The 2026 Major League Baseball season has seen the Milwaukee Brewers become one of its best teams, and their success is by design. 

Heading into Monday’s slate of games, the Brewers have the second-best record in baseball at 55-33, only behind the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers (59-32). Milwaukee has also won five of its last seven games.

So, what has been the secret to success? Recently, manager Pat Murphy joined Wisconsin Morning News to talk about the level of focus from his players and the commitment to winning despite extraneous circumstances.

There are also levels of adversity that naturally come with a 162-game regular season that must be dealt with, especially when it comes to health. The Brewers have experienced a number of injuries to key players this year, and the health problems have also affected Murphy.

Murphy, 67, recently had back surgery and took no additional time to recover. For him, the battle toward beating his ailment continues.

"Not good," Murphy said with a chuckle when asked how he was feeling. "I was there on Friday and managed on Friday. Saturday and Sunday, I really wasn't there. I was at the stadium, but I wasn't really able to focus and be part of it the way I like to. But yesterday I was back and felt a little better.

"Today I'm feeling worse, but I'm going to go at it again," Murphy added. "I've got a handful of pills in my hand right now for nerve pain and ibuprofen. I've got about everything you can take here that's not a narcotic. I'm just trying to get through it."

Since Murphy’s interview, right-hander Brandon Woodruff is heading back to the Injured List to join a large group of pitchers who are also dealing with injuries at the moment. It has not been an easy year, especially for the Brewers’ arms.

"You do," Murphy said about players taking care of themselves. "There's a lot that goes into it. Again, it's a privileged life for these young men. Very privileged, but it's not easy. Anybody that thinks it is are wrong. 

"To keep this level of talent, you have people nipping at your legs the whole time to take your job," he added. "To do what they do and do it as well as they do is not easy. You do have to take care of yourself this time of year."

The Brewers are currently in a long stretch of consecutive games, and Murphy has to make sure he is being diligent about allocating the proper rest to his players.

"Well, you've got to give them some off days," he said. "The verbiage to them, I don't talk to them all that much. They know exactly where I'm coming from on a lot of things. I'll individually talk to them, but you've got to give them some off days. 

"You've got to give them some time away," Murphy added. "You've got to let some other guys step up, if you will. You can't stop playing the right way. If you're going to be in this, we call it the jungle. If you're going to be in the jungle, you've got to be able to handle the rules of the jungle."

Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!

It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!