It’s no time to panic
Postseason run still appears likely
There’s no sugarcoating the Milwaukee Brewers’ most recent road trip, which ended in the pouring rain in Pittsburgh, where the Crew capped a nightmarish 1-7 skid by deftly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory not once but twice in a 7-6, 10-inning loss.
It was uglier than the Houston Astros’ rainbow uniforms, uglier than Mickey Mantle’s knees, uglier than a chewed-on-by-Bud Selig cigar.
It was bad baseball, played by a banged-up team that limped into the allstar break looking like a dispirited bunch, its mojo in tatters, its dugout a morgue.
But contrary to the feeling of impending doom that has suddenly gripped many Brewers fans, it doesn’t mean this team is circling the drain.
It was easy to forget, while throwing things at the TV as the ball squirted past catcher Erik Kratz, that this team won 55 of its first 98 games and until a few days ago had the best record in the National League and the lead in the Central Division.
What we need here is a little perspective, a macro view.
Sure, some concern is warranted, with seven players on the 10-day disabled list, a couple of previously bulletproof relievers developing mild cases of the hiccups and a swing-and-miss epidemic that has swept indiscriminately through the lineup.
Admittedly, this latest slump is eerily reminiscent of the last few weeks of the 2017 season, when the Brewers’ bats went radio silent.
But this is a different year, a different time, a different team. The 10-day DL is not a life sentence – well, perhaps it is for Ryan Braun, but that’s another story – and players with strained groins, forearm tightness, biceps strains and jammed thumbs presumably will get healthy sooner than later.
There is no reason to think Jesús Aguilar will suddenly stop mashing home runs, Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich will forget how to hit and Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress will start getting knocked around the ballpark. These guys are all-stars for a reason. They’re having great years.
They’re going to need help, of course, but you’ve got to believe some of the walking wounded will return to health and form. The Brewers’ injury situation can’t get much worse, never mind what happens to the Packers annually.
Here’s the thing: Milwaukee is 55-43 (.561), with 64 games left. The Brewers have fashioned a good record despite their warts, and if they go 35-29 (.547) the rest of the way, they’ll win 90 games. That is a realistic goal. It probably wouldn’t be good enough to win the division, but it would put them in the running for one of two wild cards.
Other teams the Brewers likely would have to beat out and the records they would need in the second half to win 90 games: Arizona, 37-31; Colorado, 39-27; Atlanta, 38-30; and Philadelphia, 37-30. I included the Phillies because they lead the Braves by just one-half game in the NL East.
Of course, the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers would factor in the wild-card race should they fail to hold on to their division leads.
I understand the angst among Brewers fans. The last week has not been a whole lot of fun. But I also get the sense that this team is more resilient – and it’s definitely deeper and more talented – than recent Brewers squads that have gone belly up down the stretch. A run at the postseason is still very much doable.
Having said all that, Manny Machado sure would look good in a Brewers uniform.