4 Takeaways From the Milwaukee Brewers’ Opening Weekend

As Pat Murphy said in his postgame presser, “Pretty early in the season to give you one to remember.”

Before the Brewers kick off their three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, let’s look back on the team’s electric opening series and break down the main takeaways from their matchup with the White Sox.

Jacob Misiorowski May Be the Ace the Brewers Need

The third-youngest Opening Day starter in franchise history, Jacob Misiorowski shined in the season opener on Thursday.

His outing got off to a shaky start, allowing a solo home run to the first batter he faced, Chase Meidroth, but he bounced back immediately by punching out the next three batters he faced.

That was all Misiorowski needed to get settled, as White Sox hitters struggled mightily to do any sort of damage against him from that point forward. Misiorowski allowed just one hit after Meidroth’s homer, ending the outing with 11 punchouts and two total hits allowed across five innings.

Misiorowski racked up a stellar 25 whiffs and ended the afternoon with an elite called strike plus whiff rate (CSW%) of 41.5%. Though he didn’t necessarily fill up the strike zone, he did generate a 34% chase rate and was in a groove for most of the afternoon.

When all was said and done, he became the only Opening Day starter in MLB history with 11 or more strikeouts and two or fewer hits allowed by a pitcher age 23 or younger.

It was a friendly reminder of how much potential he has and how much talent he possess. This type of ace-level upside is exactly what the Brewers’ rotation needs following the departure of Freddy Peralta.

Milwaukee has pitching depth and the arms to get through the grind of 162, but the largest question surrounding this rotation was whether or not they have the top-flight talent to lead the way at the top.

It was only one start, but Misiorowski showed that he is capable of providing that level of production for the Brewers this season.

The Bullpen Should Be Elite

Across 14.2 innings against the White Sox, the Brewers’ bullpen allowed just one run while punching out a whopping 25 White Sox hitters and walking just six. Brewers relievers allowed just seven hits in the series, setting the tone early that this should once again be one of the most lethal relief units in baseball in 2026.

The only run allowed by Milwaukee’s bullpen in the series was a solo home run off of newcomer Jake Woodford on Opening Day in the bottom of the ninth inning by Munetaka Murakami to make it a 14-2 ball game. Outside of that one swing, Brewers relievers were nails.

One of the early standouts in Milwaukee’s ‘pen is Aaron Ashby, who could be one of the most used relievers in MLB this season. Ashby pitched in each of the first two games of the season, going 2.2 innings of hitless, scoreless baseball while striking out six and walking two.

Posting a 36% CSW% on Saturday, Ashby’s stuff was on full display. Though he walked two batters, his stuff was very hard to touch when he was in the zone. That’s been the story for Ashby throughout his young career, but there’s no denying that he has the potential to be a very high-impact relief option for the Crew in 2026.

Expect Ashby to be one of the most deployed relievers on the staff this year, and he will be one of Pat Murphy’s go-to options in high-leverage situations this season.

Speed (Still) Kills

The Brewers led MLB in stolen bases through the first weekend of the season with nine total. The Crew went a flawless 7-for-7 in steal attempts on Saturday, which was tied for the third-most steals in a game in franchise history.

Elite speed and aggressive baserunning have been two essential component’s of the Brewers’ success in recent seasons, and it should continue to be that way in 2026.

In 2024, the Brewers stole a whopping 217 bases, the second most in MLB. Last season, while they still ended up with the second-most steals in the league with 164, they were caught stealing an MLB-leading 53 times.

Quintin Berry, the team’s first base coach from 2021-2024, had a huge influence on the team’s approach on the basepaths in his time with the Brewers. When he left to join the Chicago Cubs’ staff following the 2024 season, his loss was felt throughout the organization.

But Pat Murph has spoken very highly of Spencer Allen, who is in his first season as the Brewers’ first base coach, and how his preparation can help this team get back to elite baserunning efficiency. Of course, it’s early, but that efficiency and aggressiveness on the basepaths were already on full display through the first weekend of the 2026 campaign.

Despite Injuries, the Offense Didn’t Miss a Beat

This may be the most noteworthy takeaway of them all.

Just hours before the 2026 season got underway, the Brewers reported that outfielder Jackson Chourio will begin the year on the injured list with a fracture in his hand that he suffered while gearing up for the World Baseball Classic.

Then, after just one game, first baseman Andrew Vaughn hit the injured list before Saturday’s matchup with a fractured hamate. Vaughn, a key source of power for Milwaukee, is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, and Jake Bauers and Gary Sánchez will handle the bulk of the duties at first base in his absence.

Those are two key bats that Milwaukee will be without for at least the next few weeks, but through the first three games of the season, the offense managed just fine.

The Crew walk away from Opening Weekend leading MLB in runs scored, on-base percentage, and OPS. An incredible feat considering the sudden injuries they were dealt with to begin the season.

Specifically, it was encouraging to see both of Vaughn’s replacements at first base holding their own to begin the year. Sánchez blasted a key two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning of Sunday’s matchup, while Bauers launched a decisive three-run blast in the seventh inning on Opening Day, building upon his red-hot spring.

The Brewers have received plenty of length from the lineup through the first three games of the season, as highlighted by their 35 hits — the second-most in MLB to this point.

Joey Ortiz has gotten off to an encouraging 5-for-11 start, Brice Turang has picked up where he left off from the WBC by already racking up three doubles on the year, and Christian Yelich is 6-for-10 to start his age-34 season with the aforementioned swing that will be remembered come season’s end.

What’s more, in 48 at-bats with runners in scoring position already this season, the Brewers are batting .354 with 26 runs driven in. Like their element of speed, key situational hitting is essential for this offense to be a successful one, and they did an excellent job of capitalizing in crucial moments over the weekend against Chicago.

I’m not here to overreact to one weekend of baseball, but instead give praise to Milwaukee’s offense for showing up despite losing two key members of the lineup card. One of baseball’s peskiest lineups from 2025, the Brewers didn’t miss a beat to start the season and picked up right where they left off from a season ago.