MILWAUKEE -- In this cynical old world, it's easy to be jaded about things. After two nights of watching the Milwaukee Brewers batter Mets pitching, you could be excused for bagging on the New York staff. But you know what? That Milwaukee offense is something to behold, and it might be time that we all started to pay attention.

"We put together a good unit of position players," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after his team beat the Mets 11-4 on Saturday. "You are seeing that we have a solid, all-around unit. There are a bunch of guys who can help on different days. That means it doesn't have to be the same guy every day. That's how you score runs, ultimately."

Friday's headlines were all about the return of New York's Matt Harvey, whom Milwaukee touched up for career-worst totals in walks and homers. Saturday's headlines will probably be about the Mets' rotation as a whole. After Robert Gsellman was charged with six runs (five earned) in four-plus innings, New York's 5.13 starter ERA dropped into last place among big league rotations.

In May, New York's rotation ERA is 7.55. It is indeed getting ugly for a Mets squad built to contend on the strength of their starting pitching. But it takes two to tango. Milwaukee has been rolling up big scores all season, and even with franchise stalwart Ryan Braun landing on the disabled list Friday, the Brewers' onslaught shows no sign of abating.

Milwaukee has climbed to three games over .500 and continues to hang in the NL Central race in the season's early going. That's not bad for a club that finished more than 30 games out of first in each of the past two seasons.

"As long as we're within striking distance, this team is going to do it," said Brewers starter Zach Davies, who benefited from all that run support on Saturday. "I think people are starting to realize that, and people are starting to come play us in that way."

Let's run through the numbers: The Brewers lead the majors with 60 homers. Only the Nationals have scored more runs than Milwaukee's 192. The Brewers' 35 stolen bases rank third. They are third in OPS against lefty pitching and sixth against righties. They rank sixth in home OPS and seventh on the road. It's fun, it's balanced, it's prolific, and it's a group effort, one that keeps getting better.

"The thing about this team is that we make adjustments pretty quick," outfielder Keon Broxton said. "We make adjustments pitch to pitch, and that's basically what you want to do. Usually, if a guy gets us out one time through the lineup, we make an adjustment and have some good at-bats. It turns around pretty quick."

In May, the free-swinging Brewers have slashed their strikeout rate by 5 percent from the opening month. Even though their home-run rate has fallen off a little, their batting average and on-base percentage have risen with the improved contact. Little by little, the collective approach improves, and the runs keep coming.

"Even when we're not hitting homers, we still seem to be putting up some runs," said Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw, who clubbed a three-run homer to cap an eight-run Milwaukee fifth. "One through nine, any guy can do it. It's a different guy, it seems like, every night. Braun's out, and it seems like we haven't missed a beat so far. We want to keep that going."

Milwaukee ranks in the top half of the majors in OPS in every lineup slot from No. 2 to No. 8. They are in the top 10 at Nos. 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8. Even their pitchers rank in the top half of the National League in the No. 9 spot. Only the leadoff slot (26th) has been subpar for the Brewers.

Slugger Eric Thames grabbed headlines with his April home-run binge. He has homered only twice April 25, though his OPS since then (.776) shows that he is much more than a long ball hitter. More and more, that's becoming true of a deep Milwaukee lineup that is short on big names but long on really dangerous hitters.

"I thought we were going to be a pretty good offense," Shaw said. "I [didn't] know to this level."

What this all suggests is that the Brewers' offense isn't going anywhere. They are too good in too many different ways and at too many different positions. You might have already learned Thames' name based on his breakout month. But take some time, and learn the rest: Hernan Perez, Jett Bandy, Domingo Santana, Jesus Aguilar, Orlando Arcia, Manny Pina, Jonathan Villar, Shaw and Broxton too. These guys can swing it.

"Seeing the guys that hit before me and seeing the success that they have, I feed off of that," Broxton said. "It gets my energy up. We're low-key competitive with each other, and when we see a guy have success, we want to do just as good or better. That motivates the rest of the lineup. From top to bottom, we're in there grinding."

When it comes to hitting, if success indeed breeds success, look out because the Brewers are having a lot of it these days. Don't say we didn't warn you.