Milwaukee Brewer's Outlook to the end of the Season
I know football season begins this week with the coming of the month of September and Labor Day weekend, but I am also a big Milwaukee Brewers fan as well. At this time of year the focus switches to the start of football season and baseball usually seems to take a backseat temporarily as the final month of the long, grueling 162 game season is played out until October when playoff baseball begins. However, the month of September is a final chance for a lot of clubs to make one last ditch effort to get into the postseason. This is no different for the Milwaukee Brewers who made the playoffs last year after rallying behind the big left-hander CC Sabathia to secure the National Wild Card berth. I know the chances and the likelihood of the Brewers making the playoffs are slim, but the final month and 32 games left in the season still have to be played out. With this being said there always a chance. I believe the Brewers year end schedule givers them the opportunity for this chance as well. The season is not over until it is over and from here on out until the end of the season, you could only hope that things can only get better for the Brewers after the dreadful month August.
The month August is something the Brewers would like to soon forget. Since the Brewers fall from first-place shortly after the Major League Baseball All-Star break in July, the month of August was supposed to be the part of the schedule where the Brewers were to gain ground in the standings. Instead, the Brewers lost ground and fell to a season high 5 games below .500 at one point. In the month of August the Brewers played a stretch of 22 games in which there opponents all had records of well below .500 and in this stretch the Brewers went 10-12. Nothing against the Pirates, Padres, Astros, Reds and Nationals, it is just that the Brewers are a better team on paper and should have won more than they lost against those respective opponents. They may not have as good starting pitching as most of those teams, but you would like to think that over a 22-game stretch the Brewers would consistently be able to outscore their opponents with their bats. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are the best one-two punch in all of baseball leading MLB with 64 HR and 214 RBI combined. You would think the pitching staff could provide at least a quality start and hopefully you are ahead when the 9th inning rolls around to give the ball to closer Trevor Hoffman who gives you a good chance to win. However, the Brewers did not take advantage. So with that said, as of right now the Milwaukee Brewers (64-66) trail the National League Central Division leaders, St. Louis Cardinals by 12 games. The Brewers are also 7.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies, who currently lead the National League Wild Card race. The Brewers also have their work cut out for them because unlike in August the schedule is much more difficult. Of their remaining 32 games, 22 of them are against teams that are ahead of them in the NL Central Division or NL Wild Card standings and only 6 of them against teams with losing records.
Milwaukee Brewers Remaining Schedule (# of games)
St. Louis Cardinals(9)
ColoradoRockies(3)
San Francisco Giants(3)
Arizona Diamondbacks(3)
Chicago Cubs(7)
Houston Astros(3)
Philadelphia Phillies(3)
However, after reviewing and thinking more closely about the Brewers remaining schedule this has the possibility as to being a blessing in disguise. If the Brewers could not beat the teams that were below them in the standings, maybe it would make sense that they could beat all the teams above them in the standings. I look at the Brewers remaining schedule as a window of opportunity. How long that window stays open is up for the Brewers to decide. With the Brewers playing games directly against opponents that they need to gain ground on, ultimately one win would make a two-game swing. However, this window could close shut very soon as the Brewers first series of the final month opens up in Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. Also, it is not like these improbable postseason runs have not happened before in baseball. For example, the 2004 Houston Astros went 20-7 in the final month to win the NL Wild Card and more recently as most of us remember the 2007 Colorado Rockies went 14-1 in their final 15 games to secure the NL Wild Card after winning a one-game playoff against the San Diego Padres. Why not the Milwaukee Brewers? This team knows and understands what it takes to get into the postseason after last years run. They may not have the starting pitching, but if the heart of the lineup (Braun, Fielder, Cameron) can get hot and carry the Brewers anything is possible. Lastly, if the Brewers happen to fall short of rallying into the postseason (which is most likely going to happen), just please win all 7 of the games remaining against the Chicago Chubs and make damn well sure that they will not be playing baseball in the month of October on the North side as well.
