Brewers-Cardinals Trade Deadline Swap Looks Like a Steal

Aug 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Dustin May (21) celebrates during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brewers-Cardinals Trade Deadline Swap Looks Like a Steal

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 13, 2026 8:33 AM ET

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The Milwaukee Brewers are struggling right now and need to snap out of it if they want to win their fourth straight National League Central title.

Milwaukee was swept throughout the week in a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. Milwaukee had plenty of chances and two of the losses actually were by one run. On Monday, the Brewers lost 3-2. On Wednesday, the Brewers lost 4-3. There were some questionable bullpen decisions and things could've been different.

Right now, the Brewers are 74-47 on the season and their lead in the National League Central has shrunk to three games. The Chicago Cubs on the other hand, have won three straight games and are closing in on Milwaukee. It certainly doesn't make it easier that Milwaukee will kick off a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night as well. The Brewers need to get back on track. That much is known. But with that being said, let's take a brief break from the doom and gloom for a second. While the Brewers aren't playing at their best right now, the organization's trade deadline swap for Dustin May already looks great.

Dustin May Has Been Great

May made his second start as a member of the Brewers on Wednesday and was excellent again.

May pitched seven shut-down innings against one of the hottest teams in baseball and allowed just one earned run while striking out six batters.

Dustin May was a bulldog today, going seven shutout innings and striking out six in the process!

He heavily relied on his cutter, which is a Brewer specialty. pic.twitter.com/xQnY7BHnzo
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 13, 2026

It's hard to ask for much more out of a starter. He came in, shoved, and was the stopper that the rotation needed, but the offense didn't do enough to get the win.

May's first start in a Brewers uniform came on Aug. 6. That day, he pitched six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates while allowing two runs and earning the win.

Dustin May picks up his first win as a Milwaukee Brewer ✅ pic.twitter.com/Qn9kl4vfzu
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 6, 2026

So, now May has two starts under his belt for Milwaukee and has allowed just three runs across 13 innings of work. That's good for a 2.08 ERA. On top of this, he has struck out 11 batters and walked just five.

Two starts is obviously a small sample size, but May has looked like a star. In fact, there's an argument that he has looked like the best starter moved ahead of the deadline. Now, Milwaukee just has to find a way to get the offense going to really reap the rewards of the rotation doing well.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Brewers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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