The Brewers’ 71-67 record on Sept. 4 left them in third place in the National League Central, 6½ games behind first-place St. Louis and four games behind the Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild card spot — with two other teams standing in between.And they did this without their big star Christian Yelich (who fractured his knee cap) and with limited ability to use Mike Moustakas, Keston Hiura, Lorenzo Cain, and Ryan Braun (all of whom are limited by injury). The lesser characters stepped up: Cory Spangenberg, Travis Shaw, Eric Thames, and Orlando Arcia. It's a lovely narrative. Just 3 games in Cincinnati and then 3 games in Denver and the season is over. Fantastic ending. We now have a 99% chance of making the playoffs and (per FiveThirtyEight) even a 2% chance of winning the World Series.
On Monday, however, when Brewers players, coaches and fans woke up and checked their local newspapers, the standings told a significantly different story. Milwaukee, thanks to a stunning 15-3 run, began the day in a virtual tie for the NL’s top wild card spot with the Nationals and just three games behind the Cardinals with six games to play.
September 24, 2019
"Out of nowhere, it's all come together in past 18 games for Brewers."
Headline at the Wisconsin State Journal.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
28 comments:
The 538 guys are crying. The Brewers are -2 in run differential this year. Same as the Reds.
We now have a 99% chance of making the playoffs and (per FiveThirtyEight) even a 2% chance of winning the World Series.
What's this we stuff?
Go Nats!
Cards won last night.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox, who have also had injuries, have gone from 108 wins to a maximum of 87, and are 11 1/2 games out of the wild card.
"The Brewers are -2 in run differential this year."
They arent doing well in the popular vote, losing big (like 16-0) several times. But they do well in the one-run games. It's like they figured out that you don't get credit for more than one win by running up the score in any one game.
Now what to do about those teams in states who voted to allocate all their wins to the one team who scored the most runs? Fairness demands that team be declared the winner.
Their performance despite the loss of Yelich is one of late summer's best feel-good stories.
It is extended R&R time in the Home of the Braves. They are playing the rest of their roster while the stars watch. They lost their star Shortstop, Charlie Culberson, who squared to bunt and was drilled in the face by a 90 mph fastball breaking his facial bones.
But Donaldson and Freeman along with the young duo of Acuna and Albies is eager to play the Cardinals.
Go Dodger Blue!!!!
Vicki from Pasadena
The Brew Crew!
Culbertson is a bench player Tradguy. He does however look like the regular SS.
Both are local Georgia products whom I have umpired.
"What's this we stuff?"
That's what my wife always asks me when I talk about the Cardinals (who have gone on a similar tear to the Brewers).
Besebol ben berry good to Ann!
Yeah, the Cubs have returned to their historical trend. It is 1969 all over again.
Perhaps decades from now we will be talking about the Miracle Brewers of 2019.
You jinxed them, Ann
Since I pretty much only root for underdogs in baseball, I can easily root for the Brewers. I won't root for the Nationals since they are based in DC, and the Yankees, Dodgers, and Houston are all 100 game winners, and I wouldn't root for the Yankees or Dodgers if they got into the playoffs with a losing record.
Blessed are the Beer Makers.
"per fivethirtyeight"... what a tool.
Blessed are the Beer Makers."
You're not supposed to take it literally, Meade. It's the makers of all intoxicating beverages in general!
I love the Brewers, but their run has a ton to do with playing the dregs of the National League this month. They did manage to win a pair of series against the Cubs, and one against the Cardinals, but everyone else they play this month is below .500.
(Of course, part of the reason for this is the brutal schedule they had earlier on, where it seemed like they couldn't go a week without playing a playoff contender.)
I'll gladly take it, and the team has done well to put together a number of sweeps (rather than dropping one game and winning the other 2-3), which really helps a team catch up ground. My expectations for a deep run in October are not what they were a year ago, since the loss of Yelich will hurt them against teams like the Dodgers, & Braves (if not the Nationals).
I'm not here.
Over a 162 game, streak filled season, so much of postseason baseball comes down to when a team gets hot. I wish the brew crew the best of luck - right up until they get swept out of the World Series by my Astros.
After a string of some of the worst seasons in MLB; the Astros have won their third straight Division title with a 100+ win season. And no one person is the star, with Bregman a potential AL MVP, Alvarez a lock for AL Rookie of the Year, and toss up for AL Cy Young between Verlander and Cole. Every regular season offensive starter has at least 10 HR. 6 starters have a +.900 OPS.
However, the Astros do have a weakness in starting pitching after Verlander and Cole. Hinch still has 6 capable of starters, which I expect him to platoon in pairs for the playoffs in a 3 game rotation. Greinke should shore up the weakness. I also hope that Osuna and Pressley go back to their 1st half shutdown form as closers.
Counsell should get manager of the year. His starting pitching staff is worse than mediocre, and the bullpen outside of Hairboy Hader is full of former rejects. It was greatly amusing earlier this month to listen to the Chicago sports radio yakkers (when they shut up about the Bears) talk of how the Cubs only had the Cards, Nats, and Mets to contend with for a playoff spot. The top payroll in the league at $211 million gonna get bounced out of the playoffs by the scrappy nobodies 90 miles north - for the second year in a row.
Brewers are 15th in payroll. Kudos to Atlanta who have a great team and are 17th in overall payroll, and to Tampa Bay, which is dead last and, as of today, the second wildcard team just ahead of Cleveland.
Meanwhile the Dbacks tanked.
My team in Cleveland could win 98 games and miss the playoffs.
Twins- Brewers World Series! Probably not, but a man can dream, no?
Known- Twins fan here- the Indians have had a fun year- they’ve overcome a lot of injuries. Minnesota- Cleveland ALCS would be fun. Neither the Twins nor the Indians gaudy records mean much, with three such bad clubs in their division.
Post a Comment