Brewers’ bullpen makes the difference
At f irst glance
The Milwaukee Brewers, 21⁄2 games back in the National League Central with seven games to play, closed with seven consecutive victories to pull even with the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Milwaukee beat the Cubs 3-1 in Monday’s Game 163 to win its fourth division title since 1969.
A potent offense features three 30-home run sluggers in Christian Yelich, who fell two home runs and one run batted in short of a triple crown; Jesus Aguilar and Travis Shaw.
But Milwaukee’s true strength is a bullpen that ranked second in the NL in earned-run average (3.49), strikeouts (703) and opponents’ batting average (.230), and features left-hander Josh Hader and right-handers Joakim Soria, Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress, all with 12 saves or more.
The Colorado Rockies outlasted the Cubs in Tuesday night’s wild-card game, a 4-hour 55-minute, 2-1 victory in 13 innings that required ace Kyle Freeland to throw 62⁄3 scoreless innings. That will limit the 25-year-old left-hander to one NLDS start, in Game 3.
A dangerous lineup is led by Nolan Arenado, who hit .297 with a .935 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, an NL-leading 38 home runs and 110 RBIs; Trevor Story, who hit .291 with a .941 OPS, 37 home runs, 42 doubles and 108 RBIs; and leadoff man Charlie Blackmon, who hit .291 with 29 home runs and an NL-leading 119 runs.
Why Brewers should win
The Brewers, six games back Aug. 28, have won eight consecutive games and are 33-19 in one-run games.
Milwaukee doesn’t have a true ace, but all the Brewers have to do is get an early lead and turn the game over to their formidable bullpen.
How Rockies can win
The wild-card route puts Colorado, which is 51-28 since July 2, at a disadvantage. The Rockies are starting 23-year-old right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who was 6-6 with a 4.38 ERA, and 28-year-old left-hander Tyler Anderson, who was 7-9 with a 4.55 ERA, in the first two games.
But if Colorado can win one game in Miller Park, it will have its two best pitchers — Freeland, who was 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA, and hardthrowing right-hander German Marquez, who was 14-11 with a 3.77 ERA and 230 strikeouts — for Games 3 and 4 in Coors Field.
Who’s coming in hot Yelich hit .370 (34 for 92) with a 1.313 OPS, 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in his final 27 games. Yelich, 26, from Westlake Village, led the NL in batting (.326) and OPS (1.000), and finished third in home runs (36) and second in RBIs (110).
Hader, who has a vicious fastball-slider mix, was 6-1 with a 2.43 ERA, striking out 143 and walking 30 in 811⁄3 innings.
Veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez, acquired from Washington on Aug. 31, was 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in five starts for the Brewers.
Rockies outfielder David Dahl hit .287 with a .985 OPS, nine home runs and 27 RBIs in 24 September games, with six of the home runs coming in the final week. Story had seven home runs and 18 RBIs in the seven games against the Brewers.
Arenado closed the season with a nine-game hitting streak in which he batted .361 (13 for 36) with four home runs and four doubles, and drove in the Rockies’ first run Tuesday night. Reserve outfielder Gerardo Parra hit .393 (11 for 28) as a pinch-hitter, the third-highest mark in the league.
Who’s coming in cold
Brewers leadoff man Lorenzo Cain, who hit .356 with a .942 OPS in August, hit .256 (11 for 43) with a .592 OPS and eight strikeouts in his last 12 games, and has not homered since Aug. 30.
Shaw, who has been sharing second base with Jonathan Schoop, hit .241 with an .825 OPS, 32 home runs and 86 RBIs. His average slipped to .203 (13 for 64) in September.
Adam Ottavino, the Colorado setup man, was dominant in 50 games through Aug. 3, with a 1.35 ERA, 78 strikeouts and 21 walks in 541⁄3 innings. In 25 games since Aug. 5, the right-hander had a 4.81 ERA, 34 strikeouts, 15 walks and three blown save opportunities in 241⁄3 innings.
Veteran right fielder Carlos Gonzalez hit .276 with a .796 OPS, 16 home runs and 64 RBIs but sagged in September, when he hit .200 with a .597 OPS, one home run and eight RBIs in 20 games.
Season series
The Brewers won five of seven games, including three of four in Coors Field on May 10-13. Milwaukee rallied from a six-run deficit, with Manny Pina hitting a two-out, two-run, tying home run against Wade Davis in the ninth inning and Shaw a two-out run-scoring single in the 10th for an 11-10 victory May 11. Freeland threw 61⁄3 scoreless innings in Colorado’s 4-0 win May 12.
The Brewers won two of three in Miller Park on Aug. 3-5.
Prediction Brewers in five games.