September magic doesn’t disappear
Brewers keep winning to put pressure on leaders
CINCINNATI – Baseball is a game with so many numbers, you can stay up all night breaking them down and searching for the true meaning of life in the game.
Sometimes, however, things happen that defy explanation. Such as a team that spun its wheels for month after month suddenly becoming a juggernaut, just in the nick of time.
That’s what’s happening with the Milwaukee Brewers, who on Thursday afternoon did what they usually do these days. They won.
By pulling out a tough 5-3 victory and sweeping the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, the Brewers won their seventh in a row and 18th in the last 20 games. Their record for the month of September is 20-4 with three games to play in Colorado.
Never mind that the Brewers’ best previous monthly record was 15-12 in May. Or that their best previous “hot” stretch was an 11-3 surge in late April/ early May that included a seven-game winning streak.
By comparison, the Brewers have had winning streaks of seven games twice in September, as well as a modest four
gamer. And one last part of this miracle: They are 13-2 since reigning most valuable player Christian Yelich was lost for the remainder of the season with a broken kneecap.
“Look at us now,” said right-hander Chase Anderson, the winning pitcher in the series finale against the Reds. “We’re in the postseason. We just had two sweeps, back to back. This team is doing some incredible things without our best player. Just imagine what we’d do if he was still healthy. It would be crazy.
“We came together as a group. It’s fun to contribute to this team.”
Anderson hit on the Brewers’ magic formula: Togetherness. Rather than splinter after losing, 10-5, to Chicago on Sept. 5 and falling five games behind the Cubs in the wild-card race, the Brewers united and went on their incredible 18-2 run that no one could have expected.
Rather than fold their tents and call it a season when Yelich was lost, the Brewers became more determined than ever. You say we can’t do it without our MVP? We’ll show you.
“I said at the beginning of the month it’s day to day,” said Anderson, a big contributor to the September surge with a 2.35 ERA in five starts. “That’s so cliché but that’s been our key. It’s come to fruition. The guys in this clubhouse have stepped up. It’s been a different guy every time.
“I think the starting staff has really carried us this month. The bullpen has picked us up when we needed it. The pitching overall has really fueled us and given the hitters a good chance to do damage. If we can hold those guys down, we know we’re going to score some runs.
“This month has been pretty special, even compared to last year. I think we’re more connected than we’ve ever been. That’s been fun to be part of.”
The Brewers clinched at least a wildcard berth Wednesday night but by continuing to win, they have forced the first-place St. Louis Cardinals to do likewise to claim the NL Central. The Brewers are one game behind as they prepare to play the last-place Rockies. The Cardinals have a three-game series at home against the collapsing Cubs, whom the Brewers hope will show some life against their bitter rivals.
As for possible home-field advantage in the Wild Card Game, the Brewers awaited the result of Washington’s game vs. Philadelphia to see if the Nationals would remain one game ahead entering a final series against Cleveland.
“We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We need some help. It’s an uphill climb with three games to go, but we’re giving ourselves a chance. Even coming into this series, just giving ourselves a chance was all we could ask for.
“So, to get it to one game with three to play, you feel like you’ve definitely put some heat on the Cardinals, and that’s a good thing. That’s all we can do, is win ourselves. When we do that, we put some pressure on them.”
In that regard, the Brewers are doing all they can do. They continue to win while baseball’s best minds try to figure out how to measure heart.