Milwaukee Brewers face pivotal stretch, then free sailing?
By Rick Soisson
If the Milwaukee Brewers can get through the next few games, they could be in the clear for the playoffs.
Sunday, Sept. 9 dawned a seemingly comfortable day for the Milwaukee Brewers, a team only 2½ games out of first in the NL Central and 2½ games up in the NL Wild Card race. The Brew Crew had won six consecutive series, and maybe they would be content even if they lost the final game of their series against the Giants. After all, Madison Bumgarner would be pitching for the Giants, and the Brewers projected starter, the slight right-hander Zach Davies, was sporting a losing record and a 4.88 ERA.
Maybe they’d mentally take a day off after Gio Gonzalez’ win the previous day in his Brewer debut.
And maybe they wouldn’t. The Milwaukee Brewers and their fans have every reason to expect great things in the last three weeks of the season, assuming the team can make a decent showing against Bumgarner and then in three quietly pivotal games against the division-leading Chicago Cubs. These games are probably the key to what any contending team wants – a bye in the MLB’s Wild Card round, which, of course, is only a game long.
There are a number of obvious reasons to think the Brewers might well run down the Cubs and move into the NL playoffs a very dangerous team:
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First are their first two hitters, the athletic outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. Cain is sporting an .827 OPS figure, the second best of his career, and Yelich’s .938 OPS at this point is just one of several figures suggesting he is a serious MVP candidate. In Philadelphia, Rhys Hoskins is considered the leader and probable savior of his team. He has fabulous pitch judgement and is an inch taller and 30 pounds heavier than Yelich. Yet Yelich basically has the same power stats that Hoskins does, one fewer home runs (28 to 29), one fewer doubles (29 to 30), and exactly the same RBI figure (86) before play Sept. 9. Moreover, Yelich leads Hoskins in batting average by 68 points (.316 to .248).
Some devalue batting average now, but 68 points is 68 points.
Second, ten Brewers pitchers have WHIPs under 1.20, and four of them are starters. Unfortunately, Brent Suter underwent Tommy John surgery Aug. 1, but this still leaves the team with four starters with WHIPs at 1.22 or lower although Freddy Peralta is expected to take a relief role on returning to the team Sept. 9.
Third, after the coming Cubs series, the Brewers face only one team to actually be “concerned” about, the Cardinals, in St. Louis from Sept. 24 to 26. The Redbirds are the other NL Wild Card team at this point, but the Brewers other opponents this month are the Pirates (two series), the Reds and the Tigers.
Fourth, the Brewers have momentum, and a fair amount of it.
Next. Brewers Mount Rushmore. dark
They just need to think of the next four games as the hurdles on the backstretch of a 400-meter hurdles race – not easy tasks – but if they can clip only one of them, lose only one game of the next four, they should be able to run down the Cubs for the division championship. The Cubs still have six games left with Arizona and St. Louis, including their last three in Busch Stadium.