Playoff chances will be decided soon
If the Milwaukee Brewers are going to make a serious run at a playoff berth for the second consecutive September, they know what they have to do. And they've got 12 games to do it. With their series opener Monday night against St. Louis at Miller Park, the Brewers began a stretch of 12 consecutive games against teams competing for the playoffs, including two series, covering seven games, against the Chicago Cubs. Thrown into the mix are two interleague games at home against the powerful Houston Astros.
“We're going to have a pretty good idea where we're at as a team at the end of this next stretch,” Christian Yelich said. “It's important to not lose sight of the fact we have to focus on one day at a time. If you look at all 12, it might not go as well for you.
“They're all important games for us, all against very good teams. A couple of teams that we're chasing. It goes without saying it's a very important stretch for us. We're aware of where we're at, what's at stake here.”
Entering play Monday, the thirdplace Brewers were 4 1⁄2 games behind the first-place Cardinals in the NL Central, and two behind second-place Chicago, which sat in the second wild-card spot, four games in back of Washington. Philadelphia was 1 1⁄2 games behind the Cubs in the wild-card chase, with the Brewers and New York Mets tied, two games back.
If the Brewers can make a push over the next 12 games, which won't be easy, the schedule lightens up a bit over the final three weeks, with most of the games against teams with losing records. But, other than three more games against the Cardinals in St. Louis from Sept. 13-15, the Brewers will not be able to control their own destiny in closing ground on the leaders.
“We're starting to run out of games against these teams that we're chasing,” Yelich said. “So, when you get head-tohead opportunities, you'd like to take advantage of them. It starts tonight, and we'll be rolling that way for a few weeks.”
Or, as manager Craig Counsell put it, “Our mission is to just go out and fight every single day. The games against these teams, you don't have to watch the scoreboard because this is the team you're battling with and that's in front of you.
“That's what adds to these games, for sure. This is how you make things a little easier for yourself. No matter the outcome, it's on us to go out and fight every day. We're still going to be on a ride. We've got to play good games and then get up and go play again the next day.
“That's what we're going to try and do, and fortunately, as much as anything, we have a chance to do it against the teams that are ahead of us.”
It’s all about the pitching
When you take a look at how the seasons of the Brewers and Cardinals have unfolded, you are reminded once again that good pitching trumps good hitting, most of the time.
Though 4 1⁄2 games behind the Cardinals, the Brewers had fared better in most of the key offensive categories, including runs scored (622 to 592), home runs (208 to 162), on-base percentage (.331 to .320) and OPS (.776 to .729).
The Cardinals were decidedly better in the pitching categories, however. They ranked second in the NL with a 3.94 team earned run average, compared to the Brewers' 12th-ranked 4.68 ERA. St. Louis' bullpen ranked first with a 3.67 ERA, far ahead of the Brewers at 4.64 (10th). The Cardinals also had a decided edge in starting pitching, with a 4.12 EA (6th) compared to the Brewers' 4.70 ERA (12th).
St. Louis also has been much better than the Brewers in playing defense, ranking first in the NL with a .988 fielding percentage and only 55 errors. Milwaukee ranked ninth at .984, with 75 errors.
“They've pitched well; their bullpen has performed really well,” Counsell said of the Cardinals. “(Jack) Flaherty has gotten hot and kind of been an ace, so to speak.
“And, then, they've been really solid defensively. So, a lot of different units doing good things, and that leads to good runs and good stretches, basically.”
Hiura struggling with throws
Part of the Brewers' issues on defense has been living with the learning curve of rookie Keston Hiura, an offensive whiz who has had trouble making accurate throws. Through 65 games, Hiura had committed 12 errors, almost all of them on errant throws.
“He's had throwing accuracy issues,” Counsell said. “As much as anything, that's been the issue. It hasn't been arm-strength issues, to me. That's a little more challenging puzzle to solve.
“He's a really hard worker. He's diligent with his work and trying to improve on it, and that's the path you have to take with this – just day by day.”