Murphy running out of answers for how to get Yelich, Contreras out of their funks

Brewers manager Pat Murphy says he’s running out of answers as slumping stars Christian Yelich and William Contreras continue to struggle at the plate. Murphy texts game plans daily to coaching staff and keeps both names on his batting order “napkin.” Yelich went 0-for-3 with strikeouts in a 3-1 loss to the Dodgers on Friday and is now hitting .207 with a .636 OPS over his last 74 games, after a 10-game hot stretch that included a 1.018 OPS. Contreras, an NL All-Star earlier, is at .159 with a .506 OPS since July 1, including a 0-for-20 drought. Murphy questioned whether adjustments—such as targeting specific pitch outcomes—might be needed, and noted he has tried rest options, but doesn’t expect bench time alone to fix things.