MILWAUKEE — (AP) — This was expected to be the season the Milwaukee Brewers finally took a step back after making five playoff appearances over the last six years in Major League Baseball’s smallest market.
It hasn’t happened.
After losing manager Craig Counsell to the rival Chicago Cubs and trading 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles, the Brewers have withstood numerous injuries to build the largest division lead of any team.
Milwaukee has won five straight and leads the NL Central by 11 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, who host the Brewers in a three-game series beginning Tuesday. Manager Pat Murphy says the Brewers are still “in the middle of a fight.”
“If you go back to your corner and look over and look at the scorecard, that doesn’t help you, you know what I mean?” Murphy said. “Go to the corner and put your head down. You know what’s going on. …