Sometimes, baseball gives you storylines that write themselves. On one hand, you have the Milwaukee Brewers, who you must admit have risen out-of -syllabus. They have the tenth-lowest payroll in baseball yet managed a 14-game winning streak, and it’s the longest in the franchise history! Sure, they ended the streak in a tight 3-2 extra innings with the Reds, but the message was clear —the Brewers are not easy to take down. Then on the other hand, there are the Chicago Cubs.

They are fighting a slump and wearing the badge of “underdogs” like an honor. But this is what Pat Murphy doesn’t seem to buy. “They have All-Stars, MVP candidates, veterans, Gold Glove winners, and world champions,” Murphy said simply. “What don’t they have? They’re not the underdogs. Trust me.”

And well, for Murphy, that’s him being honest, and it’s hard to argue. His team is at 78-45 and owns the best record in the league right now. And the Brewers reached there without the help of superstars.

The Cubs are not a big market team like LA and New York. Athletic had just mentioned that the teams should learn a lesson from Milwaukee. And it makes sense; the team did what they did relying on the players they had — and everyone contributed. That’s key. Along with the fact that Murphy’s front office tactics worked big time. So for him, if anyone is playing the underdog card, it’s Milwaukee — the team that’s punching way above their weight now.

Still, there is something useful about the “chip on your shoulder” approach. And Murphy knows it, as everyone has seen before, how dynasties like Mahomes and the Chiefs manufacture the underdog energy. Meanwhile, Murphy’s statement comes at the thick of what Jed Hoyer, president of the Chicago Cubs, mentioned recently. When he was asked whether he meddles with Craig Counsell’s decision. He said, “I’m going to give an answer that will frustrate people … Hit your best players the most often. (It’s) simple, and it works.” He also mentioned there is a lot of time spent on lineup construction that could be used in the field or somewhere else. Now, whether that’s a dig or not, only Hoyer knows.

Well, between Murphy’s takedown of the Chicago Cubs underdog theory and Hoyer just keeping it simple, things are getting interesting. And as far as the Milwaukee Brewers go, they might not have superstars, but they do have a star! 

Milwaukee Brewers’ hot streak has a “Yelich” reason.

The Milwaukee Brewers are not just winning games; they are steamrolling in MLB. Over the past few months, they have easily become one of the hottest teams. And there is a big reason for it, and it’s the starting rotation. When Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, José Quintana, Jacob Misiorowski, and Brandon Woodruff are all healthy and playing, it changes the dynamic of the game. Hence, the constant wins, the straight 14 wins! Earlier, with injuries, there was inconsistency, but now the pitching staff looks loaded, and they have been the backbone of this turnaround.

However, that is only half the story. The offense has been fully on fire with the surge of Christian Yelich. At 33 years old, he looks like the biggest spark for the team. In his last 49 games, he has slashed. .314/.381/.546 with 12 homers, 44 RBIs, five steals, and 37 runs scored. Now compare that to his stats before. 231/.317/.406 through his first 67 games, and the difference is huge.

The Brewers’ success has gone hand in hand with Yelich’s resurgence. With him struggling, the Milwaukee Brewers sat at 36-31. But since the time he came out strong, they ended up going 38-11. Now they are sitting among baseball’s elite company. Also, what makes them dangerous to the other teams is how balanced they are. The contributions are coming from everyone in the roster, not just Yelich, right?. They are doing everything right; they are playing smart baseball and finding ways to win every night.