected to be a top NFL starter, which is why I think he’ll be drafted before Green Bay is on the clock.

Johnson, the Michigan corner, was the Defensive MVP of the national championship game in 2023. He has terrific size at 6-2, 200, and a penchant for tackling, jumping routs and making big plays down in, down out.

The problem is Johnson didn’t run at the NFL combine due to a hamstring injury. He may be one of the players in this draft that the Packers – like others – haven’t been able to get enough medical information to make the most informed decision.

Stewart is the Football God’s ideal size, strength and speed candidate to be a top-flight edge rusher in the NFL. That’s the problem, though. Rumors of Stewart’s potential slide to No. 23 are greatly exaggerated.

Stewart won’t be there at 23. If he is the hope is Gutey doesn’t pull a hamstring while celebrating the selection.

Harmon, a 6-5, 313-pound monster at defensive tackle, projects as a first-rate interior pass rusher as well as an adequate run defender. He has drawn favorable comparisons by scouts to the Steelers’ Cameron Heyward, who has merely accumulated 88.5 sacks in 176 career starts during a 14-year run.

Any reluctance to select Harmon by the Packers would have to be solely “injury based” as he is coming off a shoulder injury and may not be available until later in the summer. If Harmon is there, the Packers would be hard-pressed not to select him. But he may be similar to Michigan’s Johnson in that too little medical information could force Gutey to pass.

Mississippi’s Nolen (6-4, 296) is a twitched-up interior hell raiser who wins as a pass rusher with extraordinary athleticism and play strength, according to scouts.

He needs refinement – enter newly hired Packers’ defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington – and a Packers’ defense that is ascending under coordinator Jeff Hafley.

Nolen was a football mercenary in high school and college, hopping from program to program throughout. Some scouts suggest that is an indicator of off-the-field issues. The fact is Nolen wouldn’t be the first really good prospect whose draft status was undercut by rumors and innuendo.

Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant would be a much safer pick than Nolen, which leans into the Packers’ preferred mode of operation. Either would be a welcome addition to Green Bay’s front seven. I’d be happy with either Nolen or Grant, but I just don’t see it sliding that way.

It would be out of character for the Packers to select a receiver in the first round, but that doesn’t preclude it from happening.

Texas receiver Matthew Golden possesses the speed, hands and route-running ability to be a true WR1 at the next level.

He’s 5-11, 191, but whatever he lacks in size – and he plays much bigger than he looks – he makes up for with blistering 4.29-second speed in the 40-yard dash.

Golden was exceptional at coming down with contested catches due to improved physicality and strength in 2024. He projects as a “go-to” receiver by the time his second season rolls around.

That would fit nicely with the Packers’ situation at receiver, which includes Romeo Doubs’ possible departure after this season, and Christian Watson’s injury-clouded career.

I wouldn’t love the selection, but rest assured, I’d be among the first to say, “Wow!” when Golden sprints beneath a Jordan Love bomb and coasts into the end zone. He’s that fast.

Ultimately, though, I believe the Packers will address the cornerback position in light of Jaire Alexander’s injury history and contract status. It appears Gutekunst intends to move on from Alexander after the draft, but with the hope that another team calls with a trade offer in the fourth round or later. At this point, the Packers will take what they can get and move on.

The question is this: “Who do they move on with?”

Nate Hobbs, the free agent acquisition from Las Vegas, will provide consistency, availability and versatility. Carrington Valentine is a starting-caliber perimeter cornerback who may be just a shade behind Keisean Nixon in terms of effectiveness.

Javon Bullard has played the “slot” cornerback in Green Bay while Evan Williams moved in alongside veteran Xavier McKinney at safety.

That still leaves the Packers thin at the cornerback position.

Enter Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston.

Hairston (5-11, 186) runs a 4.28 40-yard dash with a slender build but long arms and exceptional ball skills and athleticism.

NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah is enthralled.

“He’s fluid and he’s fast,” Jeremiah said. “He makes plays on the ball. He was awesome in ‘23 with five picks. If that was this year, this year he’s going to be a top-15 pick.”

Hairston has the athleticism and on-ball talent to become a starter, according to Jeremiah, but he needs to prove he can hold up to the rigors and physicality of the NFL game.

Hairston had six interceptions at Kentucky, including three that he returned for a “pick six.” He has the confidence, demeanor and athletic traits and production to be a wonderful NFL corner.

The Packers would be fortunate to get him at No. 23.

As a fallback plan, should the Packers land a preferred interior defensive lineman or a freak edge rusher at 23, they have good second-round options at cornerback.

I’d have to consider Louisville’s Quincy Riley as a good choice if the Packers drafted elsewhere at 23 or Hairston wasn’t available when they were on the clock.

Riley had 15 interceptions in 55 career games at Middle Tennessee and Louisville. He also had 39 pass breakups.

At 5-11, 194, Riley was a high school sprint champion and clocked a very respectable 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Let the fun, the celebrations and the second-guessing begin.