5 reasons why the Reds can overtake the Brewers
By Bill Felber
Cincinnati has the easier non-division schedule
Outside the NL Central, the Reds have 34 games remaining, the Brewers 35. But based on the teams’ 2021 performance to date, Cincinnati has decidedly the easier schedule.
The collective winning average of the 34 Reds opponents-to-be is under .500, .498 to be exact. The Brewers must navigate through a .534 winning average of their 35 opponents-to-be. That’s a 36-point percentage advantage to the Reds.
Why is Cincinnati so much better-positioned on the schedule? The Reds play seven games against last-place divisional teams – all of them versus the Miami Marlins – and only eight against leaders of other divisions. That includes six versus the New York Mets and two versus the Chicago White Sox.
The Brewers, by contrast, face last-place teams in other divisions only twice after the break, and they’ll get those two out of the way early. They face the Kansas City Royals Tuesday and Wednesday, July 20-21.
And Milwaukee has a challenging 13 games remaining against other first-place teams: seven with the Giants, three with the White Sox and three with the Mets.
The final two weeks of Milwaukee’s season could hardly be more imposing. Beyond seven games with the Cardinals, they have three each with the Mets and Dodgers.
The Reds spend those same final two weeks with six games against the Pirates, four against Washington and two against the White Sox.