What’s Behind the Brewers’ Hot Streak?

The Brewers would go on to win the game by a score of 5-2, and the team hasn’t looked the same from then on.

Since that win on May 18, the Brewers are 13-4. The ball club recently rattled off an incredible eight-game winning streak and are winners in nine of their last 10 games.

While Chourio’s home run robbery might be the tangible moment that marked the start of this turnaround, several factors have contributed to getting this ball club back to its winning ways, starting with the Crew’s former MVP getting red hot.

The Offense Goes as Yelich Goes

It’s no coincidence that the Brewers’ hot streak largely coincides with Christian Yelich finding his groove at the plate.

Up until the Brewers visited the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 22, Yelich was struggling mightily at the plate. He was making hard contact now and again, but he was putting the ball on the ground at a 63.7% clip, and it was clear that his timing was off. From Opening Day to May 21, Yelich was slashing .184/.276/.342 for a .600 OPS and a 69 wRC+.

Then, in the top of the first inning in a game against the Pirates on May 22, Yelich hit a first-inning, three-run homer to the opposite field. From then on, he’s looked like a completely different hitter.

It’s obvious that Yelich has his timing back. Over his last 12 games, Yelich is hitting .429 with six homers and 15 RBI. Since May 22, his 1.288 OPS and 257 wRC+ rank second in MLB, and Yelich has the highest wOBA in the sport since that date at .545. He even earned the NL Player of the Week Award in the process.

After recording -0.7 fWAR in his first 48 games, he’s racked up 1.0 fWAR in his most recent 12 games alone. That speaks volumes to just how valuable he’s been for this team. When looking at what’s changed and what’s gone right for this team during this hot stretch, Yelich’s red-hot bat may be the most important factor.

Improved Bottom-of-the-Order Production and Timely Hitting

Yelich isn’t the only one to get things going recently. Early on in the year, the back of Milwaukee’s lineup was a black hole. With the way Brewers’ seven, eight, and nine hitters were struggling, the offense couldn’t build any sort of momentum, and the results were indicative of that.

From Opening Day to May 17, hitters seven through nine in the Brewers’ lineup were batting .189 with a 52 wRC+ and .245 wOBA. Each one of those marks were the worst in baseball over that stretch.

Since that date, however, several hitters have stepped up, feeding off the energy from the hitters at the top of the order.

From May 18 onward, the back of the order is hitting .261 with the fourth-best wRC+ (114) and wOBA (.336) in baseball. Getting production from players outside of their usual stars, most notably Caleb Durbin as of late, is a big reason why this team has been consistently in the win column.

Moreover, the Brewers continuously struggled to produce with runners in scoring position early on in the year. The Brewers were so sound in that department last season, but that success just wasn’t translating to 2025.

Until recently that is.

From Opening Day to May 17, the Brewers were hitting .247 with a .306 wOBA (20th) and 93 wRC+ (22nd) when hitting with runners in scoring position.

Since that date, when hitting with RISP, Milwaukee boasts the fifth-best wRC+ (135) and wOBA (.367) while hitting .300, which is fourth in MLB over that stretch.

At the end of the day, timely hitting is at the heart of any offense’s consistency, but it’s especially true for the Brewers. They might not outslug every opponent they face, but pairing their aggressive baserunning with an ability to produce in key moments is what makes this team so difficult to beat.

Improved Defense and Minimizing Mistakes

Undoubtedly, stellar defense has been at the core of Milwaukee’s success in recent years. It’s no coincidence that the Brewers secured back-to-back division titles in the same years (2023-’24) that they won the National League Team Gold Glove Award.

However, early in the year, the Brewers’ defense didn’t look as crisp as it was a season ago.

A lot of that had to do with the absences of Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell, forcing players like Jake Bauers into left field and Chourio into center, where there were certainly some growing pains. But there were also some uncharacteristic errors by some of Milwaukee’s usually sure-handed infielders.

The Brewers’ defense has been noticeably improved lately, though, and the team’s success has followed suit.

In the outfield, Isaac Collins has flashed some impressive leather in left, racking up +3 OAA and +3 DRS. Chourio, as we saw earlier, is getting much more comfortable in center field with more repetition. And Frelick continues to flash Gold Glove-caliber defense in right field. He already has +4 DRS to go with a league-leading seven outfield assists.

The real storyline though, especially recently, has been the sure-handedness of the Brewers’ infield.

This was perfectly highlighted in one of Quinn Priester’s most recent outings. Back on May 30 against the Phillies, Priester went six innings on just 71 pitches, and of his 18 total outs recorded, 16 came via the ground ball.

Seemingly everything off the bat was gobbled up by Milwaukee’s infield. Of course Priester deserves credit for attacking the zone and executing his pitches, but the way Milwaukee’s defense was playing likely aided Priester’s confidence on the mound as well.

That is just one example of how this team has tightened up in the field. Minimizing their own mistakes while taking advantage of their opponent’s miscues has been foundational to this team’s success dating back to last season, and the Brewers have been doing a lot of that as of late.

There’s been a noticeable shift in energy and confidence in recent weeks when watching this ball club, and one can only wonder how much their improved performance in the field has contributed to that.

Back to the Old Milwaukee Brewers

On top of all that was mentioned, it certainly helps that the pitching staff got some key reinforcements back in the last few weeks with starters Aaron Civale and Jose Quintana along with long-relief man DL Hall.

Likewise, as a result of the offense creating some more separation over this hot stretch, the bullpen hasn’t been nearly as taxed as it was earlier in May, and the starters have a little more breathing room to pitch with.

Everything is connected in the game of baseball, and even when the Brewers were doing some things well early in the year, it just felt like they couldn’t put it all together at the same time.

What we’ve seen from this team over the past two weeks is them putting it all together. Their offense has been improved, the pitching staff continues to perform and hold their own, and we’re seeing what this team is capable of when they’re firing on all cylinders.

They’re playing with a special type of self-confidence right now, and it’s got this ball club back to its winning ways.