Introducing our Master Brewer Leaderboard, watch the home opener with us, and our reactions to Baltimore series

Brewers return home after a series win against the Orioles

It’s a busy day for the Milwaukee Brewers, and it’s a busy day for Crewsing for a Brewsing news too! We’ve got a new pod episode for you, but there’s also much more.

The Brewers return home at 3-3 and will mark 414 day in fitting fashion as they face the St. Louis Cardinals in the home opener later today.

Watch the Brewers home opener with us!

Andrew and I will be watching this game live together (along with a couple of other GSPNers) on Playback, a service we’ve been using for Bucks watch-alongs in recent months. If you’re already a member of our Discord, you can find the room link in there. If you’re not and would like to watch the game with us later, send a screenshot of you listening to the pod or, even better, a screenshot of a 5 star rating and review, and I’ll add you to the Discord. You can send them to @AdamMcGee11 or @BrewersGSPN on Twitter, and I’ll do my best to get you added in time for the 4.14pm CT start.

Master Brewer Leaderboard

Speaking of the Discord, we were asked by the good folks in the Brewers channel there whether we’d have our own version of the Gyro Step Stock Market that tracks Bucks player performance over the course of the season. And so…allow me to introduce the Master Brewer Leaderboard!

We will update the rankings regularly over the course of the season, generally digging in at the end of a series and deciding which players have raised the bar with their play to be worthy of recognition. On some occasions there may be multiple players rewarded, on others there may be none at all. In rare instances, standout play could lead to a double boost. It all should be pretty self explanatory, and at the end of the year we will crown our ongoing leader as the Crewsing for a Brewsing Master Brewer of the Year 2022.

Having previously named Rowdy Tellez and Willy Adames as co-MVPs from a Brewers perspective from the Cubs series, Andrew and I have agreed to carry that recognition over in the form of our first Master Brew points (🍺) of the year.

As for the Orioles series, the three players getting our props are:

Corbin Burnes

After a testing first outing in the season opener, Burnes bounced back in a big way in his second start. The reigning NL Cy Young winner allowed just three hits, one walk and, most importantly, no runs in a seven-inning appearance on Wednesday night that also featured eight strikeouts and a return of the signature control that makes him one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers. With the bats not exactly firing on all cylinders for the Brewers, performances of this caliber are crucial. 🍺

Josh Hader

Staying on the pitching front, Josh Hader took centerstage in clutch moments at Camden Yards as he delivered wins for his team back in his native Maryland. Hader’s task is a simple one when he enters games, and racking up saves on both Tuesday and Wednesday night is evidence of a job well done by him in helping the Brewers to victory. With just one hit and two walks allowed across those games, Hader managed to avoid loading up the bases like some of his bullpen compatriots, and then executed impressively to the relief of everyone watching back in Milwaukee. 🍺

Rowdy Tellez

Sure, the offense is struggling (to nobody’s surprise), but Rowdy Tellez is delivering in a big way for the Crew. Having fallen victim to Craig Counsell’s platoon swap approach in the opening loss to the Orioles, Tellez returned to the lineup for the following two games and proved that against both right-handed or left-handed pitching he’s currently one of the most reliable offensive options the Brewers have. A fielding error created an opening for him to get on base on Tuesday night, and after some nimble footwork saw Tellez vault over an Orioles first baseman, he was ultimately batted in for a crucial run. While on Wednesday, Rowdy delivered a pair of critical doubles that translated to 2Out RBIs and were simply essential in helping the Brewers to a 4-2 win. 🍺

Leaderboard through 6 games

Rowdy Tellez: 🍺 x2

Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, Willy Adames: 🍺

Last but by no means least, we talked through all of the storylines from the Orioles series and emerging trends for the Brewers on the latest episode of the pod. Check it out!