The Milwaukee Brewers are only seven games into a long 2014 season, but I am extremely surprised as to what I have seen from a team no one expected to do anything.

5-2 is where the Brewers currently stand after a shaky opening home series going 1-2, but they rebounded by clean sweeping the defending champ Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. Now, thanks to Ryan Braun’s three home run game, they have defeated the Phillies of Philadelphia, as well.

Braun came out of the gates slow after three games in Milwaukee, hitting under .100. But after a much better series in Boston, and a three home run game in Philadelphia, Braun is back on track despite boos from rival fans and jeers from rival teams.

As we sit right now, the Brewers lead the league in earned run average at 1.80, which is unheard of from a team that normally fills in somewhere near the bottom of the league. We can attribute this early pitching success to solid starts from all of the starters, including Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada.

Also, Yovani Gallardo is finally starting to show us he can be the ace we’ve always wanted him to be after starting 2-0 and not allowing a single run. He has not only been able to command his pitches, but also put hitters away with his 94 mile-per-hour fastball and devastating curveball that makes hitters’ knees buckle.

To compliment Gallardo, the number two and three starters in the rotation, Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza, have also had solid outings after so-so springs. These two starters are guys the Brewers need to stay rock solid throughout the season, and as long as they stay away from the injury bug I think this is something that is very much possible.

But pitching isn’t the only thing that has been awesome for the Brewers so far this season, the hitting has been as well.

Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez have started the season on a tear, both hitting over .300 and producing runs. The middle infielders Jean Segura and Scooter Gennett have also been getting on base and scoring runs despite Gennett’s platoon with Rickie Weeks and Segura’s shoulder injury.

Secretly though, the player I and many others seem to always forget about is catcher Jonathan Lucroy. He quietly is hitting .423 with a .500 on base percentage, while holding his own behind the plate throwing runners out and blocking wild pitches.

Last week, national baseball reporter Peter Gammons tweeted saying, “Sitting behind the plate and Jonathan Lucroy is a pleasure. Hand me an All-star ballot.”

If this doesn’t tell you enough, then I don’t know what else you want. Lucroy is a career .280 hitter who is praised by many managers and players as one of the best behind the plate, except for Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, of course.

Today I looked at the Brewers starting lineup once again, I thought to myself “You know, why can’t this team contend?” Gomez, Segura, Braun, Ramirez, Lucroy, Overbay, Davis and Gennett is one of the most potent lineups in the National league in my mind.

So, lets give this Brewer team a chance folks. After all they have been through a whole lot over the past season. If Braun can stay on track after his big game, and the pitching can stay dominant, look for the Brew Crew to do big things this season.